Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1922-06-07
FISHERMAN
DEFENDS HIS
DAILY BREAD
Robert Nivarel, Potosi,
Denounces Methods of
Hook and Line Men.
(By Robert NiyareD

Tending commercial fishermen is by
Robert Nivarel, of Potosi, Wis, one of
the oldest and most experienced COM
mercial fl jhermen along the Missis
sippi river.)
| am a commercial fisherman. [
produce thousands of pounds Of fish.
/ am only one Of thousands of fisher
men who, as body of men, form an
industry that means millions of dol
lars as a commercial enterprise and
produce millions of pounds of fish
that are consumed by the American
people.
The so-called game fisherman"
has always had it in for the CONNER
cial fisherman and has ever been try
ing to put him out of business. These
game fishermen" do not comprise 10
per cent Of the population of any state
but they seem to feel as though they
have the legal right to tell the re-
manning 90 per cent what they should
do. In every place where they have
chance they destroy the rough fish,
which means your fish, and want to
see nothing but game fish, which is
their fish. How many Of our people
would be able to enjoy a mess OF fish
ii there was nothing but game fish?
Even if permitted to come on the
market, the price would be so high
that many people would not be able
TO buy the bones. Game fish multiply
so slowly that, even if given every
possible chance, they would not ma
ture fast enough for every person who
likes fish to catch one decent mess
year.
Lakes Are Death Traps.
When | was little boy 40 years
ago | heard the game fishermen"
abuse the commercial fishermen. They
have been after the legislatures in
practically every state for laws and
money with which to put the COM
mercial fishermen out of business.
They have spent thousands OF dollars
in efforts to gain their end. With all
the money they have put with all the
laws they have caused to be enacted,
what improvements have they made?
None. They are still in the same
old rut and if they ever do succeed
in putting the commercial fishermen
out OF business there will be no one
left to fight for the rough fish and it
will be a long time between fish dim
ners for the great majority of the
people.
Every person should know that it
* impossible to have our game fish
increase in number with the filling up
of practically all of our large lakes
These lakes, in the years gone by,
were the great natural fish hatcherles.
They were fed by numerous springs,
also spring branches running through
large sloughs protected by heavy tim
her
The advance of civilization has put
most of the springs out of commission
by putting an end to the spring
branches. Timber has been cut and
large running sloughs have been
filed up by driftwood left by chop
Ders. These lakes, instead of being
the great natural fish hatcheries they
once were, are now death traps for
the fish.
Dead Fish by Thousands.
These same lakes have done more
to decrease the number OF game hsn
i'm one wear than the commercial
fishermen have done in any ten years.
7 DEFY any pole fisherman or game
warden to contradict this statement.
ANY man who has been around
these lakes in the spring has seen
dead fish by the thousands, not just
the large fish that produced our pres
ent supply. but the little fish that was
matched the spring before and should
remain to produce the future supply.
Tins. in one winter. the frost has
done in one lake more damage to the
future existence OF game tlsh than the
comercial fishermen could ever DO.
How much money has been spent
to repair the damage done by the
frost Not one cent.
Last winter was an extremely nara
one on the few remaining game fish.
There were dead fish by the thous-
ands in the lakes. Proof OF the large
number that died under the ice was
the presence of huge fiocks OF gulls
at every lake. l heard trainmen men
tion this and heard them wonder why
so many gulls were around SO lolis
this spring. The answer IS dead hsh.
If the game fishermen and war
dens would have spent money III get
ting artesian we'll water INTO lnese
lakes. giving the FISH a steady now
of fresh water millions OF little nsh
would have been saved. The foWlng
water would have kept a large place
open and provided fresh air as wen
as fresh water.
There would have been far more
sense to this than to take the advice
~ some 'sport" who knows nothing
abnut fish conditions or the Matching
~ trout and who advocated the dump
ing of fish into some stream where
cattle stomp about and where the sur
roundings make it impossible for the
fish to live.
II is laughable to me to hear some
"sport' whine about the strings OF q
certain kind of fish he caught IN some
certain place years ago ana then