The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-01-26


effort made to stop SEEMING in Utah
lake for two or four years. Such legis-
lation would not only be unjust to the
public, as it would deprive them of at
least one half million pounds Of COLI
mon fish Suckers, clubs, carp, etc,
the present surplus fish in Utah lake
and other places and the only fish food
that is within reach of the common
people), but it would also be Gestruc-
tive to the fishery itself, as it would
I'LL the lake again with suckers and
clubs, the same as L was years ago
when no imported fish could exist in
Utah lake for any length CT time.
To all appearances, there are now
about twenty per cent. of suckers and
clubs left in the lake, the seins having
taken the eighty per cent. and the peo-
pie have had the benefit of them
The lake is now well stocked with carp
and black bass. There are millions of
them and they have come to stay, for
there is plenty of room for them now
But where are the two millions of shad
and salmon placed in the lake several
years ago? The carp are twice as good
as the suckers and clubs, and those
who are acquainted with the bass
know that they are but little inferior
TO the trout, and the finest of game
fish.
Now let us consider the trout, the
best of all known fish. I suppose that
if a law is passed it will be in the vain
hope that thereby the Utah lake may
be stocked with trout, but from forty
years study and practical experience I
am confident that under the present
existing conditions no such result
may be obtained The. stoppage of
seining alone will not increase the
number Of trout in Utah lake 10 per
cent. in fifty years. The reasons are
these: BY nature the trout must go up
the streams to spawn. They go up
Provo river and other streams by thou
sands every spring and in the noun
tain brooks lay their eggs; after the
Matching season, old and young, all
that have escaped the various means
that 'sportsmen have invented and the
catastrophes incident to their nature,
go down toward the lake, when they
get so far down they meet with solid
dams across the stream at the head of
canals, they go into these canals, from
them into irrigatng bitches, and on to
the land, where they perish. Thus not
more than 10 per cent. of all ever
reach the lake. Nothing but hatch
cry will successfully counterfeit this
destruction. Trout can be produced
here at a very small cost, and we can
stock our lake to our hearts content
and still not deprive the people of their
supply of common fish
These are the principal points as re-
CARDS the fish and fisheries of Utah,
and expressly of Utah county. For
these points I will vouch, and 1 chal-
lenge intelligent and successful con-
tradiction
A great deal more information on
this important subject can and will
be gladly given if the honorable Leg
lsiature so desires, and will notify me
when and where to meet the commit
tee on fish and game l desire to have
the present. fish and game law
amended, but in a sensible manner. I
have quit fishing several years ago.
but am as much interested in this. our
best resource, as ever. desire to live
to see Utah lake a fish pond second to
none in the United States. and it can
surely be made so. Respectfully,
PETER HANSEN. SIR.