St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1911-08-26
LOUISIANA'S GREAT RE
SOURCES IN GAME,
Fish And
OYSTER.

4IG IldCuEdl Oh LnG
State of Louisiana in the way of
game, fish, oysters, forests,
waters, and soils have been SC
great that many have come tc
look upon them as an inexhaust-
ible mine Of wealth that never
could be depleted.
But in recent years, it has
daWned upon US that these re-
sources are a great public asset
which must be carefully looked
after, or in other words they
must be conserved.
Of the various sources of un-
exploited wealth in our state, at
tention is called to our fisheries.
At present, they exist in embryo
and yet no equal area for the
propagation Of fish is to be found
in this or any other country.
Untold wealth lies in our streams
and only awaits scientific de-
Velopment to unlock the source
of the wealth which would
willingly be given us by the
markets Of the world. A fine
beginning has been made and
we hope shortly to have a black
bass fishery in operation. It is
no secret that the federal govern
ment is anxious to begin the pro-
pagation of commelc ial fisheries
in our waters, but the lack of a
strong public sentiment backing
the efforts of our Board acts ad-
versely against the Inauguration
of this movement.
In our oyster beds, we have
another source of great natural
wealth. We believe that the
present trend of public opinion
backing up the Game and Fish
Commission is suspicious for the
greatest kind of development in
that line, so much so, that the
great markets of the West and
North will soon be supplied by
the luscious bivalves which come
to their finest flavor in the waters
of the Gulf. Controlling $50, 600
acres of the finest oyster bottoms
in the world we can supply the
people of the North and West
with our unrivalled product.
In order to preserve the pres
ent species of game, birds in
habiting our marshes, fields and
streams. game preserves have
been set aside where this faunal
life may flourish and be safe
guarded for all time. Thanks
to the munifcence of one of our
citizens aided by a gentleman of
wealth from another state, as
we'll as by legislative enactment,
we now boast of three great pre-
serves where conservation work
may be carried out to its fullest
development. We owe this to
ourselves as we'll as to our pos
terity and here we are giving a
grand account Of ourselves.
In bringing the Importance of
this conservation work to the
people of the State, one feature
has been used which has been
eminently successful and that is
the travelling exhibit which has
been shown in many parishes
to the great delight of many
thousands of our people.
Every boy and girl in the state
be made acquainted with
he vast natural resources with
n our territory so that there
nay grow up within them that
Keen delight in the fatherland
md that earnest belief that here
he beneficial hand of Providence
las streWn untold wealth for the
.eeking and asking.
One thing must be borne in
and that is that all this
,ast work has been conducted
Without expense to the State.
The Game and Fish Commission
s self supporting, not a dollar
paid out of the state treas
Try for it's maintenance. Its
ulcers and employees are paid
rom the revenues derived from
licenses collected from those who
get either profit or enjoyment
hereby.