THE FISHERY INTERESTS OF AUSTRIA. 655 



Matt Lake, made by the Archbishop Marcus Sitticus, in 1G17 ; one relat- 

 ing to the Aber Lake, of 1C92 ; and one for the Zeller Lake, of 1G41. 



Some provisions of these laws are also entered on the old statute-books. 

 The common law of Altenthan, a district of Salzburg, dated 1625, pro- 

 hibits the building of weirs in waters without special permission, 

 " since the streams belong to the authorities, and because the fish would 

 be much disturbed thereby." (Salzburgische Taidinge, lierausgegefen von 

 der Akademie der Wlssenscltaftcn, p. 24.) 



A more recent law is the one passed by the Salzburg provincial gov- 

 ernment February 13, 1856, Z. 13666, which forbids fishing in the 

 so-called "beaver-dams," marshy ponds much frequented by the beavers 

 on account of the many willows. The same law allows fishing at night 

 only after previous announcement to the forest- officers, and obliges 

 fishermen to submit to the examination of their fish, baskets, boxes, or 

 tanks by the officers, whenever these think it necessary. 



The injudicious manner in which the Salzburg government till quite 

 recently cut up its fishing-waters by either selling or renting them on 

 short time in very small divisions — the lakes in very insiguificant little 

 patches, and the running waters frequently by shores — caused a peti- 

 tion to be addressed to the Salzburg assembly, asking that these small 

 subdivisions be discontinued. 



In Styria, great attention was in olden times given to the fisheries and 

 the fishing-laws. A court fish-master was appointed, having his resi- 

 dence at Graz, and an inspector for Upper Styria to watch over the 

 several privileges, especially the royal prerogatives, both possessing the 

 most unlimited judicial and police powers. Since 1790, when a regular 

 police was introduced, "the authority of these two mentioned officers 

 began to be ignored," as we learn from a report. The court fish-master 

 gradually became a privileged fish-merchant ; the office of inspector dis- 

 appeared entirely ; and the numerous fishing-laws, such as those of March 

 24, 1G41, March 9, 1G73, February 27, 1676, May 30, 1699, May 24, 1747, 

 March 21, 1771, fell into disuse, were lost from the archives, and forgot- 

 ten by the people. In place of a regular system of fisheries, we find 

 plundering expeditions by foreigners, and the most reckless capture of 

 fish by privilege-holders and lessees. 



A circular of the imperial government for the central provinces of 

 Austria, dated February 24, 1790, had to be published to counteract the 

 wide-spread " erroneous idea of the general freedom of fishing and hunt- 

 ing," and urged the holders of privileges to maintain themselves in their 

 undisturbed possession, for the reason that they had obtained them 

 " titulo onerosoP 



At present, we see nothing else in Styria but constant quarrels be- 

 tween privilege-holders and communities, over small domain fishing- 

 privileges, which partly had their root in the feudal system, aud which 

 form a serious obstacle in the way of progress, as such small waters are 



