Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-05-06
OUR FOOD FISH.
WHAT TEE PENNsYLvAxIA FISH COM
MLssiONERs sAY or IT'S sTREAMs.
The Dams And Fislbways In tho susquehanpe.
The shad stopped at Coiumbss-lsuth-
less Catch Of Small Fish In the
Close-Iathed Fish Baskets

Advance sheets OF the biennial report of the u
state commissioners of fisheries have been '
received. The report comprises about one
hundred pages of letter press and Q
illustrations, and presents tho reasons .
why tho results OF the efforts of the commits | !
soners to restock tho streams of tho state
with edible fish, have not been as successful ,
as many persons claim they should have /
been. \
Much of this report Is of local interest as II
deals with the fish and the waters Of the Sus-
quehanna and the movements of tho shad
Tho five principal reasons why the labors
| OF the commissioners have been compara- ,
| lively barren of good results arc:
]. The dams which otstruct nearly all |
| large streams.
| II. The lack of adequate fishways.
Ill The non-observance of the close or
| spawning seasons.
| Nv. The many illegal and deadly devices
employed at all seasons for the capturing and
| killing of fish.
v. The pollution of streams by the deposi-
ton of material poisonous to the fish,
These five interfering causes are discussed
at length, their pernicious effects pointed out
and remedies suggested.
Speaking of dams, IL says ait is almost
superfluous to state that dams, as ordinarily
| constructed, are an absolute bar TO the up
ward passage of fish in streams across which
they are built As long as such distractions
exist and are unprovided with adequate
"ways" so constructed that fish can rapidly
ascend them, so long will the supply of |
anadrOmous or migratory fishes continue to |
lessen, until complete extinction results"
THE DAMS IN THE sUsouEHANNA. |
The Susquehanna river furnishes nota- |
BILE illustration of the detrimental influences
| of dams unprovided with fish-ways. Prior
to the erection of the dam at Columbia, shad
T, fishing was excellent for hundreds of miles
v | along that river. In those days farmers and
tl,nra f.r
side, made their yearly pilgrimages to the
p stream in April and May to secure fish food
O for the ensuing summer, where they could
. purchase the run or catch at an average of
. Sl3 or less per hundred at the rate OF
about three cents per pound They would
flock to the river sides, waiting for. the draw
d ing of the seines, and on the banks would
a clean and salt down one, two or three bar
:. rels, as might be required for the summer
T" supply for their families" How is it now !?
1t Is doubtful whether hundred shad are
taken in whole season north of the Column
fe bia dam, and II Is not necessary to look for
is the reason. Although so-called "fshway"
10 was built inthe dam few years ago. ii has
a. proved an abortion, because those who built II
e did not understand their business. The fish
:. either can not or will not ascend IL, and, as a
81 consequence, the hundreds of thousands Of
IT. shad-the finest in the world-tbat used to
,ir be taken In the upper waters OF that river are
mt no longer heard Of In point OF fact, shad
fishing In the Susquehanna, north OF tho
Columbia dam, is practically thing of the
ed past.
Al | WHAT Is NEEDED.
M An adequate fshway should be built in
rs | that dam. The requisites of such a structure
are not set forth in the report as follows:
l. 1t must be accessible; that is, the floor
ed | of the fishway must he located that the fish
49, will readily find il.
ar 2. 1t must discharge a sufficient volume Of
ne water to attract fish TO it
ys 3. The water must y. edischarged with such
to moderate ye}achS1y That fish NAV easily enter
audi swim against the current
iar | 4. The route 10 be travelled by the fish
80 should be . short and direct as possible
ips and the for of the fshway should simulate
mt as nearly may be- the bed of the stream
ing Propositions for the erection of such
"fish-way" with a full guarantee that it vii
answerthe % the purpose, have been n made van to tn, h.
tts. any action. The amount required for th'
70 purpose and asked for by the commissioner
~, oi is 5000.
THE DEADLY FISH BASKET.
The report next addresses itself to tn
,,o .. fish baskets, 30 many hundred OF which ar
'an o to be found in the Susquehanna and Dela
w., ware rivers. Although the laws OF the stat
are as explicit as they well be in regar,
a. TO illegal fishing of every kind, it is papabl
hst plain those laws are not respected. No on
'us- who has a desire to know their meaning ca
uld | misnterpret them. And yet they are viz
ncb | lated daily in thousands oi instances, espe,
.icL tally in the form Of the deadly fish basket $
,ick Of ,vI;,i, is nravante5 hy two % ca,soS ,irS
the neglect of duty by sherifis and constable
o, of counties bordering on the rivers ant
@neu @ second, because of the lack of funds by til
ISL board ofconmissioners, for the employmer
)ses OF wardens Only those familiar with th
Rev. construction of these illegal devices for cal
turing fish can form an adequate conceptio
oftheir destructive tendencies. Many thou
~ IL | and more small fish are destroyed by theI
dim than large ones suitable for food. IL is O
and record that In the upper waters of the Del
w ware, young shad have been hauled ava
frOf fsh has skats "
that seems hardly credible, but 1t is vOuched Il
is to on the best authority.
res The first and most Important availab
K ON step to break this up is the appointment
,bon courageous fish wardens, who, at appr
,,' | pirate seasons shall patrol the rivers an
ives discharge the duties delegated to them
cad statute law. To secure such services Il
only commissioners must have money. I'll
re- | counties bordering on the river are er
powering to furnish the means, but strange
enough, with the exception OF Lancaster, n
6 ID single one has unaffected disposition
- protect the interests of all its citizens by d
Il at of a few.
the The other three hindering causes, namel
Is to non observance of the spawning seasons, Il
.mer use of torpedos. poisonous drugs, etc, 4
a 70 killing fish and the pollution Of streams, a
,,,ht appropriately treated.
THE FOOD FISHES OF THE STATE.
A list of the principal food fishes in Il
the waters of the state, native and foreign, ft
pub fish, black bass, wall-eyed pike, Californ
hila- trout brook trout great sea salmon, Ian
2. i'm locked salmon, grass bass, rock bass al
T., German carp. These fish, their edible qu
; lities, commercial and sporting value, meth'
IS OF of propagation etc, are treated more or lie
New at length. Speaking Of the black bass,
81 regard TO which fish there is at present col
the siderable discussion, the report presents
,ona good and bad sides.
30 Some there are, who insist that it is
stroying all the native fish, and that it is 81
the cially destructive to the shad. This is q
one MED by others, and until this mooted poi
from is settled, the commissioners have resov
edu- not to plant any more of them. The prese
,ong board never did stock streams with bla
the bass. Whatever was done in that directi
ui0 was the work of the former board thoul
1 re- the number of these fish distributed by
& is did not amount in all to more than three
10 be four thousand. The most of the stocking
as a streams with bass has been done by privs
individuals.
~ Considerable space is given to the Calift
} the mia trout, which bids fair 10 outrival our
vorite brook trout, as ii is more prOlif
grows more rapidly, is more hardy, will II