Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-14
PRESERVING THE TERRAPl~
National Commission Might BE in
Better business.


Better business.
1t seems that the United States fish
commission is about to undertake sys-
tematic work for the preservation and
propagation of the Giamond-back ter
r2pin. which. by the way. is not 4 fish.
and for divers other reasons might
rightfully be considered beyond the
scope of the fostering care of the fish
commission or of any other body sup
ported by general taxation AS an edi-
bic the tarrapin is beyond compare.
but for reasons hardly necessary to
describe in detail he only delights the
palates al the rich and naughty. His
growing scarcity. together with n GER
tain idea current in the first circles that
to set terrapin before 4 guest is al
most like brandishing patent OF no
billy before his eyes, have resulted in
making this ariStOcratic variety OF
mud turtle worth its weight in gold.
1t gees with fine old cIusted Burgundy
and clIc with the fine old crusty noses
which Burgundy Of that type produces.
On Fifth avenue and in the clubs the
appearance OF tcrrapin is not SO infre-
Quent rs to mark a red letter day. but
The great body OF American taxpayers
who support the fish commission know
more about humble hog and homcly
hominy than they do OF terrapin and
champa gne.
Demand for the best activities of the
fish commission in preserving the real
ly useful, though commonplace, food
fishes of the United States is not SO
slight rs to warrant that organization
in diverting It's energies to the prOpa ga
ton OF what is merely q delicacy. The
salmon. which has practically been
driven from the Atlantic coast. is being
rapidly thinned out in its last resort,
the rivers Of Oregon. Along the New
England coast and in the ncighborhood
Of New York. the food fishes are rapid
~ disappearing, driven away partly
by the pollution of the waters 10y dump
ing into them the refuse Of great cities
and destroyed largely by unscientific
and wasteful methods of fishing for the
market. 1t is no extraordinary thing
in Fulton market for thousands Of
pounds of fish, perfectly good and
fresh, TO be destroyed in the presence
of Il community in which want and
hunger are common simply in order
that prices of the remainder may not
be cut down by glut in the supply.
A very considerably industry off
New Jersey coast is the catching of
menhaden and other fish not edible for
use as fertilizers for the soil or for
conversion into oil. For this purpose
steam fishing vessels are employed
enormous quantities of useful food
fishes along with the less valua bic prey
sought. TO these steam trawlers is
due very much of the growing scarcity
of fish on the Atlantic coast from Cape
May northward. The Connecticut
River shad has practically disappeared
and there is a growing scarcity of the
shad in the Potomac. No animal Great
ed has such wonderful powers of null
tiplicatiOn as the fish, yet, great as is
its fecundity, the destructive genius
of man has more than kept pace with it.
Until something effective is done
toward rcgul;i ing the methods of TAX
ing fish for the market so as TO do away
with the enormous waste of Which the
fishermen are now guilty, and soMe-
thing accomplished in the direction OF
checking the other evils which are rap
idly driving the fish out of the waters
contiguous TO the more densely popu-
lated States, the fish commission will
only make itself ridiculous by adopting
Tie sayOry but expensive terrapin for
its especial charge. Chroni-
Gle