Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-03-19
Takes Exception to Ward
en- Gwidt's Article on Con-
servation of Fish.


article published couple weeks
ago IN the Villas County News and
other papers, has brought forth
many comments, and the following
sent us from George H. Stahl of
Trout Lake, an ex-warden, differs
from the opinion of the Oneida
county warden and is published in
full:
| am enclosing an article in re-
spouse to Conservation Warden
Gwldts on the conservation OF
fish and game | was in the war
den service long before Mr.. Gwidt
and take several exceptions to his
statements.
After reading Gwidt's article on
the conservation and propagation
Of fish, would like to say word
on that subject. There is no
doubt but that our supply Of fish
has decreased in an alarming de-
gree in most of our lakes and
streams, but | cannot see the cause
of 1T in the same light that Mr..
Gwidt does. Years and years ago
before the white man came into
this beautiful country with it's
forests unbroken, and its streams
and lakes as Nature made them,
fish were plentiful. They existed
there unmolested for ages, each
specie spawning in their season;
each kind feeding on some other
! kind the same as they do now.
| No one kind became exterminated,
for Nature provided for this with
a wise hand.
Muskellunge, Great Northern
Pike and Pickerel spawn early
along the weedy shores where
Suckers and Redhorse never feed
nor spawn. Wall-eyed Pike spawn
along the quiet shores where gray
ell is plentiful; Suckers and Red
horse in running streams on riff
| f1es or shallow places where it is
stony. This is in the spring time
Brook Trout, although they use
the same spawning beds, spawn
in the late fall. In this manner
no specie interferes with another
in natural propagation. 1t is ever
+, true that big fish eat the little
onesAa case Of the survival Of
the fttest.
Muskies, Northern Pike n d
Pickerel are cannibals and glut-
tons as we'll, and will eat any kind
of fish and in large numbers, es-
pecially Suckers and Redhorse and
other minor rough fish, which are
slow in movement and easy prey
for them. Bass and trout are
speedier and therefore are not easy
prey. This is the reason for the
large number of bass and trout in
the lakes and streams.
1t is true, Bass protect their
spawn and fry; and where food is
plentiful are never cannibals. They
live to large extent upon frogs
insects, leeches, snails and other
small life. Then why, all this de-
crease in game fish? There is
only one solution and that is MAN.
Nature did not provide against
this peril in wild life. Man comes
with his death-dealing devices and
proudly exhibits his skill before
his fellow men who in turn in
vents a worse lure or fish-killing
device. Here is where your thou
sands and millions of fish disap-
pear each year; for when fish is
killed his race in life is ended for
ever. But what are we going to
do about it? The question has
been asked by many who have CIV
en- much thought, much time and
money to this subject.
The state of Wisconsin has ev-
er been foremost in the propaga-
ton of fish; but not so in the
PROTECTION of fish in their ma
tural element. About the first fish
to be protected were Bass; another
reason why that specie is plentiful.
Further, a bass will not BECOME
entangled in a gill net, a method
which kill so many fish each year
and which is usually operated by
some near-sighted fish hog in
many communities.
/ Our legislature made a great
move in establishing minimum
size in fish which might be taken
by the angler, and it expected ev-
cry one to live up to that law
While in force it was a saver OF
game fish and suited every true
sportsman. However, this law was