Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-03-16
THE FOOD FISHES OF LAKE CHAM
PLAIN.
How they nrc Being Depleted be Greedy
Fishermen.
tFrom Forest and Stream.

A correspondent of the Forest anil ,Stroam
communicates to that paper certain facts
concerning the illegal taking of fish from the
waters of Lake Champain.
The correspondent after giving list of the
principal market fish Of the lake, says The
above list is not supposed to include all the
food fishes of he lake, but those that are
commonly sold in the markets. OF these the
pike, black lass, pickerel, and lake shad
are by far the most important, each avcrag-
ing from to 6pounds in weight, and
retailing at Plaltsburgh for 12l cents per
pound.
A few bass arc taken with the hook and
line and some are spcated with this I'M
important exception all the market
fish are caught in nets What is here
known as lake shad' is true white fish,
equal in every respect to the whitciish of the
Great Lakes. How it came by the local
name cannot imagine, unless because OF its
superior flavor and the absence of shad in
Lake Champaign, the carly inhabitants
thought they would do it honor by giving it
the name OF one of the most esteemed food
fishes of the world. 1t frequently attains
the weight of eight pounds, and individuals
are sometimes taken that turn the scales at
ten and even twelve pounds. The perch are
small and sell for ten cents per dozen. The
'mullet average from two TO six pounds in
weight, though sometimes growing to he
much larger, and retails for six cents per
pound at Plattsburgh. The bull pout weighs
Il pound or little over, and sells for eight
cents per pound dressed or twenty cents per
dozen fish undrosscd. The cells average from
two TO five pounds, and sell from twenty to
nntna 81, .i.,l
| from sixty to one hundred pounds each, and
bring, at Pittsburgh, ten cents per pound
dressed, and eight cents undrcssed. Many
are spearcd every year when they ascend the
river TO spawn. They run up the Missisquoi
with great regularity about the cath of May,
but the dam Of Swanton (Nt,) prevents them
from reaching their old spawning beds
hence after remaining forty eight hours, they
return to the lake Whether the spawn is
deposited on their way out | have been I'm.
able to ascertain. On the cath of May last,
Il miller spearcd one from the bridge at
Swauton that weighed lightweight and a
half pounds, measured six feet one inch 10
length and contained bucketfull of spawn.
Several Others were killed in the shallow
rapids under the bridge at this time. The
next morning sturgeon were seen Xix
porpolses' the deeper water below, after
which they Immediately returned TO the lake.
They occur at SwantOn with such surprising
| regularity that many of the inhabitants keep
spears in readiness for them and | am told
that they rarely vary more than day or two
in the time of their appearance.
The only fish markets Of any consequence
| on Lake Champlain are at Burlington, VT,
and Pattsburgh, n. y, the fish selling for a
tIitic less on the Vermont side. The hotels
do not generally patronizc the markets, but
purchase direct from the fishermen. Prac-
ticaly, all the fish are taken in nets, and
those caught after the latter part of April
| come mostly from certain parts of Grand
Isle, which belongs to Vermont. But the
wholesalesalc slaughter takes place earlier
than this. In March and April scincs are
set to catch the fish on their way
to the spawning beds. Last Spring (lSS2)
there were six large scines in the Misssquoi
river below Swanton. Few escape to de
positc their spawn. The same vandalous
method is practiccd in other rivers, and |
ain credibly informed that for period of
six weeks each spring, from thirty to forty
barrels Of fish are shipped daily from the
north end Of Lake Champan alone. Most
of them go to New York. Inquiries at
iouscs Point disclose the significant fact
that an average of twenty-five to thirty bar
rcls pass through that place daily for n per-
iod of at least five weeksi the months of
March and April In the Spring OF 1873,
twenty thousand pike died in a small pond
in which they were placed to await "A rise
in the market price.
The inevitable result of this scandalous
depletion of the spawning beds has already
made itself felt, and fishing with the hook
and Linz is no longer practiced in places
where it used to prove very remunera-
tive.
feel confident that the above facts, how
eyer appalling, constitute but half told
story-that the cnormty of the crime will
never be fully known-and 1t is sincerely to
to be hoped that the proper authorities will
spare neither pains nor cost in bringing this
outrageous slaughter to speedy termination,
The food fishes Of this magnificent lake
are of too great value to the inhabitants OF
its shores to be sacrificed for the benefit of Il
handful Of worthless outlaws. The time for
action is now at hand"