The Ronan pioneer., 1917-02-02
FISH Commission
NO STATE BURDEN
is MAINTAINED BY LICENSES
PAID IN BY THOSE WHO
FISH AND HUNT.
ALI Expenses of the Department Are
Met From Money Derived From
This Source; Streams Being Re-
stocked From Hatchery Estab-
Hshed by Commission.
(By w. NJ. BickfOrd.)

to the question of taxation, it
may be of interest for them
to know concerning one department
of the state where the burden of tax
alton rests equally upon the shoul-
ders of all of those who are direct
ly interested, and l mean by this, the
fish and game department OF the
state.
A license fee, which has been
changed from time to time until now
the amount of one dollar is collected
from the inhabitants of the state for
the privilege of hunting and fishing
within the limits, is the source from
which the state fish commission and
the department of the state game
warden is paid.
BY an act approved March 8, 1907,
the Montana state fish commission
was created, to consist of two mem
bers and the state game warden, with
authority to select d site for and to
erect thereon a state fish hatchery.
By an act approved March 13, 1913,
the membership of the state fish
commission was increased to five
members, four members to be ap-
pointed by the governor and the fifth
member to be the state game warden.
Established Fish Hatchery.
AS so constituted the state fish
commission established an additional
fish hatchery in Flathead county,
near the town of Somers. Prior to
the time when the state undertook
the propagation and the distribution
of fry, the only source of supply for
restocking the streams of the state
was from the government hatchery
located at Bozeman and only linn
tied supply could be obtained there
from. Since the time when the two
state hatcheries have been in opera
ton, the number of fish fry which
have been annually distributed in the
waters of the state has increased
from about six million year until
now the capacity Of the hatcheries is
in the neighborhood or twenty mil
lion fry a year, depending upon the
success with which eggs are obtained
for Matching purposes.
Distribution of Fry.
The varieties of game and fish
which are handled by the hatcheries
are the native trout, the eastern
brook trout, the RAINBOW trout, the
grayling and the Montana white fish.
Much aid is rendered in the direction
of distributing the fry through local
sportsmen's associations, who select
the streams in which the fry are to be
planted, and meet the fish car at the
railroad station and take them in
ten gallon cans to the points where
they are to be planted. Written dl-
rections are furnished giving instruc-
tions as to where and how the fry
should be planted. Much assist
ance has been rendered by interested
individuals in making the paintings
and further aid has been rendered
the railroad companies that carry the
fish car in which the fish are taken
from the hatcheries to various parts
of the state without expense to the
state therefore.
It is necessary to have a fish car
because from the time when the fish
fry are taken from The running wa
ters in the hatcheries and placed in
cans to be transferred to the places of
planting it is necessary to keep the
cans aerated and this is done by
means of an engine which pumps air
through pipes to each of the cans in
which the fish are carried. In this
way lllLlC VI llO AOoo OSCuI III S~ANiAAo
the fish from the hAtcheries to the
streams. 1t is pleasing to note that
many of the streams which were for
merly depleted of the finny tribe
have, in recent years, been brought
back to a point where they are we'll
stocked with the various species men
toned above.
1t has been found chat the rainbow
;- on1
to a large size in the streams of Mon
ters of this state.
Revenue 10000 Annually.
The amount of money which is de-
rived each year from the sale OF Ii
censes averages about 100000, and
from this amount is paid all
of the expenses of the office OF
the state game warden including the
salaries and expenses of deputies, the
cost of prosecuting criminal cases,
and the expenses of the meetings OF
the state fish commission. The men,
bers of the commission receive no
pay for their services, but have their
expenses paid. From the funds so
derived, improvements are made in
the hatcheries and the salaries of
those employed by the commission
to gather eggs and perform the
necessary work of the Matching there
of are also paid.
At present the commission is con-
fronted with the expense of purchas-
ing a new car to be used in the dlstrl-
button of fry owing to the fact that
the car which has been used for the
past few years has become damaged
so that it is no longer suitable for the
purpose.
The interest in the work done in
Restocking the streams increases as
good results are found to follow. The
real interest in this work originated
in Butte where private hatchery
was established and in successful op-
Grafton at Columbia Gardens two
years before any hat -hery was au-
thOrized by state law. At the pres