Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-19

want to know Is, What Is the defini-
ton of Justice of the peace" Is 1t his
duty to enforce the law without any
authority to use discretion as to the
circumstances or the intent on the
part of the accused to violate the law?
If so, Justice of the peace" is a mis-
homer and the name should be
changed, or game wardens should be
instructed to use every discretion in
making arrests.
In the opinion of this column the
incident of last week was not justice ac-
cording to the strict Interpretation Of
the letter of the law. An angler is re-
quired to have q license to fish above
tidewater in Maryland. Not one in
ten hundred would violate this law.
When he gets his license at a coast of
$3.50 he goes to the streams that have
been widely advertised as being the
majority of fish in said streams to be
of legal size and not the majority I'M
der sized, as Is the case In Frederick
County trout streams at present.
Conservation Commissioner Sweep
son Earle of Maryland, when told about
story in this column last week re-
garding under-siz trout, said IT
agree absolutely with the story in Rod
and Stream last week, that the only
solution is to hold the fish until they
are of legal size, and am going to
adopt that this Fall when 10000 trout
will be liberated"
How about closing the trout streams
until next year in Frederick Coun-
ty? The many hundreds of trout that
are being killed Internationally by
anglers would be saved, and undoubt-
edly many anglers would be saved q
minimum fine of $25 or a maximum
fine of perhaps 500, according to the
way the case is presented to the justice
of the peace. The writGr thtnks that
in justice to the anglers vino have no
intention to violate the law, who per-
haps do not have a rule to measure
each fish caught, that the trout
streams at least in Frederick County,
should be closed until next year. Sure
ly the intention of the conservation de-
partment of Maryland is to continue to
supply the anglers with better and big
ger fish and not to have them catching
fish the majority of which have to be
returned TO the water, many to meet a
sure death.
Glen c. LEACH, chief of the Divi-
- sion of Fish Culture of the United
States Bureau of Fisheries, informs US
that after visiting the trout streams in
Frederick County around the opening
OF the season he wrote A. M. Powell
superintendent of State hatcheries at
Lewiston, Md, advising him of the
fact. He also suggested to lie Compile
over the phone that the Maryland law
be changed and be made to read that
anglers should be required to keep all
fish caught until they have obtained
their bag limit Of 10 each day. Leach
would q n
dreds of trout as he does not think that
more than 10 per cent of the fish re-
turned to the water will survive ham
ding even If they do not swallow the
hook. Leach also wrote N. r. Butler,
fish commissioner Of Pennsylvania, Civ
ing him his views about the catching
of under-size trout and received q reply
stating that he, Butler, was very favor
able to the suggestion and that it would
be given serious consideration.
EVERY angler in Washington should
tune in on Station VOL on Friday,
May 2, at 6:45 pm. at which time Glen
c. Leach will go on the air under the
auspices of the Washington, d. c.,
Chapter of the I. w. A. L. Leach will
take as his subject Producing Fish for
Fishermen" during the course Of which
he will speak on some Of the points
brought out in this article.
Our Leonardtown correspondent re-
ports that 10000, 900 spawning yellow
perch sent by the Maryland State Con-
servation Commission to Capts. Edmund
J. Plowden, ST., of Bushwood and
Thomas M. Wise of Upper Potomac,
who patrol st. Mary's waters in their
police boats, have divided these fish
and put them in the fresh waters at
the head Of Brittons Bay and st. Cath
crimes Sound, all in st. Mary's County,
where they will furnish excellent sport
for the thousands of anglers who in
wade that part Of Southern Maryland.
The House of Representatives last
Wednesday passed the White bill pro-
viding a fve-year construction and
maintenance program for the United
States Bureau of Fisheries. carrying an
appropriation Of $685. 900. The pro-
gram embraces approximately 81 new
stations. involving 81 entirely new
projects. When completed the Bureau
of Fisheries will have 106 stations of
all kinds. At the present time it has
but rs.