Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1917-01-28
GRANTS PASS AND THE
ROGUE FISH QUESTION.
People Who Live Along the Banks Of The River Are
Most VitaDy Interested in Pending Legislation


10 the Legislature OF the State of Oregon:
The people of Grants Pass, the chief city upon the
banks of Rogue river peculiarly interested in egisa
ton affecting fishing in the Rogue For Grants Pass the
question presents three distinct issues every phase as
affects any other community also vally touching the life
of Grants Pass.
First to be considered is the maintaining of the
Rogue the premier sport fishing stream Of the west
coast; secondly the conserving of the salmon as food
fish, through properly regulated commercial fishing and
thirdly, the effect of certain conditions upon the water
supply and through it the health and happiness of the cit
zcns of Grants Pass and other communities situated as is
Grants Pass.
The sport fishing of the Rogue is its chief asset 1t is
attracting many OF the best class of people to the district
and will be of the chief attractions to tourist travel
in the northwest few years ago enthusiasts believed
that absolute prohibition of commercial fishing in the
Rogue would improve the sport fishing The river was
closed by vote of the people of the state and for years
the system given fair tryout 1t proved disastrous
failing to accomplish that which was expected The sal
men filled the river and the steelheads the sport fish Of
the stream, feeding upon the spawn of the salmon and up
the decayng flesh of dead salmon refused to the
n.y. The poorest sport fishing ever had in the Rogue
upon the two years when the stream was closed to all
forms of commercial fishing
Properly regulated commercial fishing not only saves
to the people the food value of the royal chinook salmon
that makes periodic runs up the Rogue from the but
as pointed out in the foregoing paragraph improves the
sport fishing we'll As industry, commercial fishing
gives employment to many people at Grants Pass and the
catch is worth thousands of dollars every year. The only
fishing here is with drift nets of large mes permitting
the seeheads and other trout pass through unnured
and such fishing does not interfere in any way with the
sport fishing. The elimination of the seine and the set
net from all the waters OF the river permitting only the
of drift nets of 12 inch mesh will meet the needs of
the commercial fisherman and maintain unimpaired the
sport fishing qualities of the Rogue.
AS third proposition which bears directly upon
Grants Pass and other cities upon the banks of the stream
getting their municipal water supply from the stream
the condition of the river when commercial fishing isl
absolutely prohibited The salmon that ascend the river
stream is polluted with the thousands of decayng fish
During the two years of the closedriver conditions these
putrd salmon beoued the Grants Pass water supply and
one OF the great resources OF nature, unused became al
menace to the health and happiness of the people of this
community
The people of Grants Pass and of Josephine county,
sport fishermen, commercial fishermen, and people who
fishermen but who wish to enjoy the beauties of
the Rogue therefore unit in recommending to the
Legislature of Oregon the enactment of such legislation as
will prohibit the OF seines and set nets but permitting
the of the drift net of sufficient mesh to allow the pas
sage of steehead trout 1t is recommended that the sea-
during which such drift net fishing be permitted on
the upper river be from April 18th to August 1st This
will to the people, in the interests of reduced cost
of living, the thousands of chinook salmon that ascend the
stream during those months it will remove the of
dead salmon which would otherwise line the banks of the
stream and will leave the river free and clear for the sport
fisherman These recommendations were adopted by the
Josephine Game and Fish Protective association by he
Commercial Fishemens union, and have been endorsed
.n Gvop Da.a Go,>~,,o ~ n.