The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-05-21
FISH.
An Able Article on this Subject By
Prof. Barfoot.

by favor OF Hr0I. j. Il. baIIOo
| Curator Of the Museum, we are ful
nished the following article on fish
submitted by him and read befor
the Central Board of Trade OF
| Thursday:
MUSEUM, SALT LAKE CITY,
May 14th, 1881.
Gentlemen-I am glad to find tina
there is an intention on the part o.
lions Central Board of Trade Il
take cognizance of fish and game in
terests, which appear to me to be o.
great Importance to us as commu
nifty. Surrounded as We are by
mountains, our watershed con
stantly tending to bring down to the
lowest levels fish food, which is not
carried away to the ocean, large
supplies of organic matter, both
animal and vegetable, necessarily
abound in our lakes and their affiu-
ents.
Although there is not that super
abundance of fishes in our public
waters that prevailed at the time of
our advent to these valleys, this has
not arisen from diminished supply
of fish food, which is better and
more abundant, by reason of the
cultivation of our lands, but at the
same time our system of irrigation
has largely caused the destruction of
our fishes, especially in periods of
unusual drought, from the absence
of precautions to prevent by screens,
etc, the wasting away of fishes, the
lack of adequate tiSh-ways for the
migration of fishes, and reserve
ponds to which fishes could have
access in dry seasons. From these
causes our streams have been de-
pleted to an alarming extent, in a
country where we may be at any
moment greatly dependent upon the
natural supplies of food for susie
nance, to say nothing of the wanton
and wholesale destruction of fishes
by the various devices resorted
to by the unprincipled and
Besides these direct
methods of diminishing our supplies
of fish food for our markets and
consumption, the influx of
waters containing poisonous and
other pernicious substances from
saw mills and factories has destroyed
immense numbers of fishes; saw
dust entering the gills of fishes. by
which they breathe, not only causes
them great discomfort, but it fills
the air passages with decompoSlng
matter, which promotes disease and
finally causes death.
OF the existence of these eVils,and
Of many other causes of our paucity
of fish food, the utah Game and
Fish Protective Society" have taken
notice in a code of laws published
under the direction of that associa-
ton, March 18th, 1880; and various
by our local legislature
have prescribed remedies for them,
to which l respectfully direct your
attention, as by the PRONUNCIATION of
a knowledge of these laws. and the
of a healthy public senti-
ment on these subjects, much may
possibly be done to remedy existing
evils. /
In the discharge of duties assigned
to me by the United State fish COM
missioner at Washington, with the
of the president of the
Deseret Agricultural Society, of
Utah, who is recognized as eX-officio |
fish commissioner for the Territory, |
IN the absence of legislation on the
subject, l have secured the use of
four az ponds belonging to the estate |
Of the late o. P. lockwood, the for
ner fish commissioner for Utah, for
the reception of fish fry consigned |
20 me for public distribution in this
territory, and l shall be pleased to
with you in any move
nent for the more efficiently restock-
ng of our public waters with supe- |
rior fishes. /
AS to the propagation of food
fishes in this territory, l am direct
ing public attention to its import
lnce, through the columns of thei
papers published here, in which l
have been materially aided by Prof.
Spencer F. Baird. commissioner of
ish and fisheries, United States, who
has loaned electrotype wood cuts for
he purpose of showing the best
nodes of constructing fish ponds,
ETC. etc. OF the value of fish as
food, or of the great Importance of
increasing our fish supplies, l am
sure it is not necessary for me to
,ay a word to you; from matters of
economy alone the subject is one
hat merits attention. Large sums |
IRE sent out of the territory annually, |
not only for canned fish goods, but
'or fish from various parts of the
states, and even then our markets
are inadequately supplied, and that
with varieties of fish that do not |
merit the name of fresh or good. |
Probably your efforts will be at
,ended with success by training a
portion of our youth to habits of
ish culture and preservation, our
ish food may be increased, many OF
our public streams now barren and
Improbable, could be made produc-
tive and a source of revenue. Whole
some food could be supplied to the
of most of our settle
nents. and the markets of our cities,
at cheap rate, and abundant oecu-
patton be found for many who are
now unemployed, in pursuits that
are health-inspiring to those en-
gagged in them, beneficial to the
commonwealth, as well as honorable
and remunerative as local industries.
With great respect,
I remain, yours truly,
JOSEPH l.. BAREFOOT,