Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-12-22
Conservation Comedy Trout Tragedy

conservation COMEDY Trout Tragedy
No subject has been discussed and no campapr
accomplished less Oregon than that for trout conservation
And no subject has been handled less nteligeny and
resulted meagery After years agitation creation of
numerous commissions and multitude of officials the
expenditure of hundreds of thousands dollars the erection
and operation of hatchere streams
depleted of trout than and situation grows more
hopeless annually
i Our fish and game mountain labors and it brings forth
fry but destroys fish sanctions their destruction which
the thing by permitting the ruthless determination
of spawning fish The commission has recently issued
ukase, permitting the taking of salmon trout over ter
inches in length in all the streams of Oregon during all
months of the yearthereb aboshng closed season for
trout.
The fish and game commission knows or should know if
it knows anything about trout that there no such animal
as Salmon trout which is local name applied to any trout
IN salt or bracsh water The Salmon trout is as the COM
mission knows either seagong cutthroat backspotted
trout or young seehead rainbow trout whose appearance
altered by sojourn in salt water That the commission is
well aware OF this fact is shown by its permitting the
taking of spawning seehead in the Rogue over ten
inches in length, during the winter months as Salmon
trout"
Neither the rainbow steehead the black spotted
or cutthroat trout spawn in coast streams in valley
streams or lakes until they inches more in length
The the temperature the water the great
abundance of natural food and the faster the growth of
the fish and the earlier its maturity The only trout under
ten inches that those snted by the cold water
and scarcity Of food of mountain streams The result
commissions ruling is therefore around
for trout old enough spawn and winter closed
season for trout too young to spawn.
The soaed open for trout meaning those under
ten inches as well all others, opens April in Oregon
Spawning season begins in coast streams in the winter
months and extends until early in the mountain
streams, the colder the water the later the spawning In
most streams the trout spawning period during the months
of March, April and May The trout therefore opens
the midst of the spawning period and practically every
fish caught in April and May is spawning spent from
spawning and does not furnish either good sport good
eating.
The game and fish commission endeavors to please the
sportsman by going along the lines of least resistance The
sporsmen camor for their winter sport and demand their
spring fishing and the commission falls for it, If real
protective law enacted anglers its repeal to salts
their greed They catch out the big fish in the spawning
period and the little fish during the and fall and
vany expect the hatcheres to repensh their ravages 1t
can't be done and unless protection is afforded the
trout propagation is wasted and complete determination is
in sight.
1t is not the commercial fishermen that depicting
Oregon 1t is the anglers some hundred thous
and or strong that fish for the meat methods
fair or unfair take any sized fish and quantity Of
true craftsmanship of giving the fish chance, either to
reproduce fight there is little And the proof is the
fact that every that be reached easily depleted
and only in inaccessible places does the trout still r in his
native abundance Year by the invading horde COM
Detes its work of determination in remote places and
unless the anglers themselves practice conservation the only
trout left will be found in mountain lakes. Il
Oregon trout protection may be farce to anglers but 1t
tragedy that spells the doom of the trout If the sports
men wise they will insist at once upon an open season
beginning about June and continuing until October Nov
years duration the only practical way of restocking our