The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-04

Vier river and lakes, with which the
river connects. Two barrels containing
As spawners We're taken to Clear lake
and planted there.
These several paintings OF the Oswego
bass from Utah lake. which have been
made during the present season, gives
a wide distribution throughout the state
to this very good game and food fish,
and much benefit will result therefrom
in a few years if the law in regard to
their protection be observed and COM
piled with by the people. Too much
emphasis cannot be placed ON the i'm
pOrtance of compliance with the pro-
visions of the law protecting these fish,
but ! fear that there are those who
have very little voluntary respect for
1t, and / have reason to think and be-
lieve that some Of the early seasons
planting have been already taken since
they were planted. AS an instance
tending strongly to this belief L will
state that a few days ago. in company
with S. F. Thompson, the warden of
Box Elder county, while returning from
the mouth of Bear river, where I had
been investigating for some evidence
of the bass planted in that locality in
the early part of the season, we saw
two men with a boat hauling a seine
on the opposite side of the river from
us. AS it is unlawful to use seines
anywhere only in Utah, Bear and Sc
vier lakes, and in the Green and Grand
rivers at specified seasons, Mr.. Thomp-
son called the men to our side of the
river with their boat and seine, and
upon their arrival promptly placed
them under arrest. Upon examination
of their catch nothing was found but
suckers, but l am satisfied that if these
men and other violators like them
should chance to get a bass or two in
their nets, that they would fail TO dis
tinguish the difference, or forget to put
the bass back again into the water.
These men who were caught in the
very act of violating the law, told us
that it was a common occurrence for
other parties to come down from Brig
ham City and use seines in the river,
and which. they stated, had been go
ing on all summer. Whether this state
ment IS true. or only made with a
hope of mitigating their own folly and
transgression, l cannot say; but I fear
that it is too true, and if true. it is very
much to be regretted, as it will be i'm
possible to stock the waters of our
state if Vandals take out the parent
stock as fast as it is put in: and the
hard work of years and the expenditure
of the peoples money in trying to
stock our streams and lakes with good
food and game fishes will be thrown
AS the fish and game law permits the
taking of bass with hook and line, some
persons may set the erroneous impress
sion that these bass recently planted
may be taken lawfully in that way, but
it is not So a special act of the legis-
lature of 1897 appropriated $500 for the
purpose of stocking Bear lake and the
Bear and Sewer rivers with black bass
from Utah lake, was passed, and in
hot hai no
lawful FOR any person to take, in any
manner whatever, from any of the wat
ers mentioned in the preceding section,
any black bass, planted in pursuance
of this act, for two and One-half years
from the approval of this act, and any
person convicted of a violation of the
provisions OF this act shall be guilty
of a misdemeanor." See chapter XIV,
session laws of 1897. Any citizen who
are interested in the material advance
ment AID development of the state
should not hesitate to give information
to the proper officers when any viola
ton Of this law comes under their no
tice.
In the distribution of these bass
throughout the state, 1 have been en-
abled to make more liberal paintings
than would have been otherwise pos
sible with the appropriation, but for the
generosity Of Vice President and Cen
eral Manager W. H. Bancroft Of the
Oregon Short Line Railway company,
and General superintendent A. Z. We'll
by of the Rio Grande Western Railway
company in furnishing free transpor-
tatiOn for the fish. Both companies
have been very magnanimous in the
matter, but from the geographical dis
tributio2 of the waters required to be
stocked the larger share of the task fell
10 the Short Line COMPANY For the
shipment 20 the northern part of the
state made in the early part of the
season, the Short Line furnished a
large special car, we'll adapted for our
purpose, and hauled it with it's large
load of live fish from Provo to Bear
Lake and return empty on the regular
express train, and instructed the en-
plOyees along the line to give us all the
assistance we might need in supply
ing the fish with fresh water on the
way.
In similar manner Mr.. Bancroft
furnished another special car for the
shipment recently made to the lower
Sewer river. This car was hauled over
the road a, distance of 800 or 400 miles.
back and forth. and kept over at the
disposal Of the fish and game depart
ment for three days.
In the shipment made to Richfeld on
the Goth of October last. the Rio
Grande Western company very gener-
Ously gave up the use of one-haf of the
baggage car on its regular passenger
train for the accommodation of the
fish; and it has literally granted favors
on other occasions to the fish and game
department Of the state.
The liberality of General Superintend-
ent Welby and General Manager Ban
croft in so generously furnishing free
transportation for the distribution of
these bass throughout the state is
highly commendable, and deserving of
much credit from the state and the
general public; and in behalf of the
state fish and game department of Utah
they have my most hearty thanks.
I have also to thank County Wardens
Myron c. Newell of Provo, and Mart
earn Of Salt Lake. and also Deputy
State Warden Frank II. Rudy for their
efficient and untiring aid in the hand
ling and planting of the fish. Especial
credit is due to Mr.. Garn for the expert,
able and persistent manner in which
he welded the air pump on the Occa-
sion of the large consignment to Bear
Lake JOHN SHARP.