The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-01

piscatorial weakness of the human brute,
that most voraciOus angler of them all.
In every land under the sun, in every
league under the ocean, the little timId
harmless fnny creature, f1uttering from
pursuing enemies always, neveriliving out
its natural life uncrushed by the savage
Jaws OF merclless captor, out of the fire
into the trylng-pan--to capslZe the old
saw-lntercepted on its way up difficult
rifles ana rapids to quiet DooISWiIere it
may safely spawn, has no friend except the
Fish Commissioner. This official. receiv-
ing no remuneration for his services. other
than the excavations ct TIA il6ei.- fsh9E- he
oTerhauls and attempts, often in vain, to
prosecute, cruises through the inland
streams and channels in an effort to pro-
tect the hapless trout and salmon seeking
refuge there. Except in the mat
ter OF the measurement OF the
net meshes and short close Seasot abso-
lutely necessary to prevent khe uther de-
struction of the valuable food fishes the
fisherman is at liberty to hook and seine
IN the rivers of this State six days in the
week all the year around. Yet with cor.
moranI-like rapacity fine nets, explosives
and other unlawful contrivances are con-
stantly being used to empty the waters OF
the Pacific Slope. Along the wooded
mountain creek where no sleepy country
Constable will penetrate unless he, too, IS
making quiet sneak for mess of trout.
the highly respectable and law-abidine
rancher Will steal with his stick of giant
powder, and when he returns steaithiIv
homeward with three or four fish he leaves
the pool veritable grave filed with dead
minnows, and the work OF. the Fish
Commission in that locality IS a miserable
failure.
When arrests are made the com missioner
finds that his efforts are often not only
baked by the neighbors and sympathetic
friends Of the accused, but frequently the
official IS target for insult and abuse. A
few months ago a tish-dynamiter WAS
caught at work in a small creek in one of
the upper counties of the State. He was
an old offender and richly merited term
IN prison, but the arresting officers We're
almost mobbed by the good people Of the
town where the trial was being held. They
wished to see the little river running by
their doors inhabited by frogs, tadpoles
and water lizards. That night the COM
. missioner was serenaded by a gang of hall
drunken rustics, VINO blewfish horns for
hours around the country tavern where
the official lodged.
Sonoma County is prolific field for fish
poaching. The pretty streams that sparkle
among the tree-clothed hills of that pictur1
esque locality are the hiding spots of thd
speckled brook beauties, and their bankk
are the farms of good citizens who slaugh
ter hsh indiscrlmlnately. Along the Sac
ramento River and its tributary sloughs
the Sunday fisher stretches his net ana
drags the always harlssed salmon from mis-
place OF Sabbath rest. A conviction of thu
offender is almost an inp0ssibillv wher9
the luryman has an angling outfit or
STICK OF giant powder as an emergency in
case of 'hard luck" at home. Not long
ago an applicant for a deputyship appeared
before the Board of Commissioners.
His credentials were good and he
was on the point of being appointed to
vacancy, when he was asked his postofioe
address. He answered, Trio Vista !" and
the chief deputy fell out of his chair i'm q
oead liant, while the president was for a
few moments SPECIFICS with terror. In
That pretty riparian village the punish
ment OF tlsh pirate can never take place
though repeated attempts have been made
1naG appncants prayer Tor POSITIONS
pending.
Occasionally Chief J. P Babcock. with
several deputies, boards the launch Hust-
Ter and takes quiet Sunday cruise among
the tules fishing, not for fish, but for fish
ers 1t Is the Christian Sabbath and the
DAY religlously set apart for rest, but the
commissioners, obeying literally the divine
injunction to be Fishers of men," feel
lustlhed and go on their way re-
they will find whom they seek-a
law and a Sabbath breaker. The double
sinner will first try frantically to haul in
his long, deep net and the Hustler being
TOO speedy he will cut it, preferring to save
only portion than r6a the chances of
losing the whole outfit and himself in the
bargain when the launch dashes alongside.
Then he viii duck for the tall grass like a
marsh-rat, abandoning his boat to its fate
when he strikes the levee, if the Hustler
presses him. So anxious are these poach.
ers to do little Sunday fishing. or in
some way have the supreme satisfaction of
breaking the few laws which have been
passed as a slight protection to the salmon
that they will risk the loss of several hrn,
sa,,.as uUiiaTs worth OF outfit or make them
jury are not fishermen.
Not long ago Chief Deputy Rabcock