Norwich bulletin., 1919-07-30
CHANGES IN FISHING LAWS
 OF INTEREST TO SRoRTSME N

CHANGES IN FISHING LAWS or INTEREST TO sRoRTsME EN As the new laws affecting fishing and hunting. passed at the recent ses- sion of tho legislature. went into eff feet the first of July. many sports men have asked Representative Ed ward H. Bailey. of Danbury. who was house chairman of the fish and game committee. about the laws passed The pocket edition Of the laws has not yet been issued and in order that the 1 fishermen may know something about the new laws Mir. Bailey prepared the following digest of the new legisla- ton: 7. "The law regarding fishing in the lakes and ponds is the chief one to trapping laws not being effective un- til the fall.
 The fishing law now allows fishing in all lakes and ponds from May I to January 20. the exception being lakes and ponds used as source of water supply for domestic purposes, in which case a written permission from the officials having such lake. pond or reservoir under eontrol is necessary. The law governing reservoirs is the same as it always has been and is to protect the water supply of the state from being polluted.
 The principal change in the law is in regard to the way fish saal1 be caught. It is unlawful to catch fish with any contrivance of any kind. e7s- cept with hook and line, the line at taehed to a rod held in the hand: or with hook and line held in the hand. eels and suckers in good many ponds. In certain ponds large mouth black bass could be soeared. Under the new law no spearing will be all lowed in any lake or pond
 Some ponds had laws governing the sizes of fish and the number that could be taken This new law re- peais all those special laws as to size ponds under the general law regulat- ing the size and number of fish to be taken In fishing through the ice ten tip-ups can be used and twenty to be taken in at night and not left in the ice Sections s21f. Sections 3215 to 3230. inclusive: Sections saSa to S24o. inclusive. and Sections 3a4e and SPAS of the general statutes were re- pealed.
 'The law charging a license fee to a resident of any state which charges a resident of Connecticut a license fee to fish in the fresh waters of it's state will affect the residents of New ticut residents a license. This affects fishermen along the border who de- pend q good deai on the lakes and ponds in New York. as the ponds of Ce1nectlcut have Fun out and need restocking
 If we wish to get results the state must spend-more money in stocking our lakes and ponds with food fish, such as Is done in other states. n the past Connecticut has spent the least of any state in the country in stocking it's ponds and lakes, the ap- propriat1on being only S3.00o a year. Practically the only fish that have been erepagated to any extent up to and black bass. For the last two years the commission has stocked some place with Chinook salmon and the fish are doing fine. Balls Pond vas stocked With them and some good catches have been made.
 The state this year appropriated ss2.oo9 to establish new hatcheries and when they are finished ponds and fish will be stocked in a systematic manner.
 "Conneetieut must adopt the svs- tenn that other states have followed in stocking lakes and ponds and not rely on people interested to send in apphcatie blanks for some certain stream, lake or pond which results in those bodies of water for which no application for fish are made be- ing left to take care of themselyes.
 
 vicinity have been fshed so much that natural propagation does mol supply the demand. In order to make better fishing every lake or nond should be stocked with fish suita bIe For them in systematic manner un- der the supervision of the fish and game commission of the state and not py application, as at present Our lakes and ponds are not producing the food they can or should. It costs nothing in the way of labor after they are stocked and the food they produce would amount to thousands of dol lars, besides the pleasure the people would get from being out in the open.
 We must realize in state as small as ours, and so thickly populated. the natural increase of fish is notbinr compared with the demand
 we are facing new conditions to- day, and our outdoor life is on a new plane. The good roads and cheap motors have made it possible for the to enjoy the country and our rural districts of wild land. and TOO square miles of fresh water lakes and streams are within reach of us all"