Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-21
PROTECTION OF CANE.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE PRESENT
SLAUGHTER OF DUCKS.
1t Will Not be Necessary to Apply to the
Legislature for Relief-Deputy
Cal.undan Talks.

I
UNION that some action is to be taken to
stop the wholesale slaughter of game in
Sacramento county, and in the State, u
said F. P. Callundan, Chief of the State
Board of Fish Commissioners Patrol, to a
reporter yesterday.
Mr. Callundan had reference to the arti.
Gle published yesterday regarding the prsc.
tice of certain market-hunters in slaughter.
ing ducks with u gun which County Clerk
Hamilton aptly termed cannon. With
such weapon one of these hunters was
enabled to bring to market Friday morning
an even thousand ducks-the result of one
days hunt Gentlemen who hunt for
pleasure are indignant over this, and petit
tons are being circulated for signatures,
which petitions it is intended to submit to
the coming Legislature, with the hope that
law will be passed regulating the size of
guns to be used by hunters in the future.
LEGISLATIVE INTERFERENCE UNNECESSARY.
"Of course" continued Mr.. Callundan,
my duties call principally for my atten-
ton to the first business, but at the same
time ! keep my eyes open on the manner
in which the game laws are respected. In
asmuch as | am compelled to travel great
deal about the State, naturally my observa-
tons have been somewhat extended, and
have many suggestions to offer which, if
adopted, would have tendency to stop the
indiscriminate slaughter of game in Cali
fornia. But | am getting away from my
subjective were speaking of that duck
affair here in Sacramento.
Now, the persons who are getting up
that petition for the Legislature, evidently
are not familiar with the State game laws.
1t will not be necessary to go to the Legis-
lature for relief in this matter. The Super
visors can remedy the evil-if evil il is.
Section 4046. of Article II. of the Political
Code says that the Boards of Super
visors, in their respective counties, have
jurisdiction and power, under prescribed re-
striciions, to make regulations for the de-
struction of gophers, squirrels, etc., to
make regulations for the protection of
game, fish and shell-fsh, etc and, when
such regulations are made as provided in
this section, relating to game and fish, the
tdtoS OF the State for the protection thereof are
suspended IN such county
SUPERVISORS POWERS.
Now, that reads pretty plain, dot sn't
it," continued Mr.. Callundan. THE law
gives the Supervisors absolute power in
the matter, and all your local Board has to
do is to pass an order prohibiting the use
OF cannons-or whatever they see fit to
prohibit-in the slaughter of ducks, or
game Of any kind. Your sportsmen will
not have to wait for the Legislature.
While this law seems to fit nicely
enough in this case, and will no doubt
cause the sportsmen to rejoice. my expert
ence with that same law has taught me
that it is harmful am branching off
from the duck business now. you know.
On its face it looks like a good
game-protecting law. But it is not.
Let me explain. You will OBJ
serve that every Board of Supervisors
has absolute power to pass the game laws
for their respective counties. Now, in the
case of the laws for the protection of Quail,
for example, the open and close seasons
are not alike in any two counties. What
is the result? Why, the officers cannot
secure the conviction of any Of the market
men for having quail in their possession
out of season for the reason that they car
not prove that they were killed out Of sea-
son-they don't know what county the
game came from. Besides, the open sea-
son, by reason of this lack of uniformity,
is so long that game has no chance to in
crease. and is being gradually extermi-
nated.'
UNPROTECTED FISH.
Mr. Callundan, continuing, said that the
laws int ded for the protection of fish had
suffered in the same way as the other game
laws, by reason OF the power placed in the
hands of the various Boards of Super
visors. The State law prohibited the use
of nets by fishermen, in which the meshes
were less than seven and one-half inches.
But the Supervisors can and have
reduced this by half. Particularly
was this the case in Tehama county.
As an illustration of the injury this incurs,
Mr.. Calendar said that the recently intro
duced striped bass should grow to a weight
of from sixty to seventy pounds; but ow-
ing 10 the small meshed nets permitted
fish of this kind is seldom seen in the
markets weighing over two pounds. 1t
would only have been short time, he said,
before this magnificent fish would be ex-
Terminated had not steps been taken for its
protection. The Fish Commissioners found
the job of running down illegal fishermen
and pleading with Boards of Supervisors
too heavy for them, so they appealed to the
Board of Supervisors of San Francisco, the
principal market place. Through the e1-
ertions of the Commissioners, the Super
visors there passed an ordinance making it
a misdemeanor for any person in the city
and county of San Francisco to buy or sell
or to have in his possession any striped
bass of less than eight pounds in weight.
This put check on the indiscriminate
destruction of striped bass, and the fish
now bids fair to become populous in Cali
fnrrio