Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1891-05-29
WHOLESALE FISH RAIDS.
State Fish Commissioners Will Proceed
Against Fish. Thieves.

State Fish Commissioners Will Proceed
Against Fish. Thieves.
From Yesterdays Pioneer Press.
1t has been reported lately that in
several places throughout the state
systematic and wholesale fish
slaughter was being carried on by
parties living outside of the state
and in direct violation Of the law:
To ascertain II these reports were
true and, II so, how the offender
could be properly dealt with, q. Pho
neer Press reporter called on Mr.. w.
s. Tmberlake, q member of the fish
and game commission. Mr.. Timber
lake was found in his Office and said:
eyes, the reports are true. The
wholesale piracy among the upper
lakes in the state, such as Mile Laos
and in Otter Tail county, is simply
outrageous. There an unlimited
eeining OF game fish, such as bass,
pike and pickerel, is being carried
on and the fish are marketed
outside of the state. A men,
Der of the commission who
writes from Brainerd states
that party of fishermen from Mich
igan equipped with a complete ap-
paratus have five miles of seine in
Mile Laos and are shipping hundreds
of tons of fish in ice to Kansas and
Nebraska. At this rate they well in
q short time exterminate the fish in
the lake. It is particularly CALLING
to the people of the state to have
strangers come in to fish and ship
their catches to other snates, where,
there being no fish to speak Of. they
find a good market. A letter from
the United States commissioner at
Duluth declares that fish are being
wantonly dynamited and then
caught. They are being shipped in
large quantities from Grand Rapids
on the Duluth & Winnipeg railroad.
The fish caught at this point would
last forever If caught properly. In
conclusion, this letters begs that a
fish warden be sent there Immediate
ly.. Another gentleman writes from
Staples that from Lincoln, a point
fifteen miles from Little Falls, game
fish by the thousands, that are not
caught with hook or spear are being
shipped. These parties are regularly
organized, have money invested and
aremaking a regular business of it,"
'What methods will be used to
stop this nefarious business?"
'The game and fish commission in
tend to take this matter in hand and
prosecute the offenders to the fullest
extent. The various game wardens
have been instructed to use every
effort to bring the offenders to JUS
tice, and it is hoped that the people
in the neighborhoods where these
depredations have been committed
will promptly notify the fish commits
sioners, and wherever wardens are
endeavoring to arrest violators of
the law they will render all the as
sfstance in their power. You can
easily see II they keep on fishing in
this illegal fashion they will depopu-
late the lakes and injure the state to
u degree. If resident should seine
fish for the purpose of cooking and
feeding to his family, probably no
objection would be made, but this
wholesale business for revenue which
depletes our lakes and does us no
good must be stopped"
The fish and game commission will
meet at the capitol at 10 O'Clock on
the morning of June 2. Mr.. John
Stetson, who is chief warden, will
probably appoint a deputy warden
for nearly every county in the state
The salaries Of these deputies will be