The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-01-03
Report Of Bureau of Fisheries Ex-
emplfies Reckless Manner In
Which Animals Were Disposed Of
FEDERAL RULES PROPOSED
Would Place Catching Of Fish Under
Ban Many Kinds Becoming Lux
ury -shads Becoming Scarce
By Robert F. Wilson

wv dSnlngCOn, Jan Sine reckless
and improvident manner with which
Americans have death with exhaus-
tible natural resources with which
this continent was endowed is exem-
plified in report Of the Bureau of
Fisheries on bill introduced by
Congressman Linthicum, of Mary
land, for the conservation of the fish
supply. t...- ..-. ..as +.
The wild pigeon has been EXTERN
mated by the greedy hunters The
buffalo was killed out within a COM
paratively short space Of time. Sew
eral valuable species of fur bearing
animals are almost extinct. The rap
id destruction of the great numbers
Of wild ducks, geese and other game
birds finally resulted in the pass
age Of the Mclean law, the first sta
tute which aims at federal control
Of the game supply.
Federal Action -
And now Congressman Linthicum
proposes federal regulation of the
catching Of fish, ON the ground that
they, too, are migratory, and hence
are not within the exclusive jurdis-
ton of any one state. The report of
the Bureau of Fisheries demonstrates
that SOME Of the commonest varieties
of edible fish are going the way of
the wild pigeon and the beaver under
the present reckless custom of per-
hitting catches to be unlimited, and
the failure to provide safety zones
where the fish can breed without
molestation
The sturgeon was once an import
ant American food fish. Now it has
almost completely disappeared. Am
erican caviar will soon become an
unknown fish, and the price of this
delicacy is now so high as to exclude
it from the tables of all but the rich.
Case Of The Sturgeon
Yet not so many years ago stur-
geon were so plentiful as to be al
most a nuisance. For many years
they were not known to be edible,
and the preparation of their roe as
caviar was an unknown culinary
process in this country. The big,
powerful sturgeon made trouble for
the fishermen, tangling and tearing
their nets. Consequently, whenever
they were captured they were
promptly killed and thrown back in.
to the water.
Then the edibility of the sturgeon
and it's roe was discovered. Fisher
men began taking them in great
numbers for the market. There was
no reckoning for the future, no clos
ed season, no protection for the fish
at all. Soon the supply began dim.
inishing. Then it was discovered
that the Sturgeon was a variety OF
fish easily killed off. The scientists
began studying it's habits of life, and
I this day they have failed to FIND
out how to increase the sturgeon
supply by artificial propagation. The
roe of other fish can be Matched in
tanks, and the small fish can be dis
tributed in the waters of the country
but artificial propagation of stur.
geon has not yet been discovered.
The Cause of High Prices
But that made no difference to the
fisherman. The price of sturgeon
and caviar mounted, stimulating thu
catchers to more diligence. Fifteer
years ago the catch of sturgeon or
the Atlantic coast was 100000
pounds. Last year, with even great
er efforts on the part of fishermen
lit was less than 100000. In *
years the sturgeon catch in tn,
Great Lakes declined go per cent
The fish is becoming extinct.
Even the more prolific varities o.
fish are suffering the same fate
Shad is becoming luxury. A few
years ago more shad were taken in
days fishing than are now caugh
in an entire season.