The Portland daily press., 1899-05-11
SEBAGO WATERS.
Some Facts and Some Complaints about
the Great Fishing Place.

| To the Editor Of the Press: ],
Parm hence and Cupsuptic, Kennebago
and the rest.
or the mighty RanReley waters feel the
spring time in their breast.
Lewiston Journal.
Well how about the mighty Sebago
waters? Well, the truth is, we haven't
the whole unobstructed thirty miles of
the mighty Sebago salmon waters to offer
to the public-or In other words, the re-
Gently completed sluioe way at the Songo
Lock is still unprovided with the long
promised fishway. A petition recently
addressed to the board of the Songo Lock
Company earnestly urges their immediate
completion OF this fishway. This petition
has been generally signed by the tax
payers OF the Long Lake towns of Naples.
Bridgton, North Bridgton and Harrison.
1t Is understood that the company has
been ready to place tine fshway in position
but the objection of certain interested
parties in the unlawful obstruction of the
run of trout and salmon into the Long
Lake waters has thus far successfully
prevailed. As one Of the most patent
effects of this evasion of the law, the
salmon are now forced up the Crooked
River and into the Crooked river weir.
The public is perhaps conversant with the
usual methods employed In the transpor.
tation of the salmon spawn from the
weir to the State Hatchery at Edes Falls,
but is possibly not as familiar with the
partibility of its outgoings from this
point. We hear from time.to time OF
large quantities of fry being sold from
our State hatcheries to Vermont and New
Hampshire Fish and Game clubs, and we
sometimes surmise that q certain pro-
portion of fry find Its way into the state
of Maine waters. If this auImise Is cor
recJ, the proportion placed in the Sebago
waters is only committed to these waters
in the fall months. when there Is no feed
in the Crooked river and Lake waters
suitable for the fry to subsist on and
when they offer the best available tidbit
for the big fish running the rivers at that
season. If the fry were placed in the
Crooked river the first or second spring,
they would then thrive and wax strong
ON the abundant feed furnished by the
minnow smelts that swarm the river at
this season, and are the natural food OF
the trout and salmon fry.
There Is one other death on salmon fry
custom popular with the State hatcheries,
and refer to the practice of stocking
small brooks with salmon fry; The
principle Ia theisame as though we should
pour the fry into one end Of n pipe, the
other end being previously stocked with
piokerel, black bass, and other death on
fry. The philosophy Ut the certain con-
clusion 10 not far to arrive at, when VIZ
observe that the small brooks afford no
extensive shoals where the young fry can
push ashore and escape pursuit Of the
larger fish.
The first lesson apparentsin all this. is
that the people must unlearn the habit Of
paying an increased tax for the..maintain-
enoes of viciously conducted state institu-
lions.
Before leaving this subject I desire to
attract attention to one fragrant evasion
of the Fish and Game laws that must be
remedied by the sure specific the law
provides in such cases. / refer to the no
less than commonly reported trapping of
sAlrpon in the Songo Look and sale of
same in the Lewiston market.
In this connection 1t is Interesting to
observe that the fish wardens post Is located
conveniently four miles out of sight down
the sinuous Songo. Perhaps the public
will better appreciate the benefit OF Some
radical reforms for the better preserva-
ton of our lake front and salmon-or
more particularly our salmon-when 1t Ia
understood that the Sehazo salmon Is the
largest landlocked salmon on the Ameri-
can continent. The preservation Of this
king fish in all its pristine strength, size
and legion Is u duty that We owe to- the
present. and tn postsrity.-
The mighty Sebago chain of lakes far
the most picturesque waterways Of pic
turesque New England their beauties told
in story. and sung In rhyme by our Haw-
thorne, Longfellow, Whittier are today
not as literally exploited a. the less at
tractive Parmaehenee's Cupsuptic's,
Kenneabog's. Nevertheless, our pictured
rocks (ths Images), our winneeomics
(Long Lake,, anu our Winnewasee's are
better Indian, and more romantically
picturesque.