The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-03-17

up. Many of the species are nomadic i'm
tuelr habits, travelling many parallels OF
latitude lii their MI .rauUns. Other.
dwelling exclusively at tue bottom and
l1nylsluie 10 man, can only be taken by
the laborious and slow process of bottom
fishing with baited HOOKS. But although
man IAN do little towards materially less
| ening the numbers of ocean fish by their
capture, lie eau very materially check
:heIr natural rate OF INCREASE III another
way, as we shall see further on. For in.
stance, those valuable varieties, tue Cod
and Haddock some thirty years ago SO
abundant along tile coast OF New Enr
land, (but even there in much dininishcd
numbers as compared with the period
/ " hen the New England rivers were a.
yet unobstrGcted 10y huge dams) have at
the present time almost deserted their
former haunts and retired TO deeper
waters. Even Daniel Webster himself,
that enth astic n si.r, if prrmitted to
revisit earth ana again engage in Ills la
vorite sport ut Marshficld where he Was
wont to assemble his more intimate
friends and rcgale them with a real OLD
fashion South Sh re CLIO NdCr, would now
find 1t L difficult undertaking To enilcc
from tie depths ot their ocean hCmc
those magnificent Old Settlers which rc-
port says hc was wont to apostrophlze,
on lifting them into the boat IN the
words So we'll known f,r their subse-
quent employment on different occa-
sion Venerable meu you have come
down to us from former gcn.rations,"
&c.
In contrast with the comparative ex-
cmption of ocean fishes irJm mans do
minion is the fact that the fresh water
| fishes are from the confined areas of their
habits, almost entirely under mans con.
troll. They are 10y one device or another
relatively easy of capture, and while Inn
lted in natural increase 10y the quantity
OF fooc at Eand, they arc drawn upon by
man for subsistence purposes to an un-
warranted extent; with this result that
scarcely any piece of fresh water in the
pOpu!ous PORTIONS OF our land furnishes
half the quantity OF foJd-fshcs it could be
made to WELD under judicious System
of protection. AS articles of food, and
taken as whole, the fresh water fishes
are vastly inferior to their ocean relatives
For this reason they occupy but slightly
tho attention OF the practical fish cu,-
lurist.
| We come now to the third class
Among the anadromous fishes are count.
ed the choicest varieties upon earth or in
the waters adjoining the earth, and at
their head 10y the universal consent of
mankind, faei!e PriHeeps" stands the
lordly Salmon. Being thus regarded anu
untiringly pursued as Il valuable article
OF consumption aud m.rChandisc, it il
not so very long since the Canadians
found that these valuable fish were rapii-
ly disappearing from their waters, and
that unless something were done to pre-
vent 1t their once prvdIc and vaiua-
BILE salmon fisheries would soon become
extinct. Be it remembered that thee
| tish had long since disarF arcd irOu the
New England rivers, except few strag-
glers annually captured i'll the Name
waters. Practically the species may be
regarded as extinct at the present time
along the entire coust of New England.
| But the Canadians, Warned Ill time, AID
piled the proper remedies, and r.al y
| splendid results have ben secured within
80 sh"rt n time as the ten years Just
| elapsed. 1t will be worth our Mhi.e to
devote considerable time and space to
the history OF the decline and revival ut
the Canadaa Salmon fisheries, inasmuvh
as the remedies applied in their case WEI
serve our interests III like manner. if un
sparlngly administered AID duly eN~
forced. !Similia simiitus cuyaatur.'
In our next article we shall invite the
attention o. the Reader 10 u description
of the Canadian Salmon rivers, AID of
the habits of the salmon, Us bping essen
tial to complete understanding of the
causes why this splendid fish 50 narrowly
escaped annihlauon wen in tn; Canadian
wildernesses localities far removed flo II
civilization and only occupied by tie
widest of animals, us the moose, the car
ibon, bears, wolves and the like One
would naturally suppose that here ut
least, fishes OF all KINDS might roam up
and down the rivers uadistulbed and in
perfect safely.