The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-01-16
BAD GAME LAWS
FISH AND GAME LAWS OF
THIS STATE DO NOT PRO-
TECT AND ARE IN SORE
NEED OF REVISION.

The many cases which nave arisen
in this county in the last few months
from violations OF the fish and game
laws, have excited much talk and
comment among the farmers espec-
ially, and also lawyers, relative to
the business and constitutionality OF
the fish and game laws of this state.
During the past year there was
$685. collected from violators of the
fish and game laws THIS, added to
$62S, which amount was obtained by
the issuance of hunting licenses,
makes a total of $11s6.55, that was
obtained from Marshall county peo-
pie in the past year, through these
laws
The large sums of monev obtained
by the state from the issuance Of Ii
censes. and from convicted violators
OF these laws, will not much more
than pay the fish commissioner and
game warden and his many depu-
ties, whose duty it is, not SO much to
protect the fish and game of the state,
as TO arrest and convict violators of
these laws, and exort heavy fines
from those violators.
1t is not much wonder that farmers
resist being arrested for killing quail
and game that has been raised and
fed off their own bounty.
In speaking of spearing and net
ting fish, which are now both illegal,
a farmer who has lived on the edge
of a lake all his life, and who has
spent much OF his time fishing there
on says, that spearing and citing
of fish are not nearly SO destructive,
as fishing with hook and line. Nine
FISH out OF every ten, said he, that
bite on a baited hook, are female fsh
that are bedding Upon opening these
fish, often they are found to be filled
with eggs, every three OF which
would represent two hatched fsih.
Furthermore a fisherman will drop a
hook and line into a bed of sun fish,
or perch and will take twenty or
more of these small fish, if he has
luck enough, before he has caught a
mess With a spear, two or three
larger. say five-pound fish will be
caught These fish so speared, or
caught in a net are far more often
male than female fish. One large
swapping turtle, one dog fish, or one
gar fish, will kill more small FISH in
one day than can be represented that
one spear would kill large fish in a
month. If the small fish are killed
off, there Will be no large fish. "A
few years ago., said this man, when
spearing was allowed, any large tur-
tie, gar, or dog FISH that showed be-
meath the light, was speared and
killed. In this way the lake was
kept pretty well cleared OF these fish
destroyers; in those days there were
forty times the number of fish in the
lakes that there are now" Thus, ii
instead of paying fish commission
er big salary for arresting violators
this money would be paid as bounty
on turtles, gar and dog fish, the other
fish would have by far more protec-
tion than they are now receiving. Ii
is we'll known that the lakes of this
state are becoming gradually devoid
of fish
The same principle will hold in
reference to game One weasle will
kill whole covey of quail in one
night One crow will destroy several
nests of quail eggs, in the same
amount of time.
Remove the deputy fish commits
sioners and game wardens, revise the
fish and game laws, give local farm
er salary for watching over the fish
and game in his neighborhood, and
put bounty on vermin and natural
enemies. that are more destructive to
the fish and game of the land, than
either gun or spear