The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-04-17
SAVE THE FISH.

IL - l44G N4elt4A4 VI N44NSS VIM az
investigated the subject that an acI,
Of water will produce as much foo
as an acre Of land.
What wonderful source Of foot
supply we have right here in ST
Johns river. and yet we are doing
nothing about keeping up the supply
on the other hand the fnny inhabi
tants of our great river are constant
" being reduced in numbers. Gu,
regular fishermen, and good man!
people who derive living from fish
ing. report that their catches are
smaller each succeeding season.
The same condition is reported ev'
erywhere. The U. S. Commissioner
of Fisheries says the supply all along
the Atlantic Coast from Maine tc
Florida is diminishing
Florida has long been one of the
great fishing states. 1t has more salt
water coast line than any other
state in the Union. 1t has more fresh
water lakes and streams than any 9th
er state, and yet what is being done
except in a small way to keep our wa
tiers stocked with fish?
The fishermen of Welaka have
started campaign to protect the fish
in the St. Johns river, which, if it
meets with the encouragement it
should, will not only put the fishing
industry on its feet again, but make
it greater than ever before. And this
will apply to every river and lake in
Florida as well as in the sea.
This Welaka movement should
spread actively and earnestly over
the whole state. Not only should the
present fishing laws, now varying in
application in the different counties,
be made most sweeping in a universal
state law, but we should have hatch
cries at various points in the state,
and begin the replenishing of our wa
tiers now being rapidly swept bare Of
life.
The cost of maintaining fish sup
ply is trifing compared with the
production of a crop of equal value
on the land. None will gainsay the
healthfulness of fish. The price Of
meat is steadily advancing and there
is no relief in sight.
Let the people of Florida get busy
and utilize what can be made large
source of income, besides giving US a
most excellent food, but which must
be denied US soon unless decisive
steps are taken.
To show what is possible in this
matter, attention is called to what
is being done out in the prairie state
of Kansas, where ponds are made by
farmers in which to raise fish In
Florida this is not necessary, we Lave
the water, but leave it to man. made
and rain-flled pond out on the prai-
ries to put US to shame.
Kansas has fish hatcheries and on
April 10th a report was sent from
Topeka showing what is being done.
Three and one-half tons of fish from
an acre fish pond in three years this
is the record reported by Prof L. l..
Dyche, State Fish and Game Warden,
for one Of the experimental ponds at
the State fish hatcherery at Pratt.
And Prof. Dyche says that he could
do it again, he is confident, with a
little care-and water supply. Prof
Dyche believes that Kansas can he
made a great fish State. Hunting,
he said recently, is out of the ques-
ton, but he holds that there is sufi-
clint rainfall in the State to keep and
raise fish by the wholesale.
By actual count Prof Dyche and
his assistants removed 26,448 FISH,
weighing a total Of more than $3.50
pounds from one pond, a one-acre
pond, last spring The pond was
stocked in 1910 with 10000 yearlings.
Next summer any Kansas farmer who
has pond can get as many fish as
are needed to stock it free from the
State fish hatchery, and begin rails
ing tons of fish for himslf. The fish
with which Prof. Dyche stocked his
pond included black bass, crappie,
blue gill sunfsh, common green sun
fish, bull head catfish, a few hickory
shad, German carp, and about 300
goldfish. The goldfish are supplied
as food fish for the others.
There was nothing exceptional
about this particular pond, Prof.
Dyche says. 1t was thoroughly
stocked around the edges and or the
bottom with water plants, including
various kinds of moses. One-ff-
teenth of the surface Of the lake was
lowered with lilies. In 1911 some
channel catfish and 1000 bull head
catfish were thrown into the pond
the 1872 channel catfish were placed
in the pond by mistake, and Prof
Dyche says these put in most Of their
time feeding upon the smaller fish,
cutting down the number considera-
bly,
From the time it was first stock
ID the pond was allowed to stand
practically undisturbed," said Prof.
Jyche. Most of the food supply
or the fish was produced in the pond
he dense growth of vegetation WAS
ot disturbed except that boats were