The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-08
CONSERVATION OF
 FISH SUGGESTION
 PLEASES ANGLERS
McCollister Analyses Spirit of Meeting Held Monday Night When Wallace Addressed
 Local SportSmen

N- conservation, has made deep inn pression on local sportsmen.
 J. H. McCollister who was chosen secretary of the organization of sportsmen formed at tke meeting Monday evening. has written regard ing the conservation plan and the purpose of the meeting as follows:
 T, like number of others, was well pleased with the progres made at the meeting last night or the sportsmen of this district, said J. Ii McCollister. l do not think we could have more experienced and efficiens man for president of the association than W. G. Oliver. and with Lucian Brown, Sol Caheen and E II. Baugh first second and third vice presidents, we have a trio which is hard to beat, and with q group of sportsmen such as E. H. Dryer. William Mudd, George Mabry, Lewis Morris. James Johns and R. H. Eggleson composing the execu- tive committee, a person can see that the club is going to be great sue cess and grow in membership until every fisherman in the district will be a member.
 MT. Dryer made a nice talk; his idea of restocking the streams near here met with instant approval by those present I was glad that Major Brown made the motion that the mem bersh.p be not limited to men only for there are numerous women anglers in the city who will join in with the movement for better fishing and con servation.
 Wallace's Talk
 The talk by John II. Wallame was especially interesting to me, as it was no doubt to all the others present. nearly 200, I judge, he stated, at the beginning that nothing could be ac- complished without organization, and cooperation with the department of conservation, if this done he not only would stock the streams with fish. but would punish to the full extent of the law all those that do anything detri- mental to the fish or the streams.
 He called to mind what could hap pen to the fish by recalling that back in the sos he had seen in Alabama flocks of carrier pigeons so large that in flying by they would darken the earth like an immense cloud, while 'now there is not live one left in the United States. While he had seen Woodcock, wild turkey and deer piled in the markets of Birmingham. and asked MT. Rosenstihl and Mir. Oliver if they did not recall it, they saying they did.
 MT. Oliver, by the way, should any one not know it, has the honor of holding the title of having caught with a hook the largest tarpon ever taken on the Alabama coast.
 MT. Wallace further stated that when he first took up the protection Of game that he was called crazy by the legislature, that there would not be enough appropriated to give him a salary (which was true then, he pay ing expenses from his own pocket). put up money to keep it going said MT. Wallace. and now there Is over $100,0 900 in the state treasury tor the protection of game.
 Bag Limit
 The bag limit of quail should be reduced. At present a person is al- lowed to kill 9 quail each day. There are l20 days, which would make the seasons bag limit of 5000 quail Peo- ple come from all over the United States and from Canada to nunt in Alabama, and If you do not conservat te you are not going to have any game, neither are you a sportsman. I take my game in a sportsmanliiSe manner, and no man has right to take more than his needs require. I am in favor of a bag limit on large or small mouth bass of not more than 10 each day, and all less than 10 inches in length should be returned uninjurcd to the water. Why, it is nothing unusual in the southern part of the state for a person to take as many as 150. 1s0 or even 200 in one day, and using a fly at that. That is regular fish slaughter and should be stopped
 Carp are detrimental to fish and should be kept out of all bodies of water. They are an Asiatic fish from Germany. They root like hogs, eat the fish spwan, destroying fish and vegetation. Every man here should write to his representative for appli- vatior blanks, find out what streams to stock and get your fish. as soon as possible, for the distribution is over in few days.
 I propose to ask the next Ala bama legislature to pass law au- thorizing me 10 establish fish hatch cry in this state. If this is done, it will be the first in the southern states, and if you will stand back of me we will put this on the statute books, and if crime is committed against the public interests we will have the guilty party convicted and punished.
 COnoervntinm
 We must educate the people to protect conservation. so that the next generation be a race of conservation ists. I believe we are proceeding the right way. Forest preservation comes nrst. Three-flfths of the forests have been destroyed. We now use timber four times faster than it Is produced. Massachusetts. Pennsylvania. and New York states are now planting out young forests, but. gentlemen, it will take 50 to 100 years for this to give results in producing lumber. Timber is essential to the matching of fish. Without trees. land becomes barren. there are no leaves to withhold the torrents of water from rain, and spawn is washed away. Gentlemen protect your forests, prevent fires. encouragfe owners of land to wait until the maturity of their second growth timber I have seen the tim Der right of the pine forests of Ala bama sold for 25 cents per acre, large ly to non-residents of the state. There are now over 100 head of Elk in this state and in a few years I hope ii will be possible for one elk to be all lowed a season as a bag limit to our sportsmen.
 These Elk were imported. and shows what can be done in conserva- ton. Let us stay the hand of the van dal, bring him to justice. have bet ter laws and sportsmans paradise. will appoint 15 or 20 special agents to enforce the laws of this section. but you men must back me up
 There has never been an instance