The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-06-07
SHOULD BE LOOKED AFTEh.
Violations Of the Fish Law on the
Edisto River.

The Legislature at its recent session,
as was recently recalled by Mr.. August
Kohn, the wide-awake Columbia cor
respondent of the News and Courier,
refused to provide for fish patrol,
and there is now, therefore, no one
whose special business it is to stop the
wholesale and senselsss destruction Of
fish in the waters Of the State. even IN
those to which they resort for spawning
purposes, and the result is exhibited IN
the letter of Mr.. Frank NJ. Stubs to
Governor Ellerbe. Writing in the in
terest of the people living along the
Edisto River, Mr.. Stubs reports, IN
substance, that he spent an few days,
recently, on the river, covering dis.
tance of about twenty miles above and
below Branchville, and adds:
''Allthe outlets to lakes, slews: CUTS,
in fact every opening where fish 60 out
to spawn, bed and raise their young, is
entirely closed with fine gauze net, with
trap in the centre, that catches every
fish that tries to pass and prevents any
from passing. These traps are put In
and ishcd by few men, two living at
Edisto Station, four miles from Branch
Vile, towards Augusta. They are fish
ing for market, Of course, and against
the wishes of the citizens and their In
terests; that is, of those living along the
river, who like to have some sport some
time With a hook and line. They will
destroy the fish soon, if it is not stop
ped"
In commenting on the matter The
News and Courier says there is ample
law on the statute books to prevent the
use Of such destructive devices, and to
punish the men who employ them, but
there is no one to enforce it. The
Legislature refused to make specific
appropriation for the purpose Of pa
troll, the Governor 5 contingent fund IS
not available for that purpose, and he
has mo way of reaching the offenders.
1t is suggested, therefore, that the only
thing that can be done in the circum-
stances is for the people themselves to
punish the offenders, and the matter
must rest on that suggestion.
The Governor is not at fault. certain
ly, and is powerless to remedy the fault
of the Legislature, which is wholly to
blame for the condition described.
That body will not meet again until
next year, and there is no reason what
ever to expect or hope that it will take
any action for the effective protection
of the fisheries when it meets. 1t has
paid little or no attention to the appeals
and arguments for such action that
haye been addressed to it heretofore,
and has allowed some Of the most i'm
portant fishing interests in the State to
be practically ruined with the same in
difference which it has so persistently
manifested with regard to the destruc-
ton Of the equally importa1tsheep and
wool interest. 1t has seen the streams
Of the State, from the sea to the noun
tains, nearly denuded Of all the varied
and valuable food fishes which once
swarmed in them, without making one
adequate effort to arrest the evil, and
finally, at its last session, turned over
every stream in the State to the greed
of ignorant and unscrupulous maraud,
ers, by calling off the lonely and i'll
paid patrol before provided, and leaving
them free to prosecute their bad bust,
ness at their pleasure and without feal
Of interruption. The people living
along the streams can protect their OWE
interests in them if they will by re,
porting and prosecuting the offenders Of
every class, and the grand juries Of one
or two of the upper counties have re,
Gently been induced to move in the
matter, in view Of the wholesale and
nearly complete destruction Of the fish
in the streams in their counties. The
condition which has thus been forced
on their attention threatens all the
streams in the State above the tide va,
ter line, and will speedily obtain in
them, if effective measures are not
taken to avert it. No such measures
will be taken, it is very plain, unless
the people move actively and in earnest
on their own behalf. Whether the end
is worth the effort is question which
they must decide for themselves. "