The Press., 1893-02-09
(N. Y. Tribune.) TROUT AND SHAD PLANTING.

1 In the opinion of sportsmen, trout-fish.
 ing in eastern Connecticut was pretty near. ly ruined-b the drouth of last summer
 aud fall, and they believe that the sport
 next spring, except in the largest streams,
 which did not dry, will be the poorest of
 many years. In view of the unpromising I outlook, the fish commission of the state are already taking laudable and energet c
 steps to replenish the exhausted trout
 brooks in all parts of Connecticut. It is
 believed that the demand for trout-fry on
 the part of fishermen will beunprecedent-
 edly large this spring and the commis-
 sloners propose to issue the largest amount
 Of fry ever distributed from the state l hatchery at Poquonoc. In 1891 they
 shipped $50, ,O00 trout fry into all quarters
 of the state; in 1899, 47s,OOO, and this
 spring will distribute not less than 5OO,-
 600. They have already received multi
 tude of orders for the fry, and it is their
 purpose to ask the legislature to increase the annual appropriation for the Poquonoc hatchery to $1 800 this season. It is the
 plan of the commissioners to furnish the
 fly to any citizen of the state at the state's
 expense, but the person receiving it must
 pay the cost of planting it. It is purely a
 labor of love on the part of the latter. that of planting the fry, and costs from
 $g to $4 if he hires team to take him to distant streams. The commissioners ship the fry in tin pails, in the charge of con- petent person to all quarters of the state, and he delivers it personally to the man who has ordered it. It is necessary for the latter to convey it promptly to the streams in which it is to be planted. It IS placed in the extreme headwaters of the small brooks. The state method of re- plenishing the streams by means of arti- fcial propagation of trout has been won- derfully beneficial to them, and veteran anglers aver that without state aid trout fishing would have been ruined years ago. l
 The commissioners say that there has been marked decrease in the catch of l shad since two years ago, and they will ask the legislature to increase the usual k appropriation to the shad hatchery at Bir The troublle with the Connecti- cut shad fisheries, however, is not the lack of fry for replenishing the shad wa- ters, but to the greedy fishermen who stretch their great small-meshed nets off the mouths of the rivers, and bag the shad, great and small ones alike, before they get into the streams in which they have been used to spawn This practice has been simply ruinous, the catch of shad has decreased from year to year, and last season was not worth the trouble of taking it. The avaricious fishermen have almost killed the goose that laid the gold an eggs for them. There is stringent law against using close -meshed nets, but t Is violated with imnunity. In striking c3 East with the miserable Connecticut sh3 licy is that Of the middle states,l 'vasssa ypaE ptteb Of slaaxl has steadily E nct oAsed during the last ten years, whilef Connecticut has permitted her own fish, cries to be ruined. Game Warden,A. c. Collins has fought this destructive policy n the legislature and all the state papers most vigorously for several years, charg- ng the fish commission with inoapaeity or indifference in executing the laws. Mr Collins, who is rightly called the "father of Connccticnt's game and fish laws" will 'ackle the present legislature with his ac- ,ustomed energy and persistence, and doubtless will get still more stringent avs passed for the nrotection of shad