The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-04-15
RESIDENT FISH
LICENSE NEEDED
CLAIM is MADE THAT HUNTERS
PAY FOR FISHERMAN'S SPORT
DEMAND RESIDENT FISH
ING LICENSE TO HELP OUT.

further expenditure of hunting
license moneys for the benefit of
fisherman whom they claim pay
nothing, according to the expressions
icing received by Fred HI. Doellner
Secy-Treas. Minnesota Division,
lzaak Walton League of America.
The Resident Fishing License has
been unanimously endorsed and its
ca cptance urged by the several hum
dred delegates and conservationists
Who visited the Fourth Annual Con-
vention of the Minnesota Division of
the Izaak Walton League of America
recently held at st. Paul.
The amazing revelations that the
hunter is the only outdoor lover who
pays his way and worse yet, that he
not only pays his way, but appar-
eatly is paying for all other sports
ren, has made the hunters fighting
mad. They demand that other par
Elephants in outdoor life pay their
way also.
OF the ten thousands of dollars
obtained from the hunting licenses,
little goes to propagate game, for
the benefit of the hunters.
Propagation of fish, wardens who
guard streams for twelve months in
the year, the planting of fish which
maintains fishermen's sport, all come
out of the hunters pocket.
AS one prominent hunter said,
''too much is enough. If the fisher
man wants to fish, let him pay for it
the same as we do for our hunting"
The hunters prove the contrast of
their attitude towards Conservation
ard propagation as compared with
that of the fisherman, that they not
oily pay their way by licenses, put
during the last two years, have ac-
tually raised twenty thousand dol
lars for the introduction of the Hun
garian Partridge state wide. The
money for this project should have
come out of the general state fund,
and this would have been possible
had the fishermen contributed their
share.
The questions asked by the hunt
ers are-"Who pays for the restock-
ing of fishing?"- does the
fisherman pay?"-"Out of whose
pocket comes the money for raising
and supplying fish fry, and the main
tenance of state fish nurseries ?"-
"Who pays for the wardens to guard
the fishermen's streams ?"-and, the
invariable answer is-'sThe Hunter"
DIR. F. S. James, Winona, Chair
man of the State Game Bird Com
mittee of the MINI. DIV. l. w. L. A.
said, ''The hunter for long time
has not only paid for his own sport,
but everybody else's sport. Practi-
cally all the conservation practiced
in Minnesota comes out of the
hunters pocket. The fisherman
fishes in the streams stocked out of
the money derived from hunting
licenses. Hardly none of this money
is used to increase the supply of ami
NAL life which furnishes the sport
for the huntsman. The fisherman
should have his sport-but if he
wants it, he should pay for it the
same as we do, and that means that
there should be a resident fishing
license.
Because residents have no fishing
license, non resident fisherman
cannot be identified, and thousands
of cases are cited by state wardens,
voluntary wardens and sportsmen,
of fishermen whom all indications
prove are not Minnesota residents,
fishing on the waters, on our streams,
without licenses, when approached,
they pose as residents of some re-
mote part of Minnesota.
1t is said that nearly million and
quarter tourists visited in Mime
sofa in 1926. And yet, some paltry
thirty Thousand, if I recall rightly,
Lought fishing licenses. 1 am glad
to say that the vast majority of fish
erman and farmers, to whom l have
spoken see the Resident Fishing
License in the right light.
What fisherman could be so blind
or short sighted that he would re-
fuse to pay small sum for license
which will enable the state to collect
non resident licenses from ever in
creasing hundreds upon hundreds
Of thousands of visiting fishermen.
Frankly, if the influx of tourists
continues, unless they are compelled
to buy licenses and thus supply
money to restock the streams in
few more years, they will have
cleaned Minnesota completely, with
out having paid for the pleasure.
Then, the local resident will really
have something to bemoan and for
which to curse his lack of interest.
Let every intelligent patriotic
Minnesotan, be he hunter, fisherman,
farmer, employer or employee, de-