The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-10-18
BIG RED APPLE
VERSUS TROUT
Game Fish of Yakima County
Must Give Way to the Needs
Of the Irrigation Work

1t is the red apple versus the trout.
| the potato versus the whitefish, al
| falfa versus the salmon: II the the
game fish against irrigation. That Is
| the issue fairly and squarely in this
part of Washington. III storage dams
are to be erected to conserve water
for use in irrigation. then the fight
| in behalf of the game fish must be
passed up. so far as the reservoir dams
are concerned. 1t is not possible to
| make fish ladder. that fish can use,
in the dam of a storage reservoir. II
water is to be permitted to flow for
the sake of fish, then Il can not be
stored for the sake of the irrigator.
| IT the fish is to be protected first Of
all. then there will be no extension Of
| irrigation and hence no people to r.
rigate. If irrigation, on the other
hand, is to be the paramount issue,
then there must be general forget
ting of the fish.
Says Situation Is Exaggerated
| The foregoing, is in general, the
way the situation is expressed by Sup
cruising Engineer Swigert OF the Rec
| lamation service. Mr.. Swigart has lust
| returned from the Okanogan country
where complaint was made that fish
We're dying because the dams had
been closed and the water shut off
from the streams. When no arrived
here he learned that there had been
similar complaint here with respect
to the Dumping lake proposition. Mr..
Swigart made Investigations both here
| Il \ 4
that the situation with respect to the
fish has been greatly exaggerated in
| both instances.
| Less Than a Hundred
At Conconully. at the hotel he over
| heard one man say that there were
| at least two carloads of dead Ash in
| the stream there and he referred to
| another man for confirmation. but the
second wouldn't go that far. He didn't
think there were more than two wa
gonloads Mr.. Swigart, upon pnr-
sonal investigation found that the dead
fish numbered less than hundred
and he at once gave orders which In
the future will be a general protection
to the fish in the streams when the
dam is closed. Upon enquiry here.
in the Dumping was similar to that
in the Okanogan.
| No Reconciliation
! "There is no chance of reconcilia-
ton" said Mr.. Swigart, between the
two sets of interests. A storage dam
| for irrigation purposes can not con-
tain a fish ladder which the fish can
| use. If the fish are the first interest
then irrigation storage must 60 by
| the board. We can not have both.
At that. I do not think that the dams
constructed and to be constructed will
make much difference. There will AL
ways be fish in the lakes and in the
streams leading TO them. There will
also be fish always IN the river and
in the ocean below It, 1t liz complain
ed of us that we are not obeying the
state regulations. 1t Ia impossible 10
do so. If the people Interested in the
| fish will make a study Of their habits.
learn just what is really needed and
then enact legislation that is practi-
cable, we will comply with 1t. always
! bearing in mind what I have said,
| that 1t is impossible to make an irri-
CATION storage dam and at the same
time give the fish free access to the
lakes and reservoir basins at all
times"
Habits Not Understood
i Along with what Mr.. Swisart had
to say is the general fact that the
habits and needs of the fish of this
part of the state are not thoroughly
understood and it is questionabi BILE
| whether there In much identify of in
terest between the fish at Keecheius
| and those at Kennewick. Frank Bry-
ant, game warden OF this county, who
has studied the fish Of this part Of
the state for years, says there are de-
cided differences in the fish and the
breeding seasons in the various lakes
and streams, even a considerable diff
ference between Lakes Kachees and
| Keechelus. 1t would appear that
there is field for the student and the
| scientist and a decided need for re-
| vised legislation both in the interests
Of the fish and of the reclamation
of requirements of the law compl-
ance with which. as Mr.. Swigart points
service, which latter finds itself sub
jected to all corts of trouble because
out. is impossible.
Mr.. Swigart pointed out that the
fish Of the streams and lakes Of this
side OF the state are game and not
food fish. They do not figure mate
rally as an article OF diet and serve
only TO afford fun for a small .ortion
Of the population for a small portion
of each season. Irrigation. on the
u other hand. goes hand in hand with