The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-12-25
FISH AND GAME.
Work of the Commissioners the Past
Year.

| The work OF the Fish and Game Commissioners
of this State during the past year, has been car
ried on with thorOughness. In their endeavors to
promote the game interests of the State, they
have used all the means at their command and
have found the State appropriation too small to
do all that has seemed to them necessary. FIRE.
queDt reports have come from residents of the
game regions that deer moose and caribou are
more plenty than orsabout half century. Said
one farmer to Commissioner Stillwell few days
ago: '',rhe law prohibiting the hunting with dogs
is making the deer foolish" ''How so," was ask
ed. "Why, they become so tame that they come
into ourfarm yards and won't be driven away by
ordinary MEANS" Similar reports have been re-
celved from many sections Of eastern Maine all
showing that the hunting grounds of the State
are becoming restocked and therefore attractive
resorts for sportsmen. More sportsmen from
abroad are attracted into the State each year, and
the railroad companies derive far larger revenue
from the visits Of these parties than they posi-.
bly, could from the transportation OF yenison. All
sorts OF schemes are praeticed TO evade the law
more or less OF which are undoubtedly successful,
but there are sufficient number Of seizures by
WardenS TO cause q wholesome respect to be paid
to the law. A short time ago, warden OF Ban
gQr OyeThauled some crates OF eggs and discover
Ct Ifled PPiffSive -hepe Them
f6df chest, on being examined In a baggage car,
was found to contain some saddles of venisOn.
Several innocent looking sugar barrels among
steamers cargo, on being opened revealed sever ever
al saddles of YeniSon, aud some nice, clean look
ing salt boxes being shipped through the state
were made to yield a lot of partrldges Thus i Is
that even the most innocent looking packages fail
to escape the sharp eyes of the game wardens.
AS financial measure, the game law Is bene-
mt to the State. New Hampshire and New Bruins
wick have also enacted laws fOrbidding the trans
portation of certain kinds of game, and IN this
way aiding Maine in the enforcement Of its
own laws. Previous to this, partridges shot along
the western side of this State would be shipped
from New Hampshire, and hunters in eastern
Maine would ship. when possible, t from ,,seS ne%
ems in Bangor seize all such game going west,
whether marked as shipped from New Brunswick
renced in enforcing the laws against shipping
partridges, as it is allowable TO ship them from
point to point in Maine, and therefore large num-
bers are shipped to Portland firms who in one
way and another, succeed in getting them to the
Boston market.
The Commissioners have found II very difficult
to obtain wardens in Portland who will properly
enforce the law. Gould the law be as well enfore-
would go out of the State till it shall be found
that game has become SO abundant that II VIII
answer to relax the laws for its protection.
Fully as active endeayors are being made by the
commissioners to improve the hShlHg grounds OF
the State, and ponds and rivers that for many
years have found no favor In the eyes OF fshel-
men are now becoming the resorts of anglers, not
only from Maine, but also from points outside the
State. The first attempt made TO restock any OF
the rivers was in 1879, when several thousand
salmon fry were put into the Androscoggin river
Salmon eggs at that time had to be obtained IN
1000. The experiment of restocking the rivers OF
the State once begun, Mr.. Atkins got some Pc
nObscot salmon and stocked small hatchery at
Orland. United States Commissioner Baird then
became interested in the experiment, and large
Matching house was built, and now each year
from 100000 to 100000 eggs are taken
there from Penobseot salmon and Matched for dis
trbution about the country An association was
New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut
each of which annually contributes to the expense
of maintaining the Orland works, and whatever
additional money is required is furnished by
United States Commissioner Baird. Each State
receives its proportional number OF fry i9 the
Baird does not receive sufficient number of calls
to use up the salmon belonging to the United
States hedivides the balance left in his hands
among the associated States At the pres
ent time the Penobscot is the only river
along the Atlantic coast where salmon can
be obtained for propagating purposes, and the
Orland hatchery the only establishment Of its
kind within the same extent of territory To OBJ
tain the fish the Commissioners enter the market
and purchase their fish OF the fishermen at the
weirs at the prevailing market price This last
salmon from which TOO, 900 eggs were obtained,
after which the fish were returned to the river.
The work OF the commissioners IS thus clear
benefit to the State as all fish purchased by them
are again liberated after having been stripped of
their eggs The success of the Orland hatchery
some years ago caused works TO be erected at
Grand Lake stream for the propagation Of land
locked salmon, aud this year 100000 eggs have
been taken from the fish captured there, Next
spring the Maine Commissioners expect to place
100, 900 salmon fry in the kennebec river, 100,-
900 in the Saco river and the balance of their
tingent will nearly all be placed in the Penobscot
river. An endeayor is also being made to rest0ck
Sebago Lake with land locked salmon, and the
Commissioners will aid the people interested in
the project by sending 100000 eggs to the hatch
ing house recently put into operation at Bridgton,
the proprietOrs of which will also be paid fifty
cents per thousand for Matching the same. From
10000 to $4,000 eggs have also been obtained
from salmon taken from Sebago Lake, and extra
precautions have been taken to prevent poaehers
from destroying the salmon as they go up the trib-
uteries TO the lake for spawning purposes.
In addition to this work of the Commissioners, q
e1-s1 deal has been done the past season to pre-
vent violations Of the laws regulating the salt
water fisheries of the State. The last Legislature
created a c0nmissiOnershp for this purposer~
TO which Mr.. Counee Of Thomaston WAS sppolnt,
ed, and during the year has aeti-cfy endeayored
to secure the enforceunosst OF the new laws. The
greatest tronblo ne has experienced has been in
Securing proper observance of the law restricting
the catching of small Holsters, and all sorts of ar
rumants bave been put forth by the pr0prietors of
canning factories to prevent the law from being
enforced against them. Among these arguments
has been one to the effect that during the process
of boiling lobster shrinks in size. Very many
experiments have been made during the wear by
Mr. Codnce and his wardens that they NAV not be
caught mapping by any of the arguments used
against them by persons found violating the laws
andm other cases suspicious parties have been
appointed wardens that they may thus be re-
strined from violating the fish laws. One of the
questions that has recently arisen, and which the
Governor and Council have been called Hpvn to
decide, Is whether the salmon fSacry OF the
penobscot river shall be elaSsod as shore or in
annropriofisffS OF the State. ~Ni