The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-07-14
FISH POACHERS.
FRENCH CANADIANS SPEARING
SALMON BIZ TORCHLIGHT.
Inland Poachers on United States
Waters-Money in Salmon
Stream-Pcnk. Parr, Smolt
and GrilSc Stages
"Well. what's up now, Adam"

cut and held the white object mp Tor IN
spection. 1t was female salmon Of about
ten pounds weight, which from its ap-
pearance could not have been dead more
than few hours. Some sharp object
had gashed her right side making wound
into which Adam thrust two of his thick
fingers.
"What did it,"
"Poachers."
when"
Last night. These internal French
Canadian settlers will persist in burning
the water during the spawing season,
although they know that if caught they
are liable to 90 to the penitentiary for it,
and nothing but dose of lead will stop
them. Suppose we lay over tonight and
fill their hides with b.rd-shot."
Burning the watcr::'
ayes, that's what they call it. 1t IS
nothing but pulling over the spawning
beds in light canoe, with a pitch-plne
torch in the bow. and spearing the fish
as they lie quietly on bottom. About
every third throw wounds fish instead
of killing it, and the poor beast swims
away to die, just as this one has done"
4!Certainly, We shall put stop to that
kind of thing. Let US go into camp
right here"
It was the afternoon of the 18th (Sun-
day.. A party of three of us had leased
the right to fish one of the little salmon
rivers just south of the Sagucnay, paying
$3.50 for the privilege for the season, and
myself and the Ma jor were making pre-
Iimiaarv survey of the water, as it were,
from source to mouth, in order to get
some idea of the sport awaiting us when
we came up to camp out In earnest Ill
July. The thlee-milc limit imposed on
United States coast fishermen by the Ca
madam Government made us particularly
sore against the Canadian poachers, who
were not only fishing river paid for in
good United States silver dollars, but
who were doing so illegally and in an in
human manner.
Adam knew what he was about and
declared that the light charge of powder
upon which he rammei nome handful
OF No. 3 shot was not too heavy, but just
heavy enongh, to send the little pellet
through the thick hide of any poacher
whom we might come across.
1t was eight o'clock and dark as a
black cat when we began moving up
stream toward the gravelly beds whereon
we had observed salmon earlier in the
day. Tho ragged riches and piues
which form the mass of the forests along
Canadian streams, have mournful air,
even in daytime; but when indistinctly
- ~ ,Dl -bn, hSprr &c haorH
but the tapping of the black water over
the stones, they arc iunereal. Once Adam
stopped slipping hi; raddle in and out
of the water to point toward couple Of
sparks on the left Lank. They glistened
for moment and then went out.
"That was deer whispered Adam.
eff the Frenchmen saw it they would try
q shot at it. in season or not. Those fel-
lows cannot understand anything but a
dose of bird-shot. They know that
means that their company is not wanted.
A larger spark directly ahead of US
soon resolved itself into brightly burn
ing fire, and, by keeping close to the
wced-fringed bank, we managed to steal
up close enough rot only to see that the
fire was burning in The canoe of "habi-
tant," but to watch him ut his unholy
work. The circle of light in which he
sat made the surrounding darkness i'm
penetrable, and his absorption in the
work at hand closed his ears.
The canoe was floating gently with the
current, touch of the paddle Ike ping
its head right, and the Canuck was gazing
with all his eyes into the water over the
side. Suddenly he lifted himself to his
feet. and, like the lunge of steel bow,
his right arm shot ont and sent spear
Kissing into tie river. When he drew
the spear back by means of cord fas-
teied to the shaft we saw beautiful fish
writhing on the weapon. 1t was strung
half way down the spear handle.
The ''sportsman's" aim had been true,
and the fish was struck fairly in the back.
An average female salmon will deposit
ten thousand eggs in single season.
How many unborn fry of the noblest fish
that swims had that single spear-thrust
destroyed?
l was asking myself that question when
the report of Adams shotgun rang out
over the water. There was howl from
the fre-canoe. and th"n the habitant sat
down so suddenly that the frail shell
turned under Ii m. and the poacher and
the light went oIt simultaneously. We
heard him splashing about and swearing
in the darkn IS for the next five min
utcs.
"We may now CO." remarked Adam.
''He will undc: stand what that was for
o,,ite nc well rs we do ond more he
will tell his friends, who are as much in
fear of bird shot as they are of bullets,
and you may rely upon it, there will be
no more burning of this river this sea-
son."
Among the thousand miles Of coast on
both sides of the Gulf of st. Lawrence,
from the point where the Straits of Belle
Isle separate Labrador and Newfound-
land down to the Nova Scotian coast, a
hundred clear, cold rivers debouch into
the sea- any one of which. with proper
care, would i'm the course of few years
be worth thousands of dollars as sal
mon fishery. But, with few exceptions,
these rivers arc ncttcd ut the mouth with
fixed nets, which remain in place month
after month, the rising tide filling them
with harvest which the indolent fisher
men gather at low water. In the spring
schools of salmon hover about the mouths
of these rivers, and occasionally attempt
to pass the nets in order to reach the
fresh water spawning beds at the rivers
sources: but the obstacles are too well
placed, and the salmon are driven back
IN foil a prey IN tbu Srols and lOp-fiSh