Montana labor news., 1938-07-21
California and Arizona
Fight Over Fish Thai
Amt There
SPORT SCRIPTS
Bv LILA LEHMAN

4 LAAb4AG4ANy 80 tAab
grand old sport, fishing-or maybe
the reason for fishing, fish-almost
started another young American
civil war out in the peaceful South
west. Fish is not a subject to take
lightly-at any rate, the ladies and
gents who love to fish do not take
it lightly, and the fishermen of Cali
fornia and Arizona were ready to
bear arms and go to war because
of fish.
The trouble over fish began at the
Parker dam site which is on the
Colorado river. The river itself is
the border line between the two
states which makes the Parker dam
'alf and 'alf-half Arizona and half
California. One sunny a. N. Ari-
iona reel and rod men beheld a mess
of blue channel catfish carousing in
the Parker dams diversion tunnels.
These tunnels are on the Arizona
side, so by the time the news was
relayed to the Arizona Fish and
Game Commission the number of
fish swimming in these tunnels to-
tailed a cool 100000. Quite a mess
of fish in any mans state.
The Arizona game wardens were
for seining these fish pronto and
setting them loose in streams closer
to home. But the California Fish
Commission yodeled a shrill 'nerts!"
and refused to give up such a prize
catch. They, too, wanted the fish.
Then the lads of these states got to
fussing in earnest. 1t got to a point
in the fist-shaking proceedings
where some thought civil war was
bound to break out. Everything but
cannon was brought up to each side
of the border, and ominous rumb-
lings of a bitter feud were heard all
over the country-side-even way off
in the White House, where the Presi-
dent was busy planning his own
fishing trip.
Since the fish-which were still an
uncounted and indeterminate amount
were contentedly wiggling their
fins in Arizona, the Arizona Game
Commission felt free to seine the
whole kaboodle out of the tunnels
and transport them wherever they
fancied. But again to their chagrin,
they found the way barricaded.
There is but one road back into Ari-
IONA from Parker dam, and that road
runs-ten or fifteen miles-proudly
through sunny California. One of
those things caused by natural
barriers.
The much wanted catfish, if trans
ported by truck, would necessarily
be hauled over this shortest way
home. But the California game
sentries only sleep at night, Sc it
wasn't difficult for them to dig up
that old statute which forbids the
transportation of fish over California
highways without a permit-the
same permit issued by the same
commission. This heady play by the
boys on the other side was a tough
one for the Arizonians, for packing
fish over the hills by burro would
not be practical.
1t was just when the fish thought
they were in for a quiet season of
swimming and suntan that the Cali
fornia commission gave up its check
mate and offered to smoke the pipe
of truce. The lads from the Land of
Sunkist Fruit were quite willing to
give the boys over the border a per-
mit-but there was still one un-
wholesome oyster in the stew. For
this gratuitous gesture-the permit
all they wanted in return was two
California trucks loaded to the
beams with catfish. A California fish
truck would make Noah's Ark look
puny in comparison.
This one pound and one ounce of
flesh was too much for the Arizona
fish patriots. They gathered their
forces and began talking of re-
mobilizing the Arizona navy and
shipping the fish down the Colorado
river. This, of course, would take