The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1921-12-30
WASHINGTON HAS
GREATEST FISHERIES
OF ANY STATE
l.. ii. DARWIN STATE SUPER.
VISOR OF FISHERIES, SUBMITS
REPORT OF INTEREST TO ALL
LOCAL PEOPLE.

Declallug Jnat at the end of eight
years he thoroughly appreciates what
thankless task it is to preserve
great natural resource for the state.
L. Fl. Darwin has just submitted to
Governor Louis F. Hart the last re-
port that will be made by any Fish
Commissioner, for an April /. 1921,
the law superseding that office by the
Director of Fisheries and Game be-
"ame effective as a part of Governor
Hart's Civil administrative Code.
Asserting that Washington possess
rs the greatest fishery resources of
any state in the Union, Mr.. Darwin
states that the reason for the deple-
ton, which has occurre1 in certain of
our fishery resources, is due in very
large part to the selfish interests of
those benefitting from them He
says: unfortunately, the idea has
been all to prevalent to let those en-
gagged IN the industry have the entire
say concerning it. The people of this
state have an interest in perpetuating
and maintaining our food and shell
fishery, compared with which the
right of any individual, no matter
how great his investment therein,
inks into insignificancn
at seems to me to be a crime
against mankind-against those who
are here and the generations yet to
fo!I,w-to let the great salmon runs
Of the State of Washington be de-
>troyed at the selfish behest of few
individuals, who. in order to enrich
themselves, would impoverish the
state and destroy food supply of the
people"
The report embraces the Thirtieth
and Thirty-frst Annual Reports of
the Fish Commissioner and is for the
bienr-u UNI ending March 81, 1921.
The office of F'.h Commissioner
thus abolished has c,isted practically
s'nce statehood Mr.. Darwin, who is
at present State Surcl visor of Fisher
les, calls attention to the fact that he
served the state logger as Fish Com
missioner than any predecessors
and declared that this report is more
complete than any previous one sub
mitted
The report says that the Depart
ment of Fisheries and Game as at
present constituted is much more ex-
pensive of operation than under the
old lew, and points out that the work
the Fisheries and Game Department
formerly did unaided, now requires
the attention of four separate depart
ments of the state, with resulting
confusion and less efficiency.
The report reviews his full eight
years of service and says that the last
year Q920) is memorable, in that it
witnessed the taking of the largest
number of salmon eggs in the history
of the Department-1S6 ,906,525. The
number of salmon hatcheries has in
creased from seventeen to thirty-one
and the capacity of the state salmon
hatcheries has been trebled
On April l, 1921, there We're twen-
il eight acres of dyked lands on the
oyster reserves Of the state as against
only one acre in 1918.
The number of fishing licenses is
sued during the last eight years has
been increased about Seventy per
cent, and the number of persons en-
ployed in the fishing industry has
more than doubled
Eight years ago there was not a
hatchery in the state with a perma-
nent foundation, or a hatchery resi-
dence that contained bath tub.
Every hatchery constructed by Mr..
Darwin has a concrete foundation
and every residence a bath tub, while
many of the old residences have been
equipped with baths.
Under his charge, the Fisheries
Department has, with the aid of sci
entists. ascertained the habits,
spawning seasons and places of our
herring. smelt, clans, shrimp, etc.
Five of the biggest herring reserves
have been set aside and closed seas
ons prescribed. which permits the her
ring to spawn in them undisturbed.
Bills sponsored by the Department.
providing for closed seasons in which
fishing is prohibited for clans. crabs,
herring. smelt, etc, has been passed.
Each year during the last eight
has seen more fines collected for fish
cry law violations than were collected
during all the preceding years of
statehood.
The report cites the fact that out
of Q total of $1,000 monthly reports.
which should have been made for the
bier mum of 19ll-19i2, just f40 were
actually made. In comparison, It