Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-30
Commissioners Ask H.
! creased Appropriation
| Warden Service Is to Pro.
tect Inland Fisheries.
Winter Of 1907 and t908 Excep.
1 tlonalIy Favorable to Deer.

4 tendents of the various hatcherieS ant
feeding stations,'' states the annual re-
port of the commissioners on inlant
fisheries and, game. .-L~~ T. Carleton o.
| Winthrop, james w Brackett of Phil
lips and Edgar r. Ring of Orono
which was. filed with the governor an{
round numbers. 10000 land-lockef,t
salnion,,s eggs and $4,000 trout eggs
10000 togue eggs and 10000 brown
| trout eggs
The report further says:
1--WE have also contracted for 100000
eyed trout eggs which will be delivered
early in February. We have also a pro-
mise from the L. S. Fish Commissioner
of 100000 eyed trout eggs from Colora-
do This will make grand total OF
1885,, 900 eggs CT land-locked salmon and
trout in the Matching troughs, larger
| number than we ever before had IN
any year by many thousands. Fish
planted, 2,1S6,3l3. We have of live tish
265, 700 which will be wintered.
1--WE have had, all things considered
a very successful year, in our hatch
cries and feeding stations. The cost
| of operating these hatcherieS the COM
ing year, as shown in the estimate Tiled
with the auditor, necessary repairs,
| clerical help and necessary expenses
connected with the work, will be S31,-
$50. ~ - "
..There are loud, long and insistent
demands from the people -fof-.Wafden for. ..i'
service to protect fish and much fault
| found that they cannot have sIt<s 1t is
| for thefLegisla ture tosdetermlne Whcth-
erssthe fish shall be protected, other
wise than what protection the law
gives We cannot have warden service
to protect Ash unless the appropriation
for fish is materially increased from
former years.
"The cost of distributing fish, which
is very considerable, since the railroads
withdrew free transportation to the su-
perintendent or person obliged to ac-
company them to take care of them
during transportation, taking fish eggs,
the cost of hearings on closing streams
and regulating fishing in various wa
tcrs, engineers fees for drawing plans
| for fshwayS the cost of hearings on
petitions for fishways, the cost of print
ing this report. the cost Of printing no
tees. postage, stationery, and other ne
| cessary expenses. including clerical
services, will leave practically nothing
of the $4,000 per year, the regular APP
preparation for about Is years, for war
| den service to protect fish from the
depredationS of the poacher, to protect
| them from those who will net them,
spear them, steal them from the weirs
wnerc they have been gathered in ord
er to take their eggs. take them from
| the snawning beds.--in fact. take them
| in any and every way known to the
willy arts of the poacher
"Time, in fish and game matters, as
| in all other matters, works many
changes in conditions. and in the opin-
| ions and wants of the people. The
strong tendency now is for more trout
to plant to re-stock the waters of the
State, and much less demand for
land-locked salmon than formerly
| Twenty years ago or SO the rage was
for the landlocked salmon. The artifi-
cial cultivation of the trout was neglec-
ted. The landlocked salmon can be
raised much easier-the loss in raising
is much less than trout-consequently
a better showing can be made in land
| locked salmon cAlture than in trout
| culture.
Our people appear to have largely
| gotten over their desire for land-lockatl
| salmon-they now prefer trout, as the
| requests for fish which we receive con-
| clusively show. This has been mora
noticeable from year to year. for sew
eral years. There are some noticeable
exceptions to the above. however. For
| Y.n1y hn -ie.y,
seems to be for the salmon almost en-
tirely. while at Belgrade Lakes the
chief desire seems to be for black bass
| 1t costs more to raise trout than it
| does landlocked salmon
| 'The fish in the inland waters of the
| State, from a commercial standpoint
are worth to the people of the State
many times more than it's big game
The large tourist or summer business
in the inland territory is largely de-
pendent upon the supply of fish
"Around the lakes and ponds are
| thousands of summer hotels, cottages
and private summer residences-ml-
lions of dollars are thus invested. The
primary object of such location is
the opportunity afforded to partake OF
|
fish. The occupants of these dwellings
spend weeks and months in them each
season, sand cxpend in the aggre gate
millions of dollars yearly giving en-
p'oyment to marry of Sohr people, af-
fording our farmers ready market at
top prices for all they raise on their
farms. of vegetables. poultry. eggs
milk. butter, cheese, etc.,:
1T would seem to be part Of wis
dom for cur people to cater to this
business-to try and keep it and in.
crease it's volume. In no way can this
be done SO effectually. so surely as tc
keep up a good supply of fish in our
waters and this latter can only be done
through the operation of the fish hatch.
cries and feeding stations.
For every dollar appropriated by the
legislature to carry on the work of rails
ing fish more than $500 is expended by
the tourists above spoken of, among
our people. Our success in attracting
the fisherman, the summer visitor. the
tourist, is the marvel of the country
and other countries, and many art
ha iy.;a