THE FISHERY INTERESTS OF AUSTRIA. 627 



and a tax could be imposed on such favors, such taxation could scarcely 

 be borne by the fishermen, who are as a general rule poor. 



The most important reason for obliging all hunters to carry a permit 

 is doubtless to insure public safety, and this reason entirely falls to the 

 ground with the fishermen, not to mention other differences between the 

 two occupations. 



The introduction of such a measure to the above-mentioned extent is 

 therefore not favored, as it would very much incommode the craft and 

 the authorities charged with issuing or certifying the permits. 



On the other hand, it is considered necessary, in order to prevent non- 

 privileged persons from fishing, to demand some sort of identification 

 of those persons who fish in the waters belonging to the holders of priv- 

 ileges, in the shape of some paper which such persons should carry with 

 them when at work, and should exhibit., if requested to do so by an over- 

 seer. Those, however, who fish in their own waters would not require 

 such a paper. 



The right to issue permits to third persons should belong to the holder 

 of a privilege within the limits of his jurisdiction j to the lessee of a 

 fishing-district within the limits of his contract ; and to the board of 

 directors in waters belonging to an association. 



Assistants employed in the presence of holders of privileges, or of 

 persons having a permit, require no special permit. 



The certifying of fishing-permits by the local police-authorities must 

 be done without any stamp or fee whatever, (fffl 10 to 15.) 



The draught contains but very few regulations on the methods of 

 fishing and the apparatus used. Apparatus, which is set for the purpose 

 of fishing, in the absence of its owner must have a specified mark of 

 recognition, (fl 16.) Fishing with poisonous bait, or by other means 

 which stun or poison the fish, such as explosives, is prohibited, (fl 17,) 

 as likewise the obstruction of more than one-half of any stream of water, 



(U 18-) 



All other regulations regarding methods of fishing, apparatus, the 

 weight or measure below which fish are not to be caught, the days 

 and seasons when fishing is prohibited, the rules to be observed by fish- 

 ermen for avoiding mutual disturbances, and in the interest of public 

 traffic and navigation, as well as for making supervision easier, are left 

 to government ordinances, which, as far as required, are to be passed 

 for connected territories, (fl 10.) 



The code also contains prohibitions as to the sale of fish the catching 

 of which is not permitted, (flfl 22 to 25.) 



Great attention is given in this law to the establishment of places of 

 safety, where the fish are to be absolutely protected ; such places being 

 considered as among the most important measures for protecting and 

 preserving them. 



The proposed law distinguishes two kinds of such places, viz : 



a. Places of safety for spawning, i. e., those localities which, in the 



