668 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



owners of shore-lands would consider a law regulating the buying-off 

 of privileges a great benefit. 



Leases calculated to improve the condition of the fisheries would take 

 the place of worthless fishing-privileges, from which the owners derive 

 no real benefit ; former privilege-holders, especially where they own part 

 of the shore, would, be afforded a chance to lease, and smaller owners 

 of shore lands would see their income increasing by the rising rent. 



It is hoped that, just as landed proprietors have quietly permitted their 

 farmers to hunt on their property ever since the right has been recog- 

 nized by the law as forming an integral part of such property, and. since 

 the rent forms part of their revenue, so also they will permit the lessees 

 of fisheries, not only to catch, but also to protect fish, and to introduce 

 all those measures, such as fish-passes, places of protection, planting of 

 banks with trees, &c, which are essential to successful fish-culture, but 

 which at present are almost unknown in Austria. Such a hope is also 

 encouraged, by the fact that even an extraordinarily large number of 

 fish would do no injury to agriculture, which can certainly not be said of 

 game. 



It must not, on the other hand, be overlooked that, by abolishing the 

 old. fishing-privileges, and simply turning the fisheries over to the pro- 

 prietors of the banks, a condition of affairs may be produced which is 

 calculated to decrease rather than to increase the number of fish. This 

 applies particularly to countries where it is difficult to execute the fish- 

 ing-laws in an efficient manner. 



The conditions on which privileges can be bought off should form the 

 subject of another law. In this matter, regard should be had to the dif- 

 ferent wants of the several provinces regarding the fisheries, as also to 

 all other circumstances which may be of influence, so that the question 

 whether the time has arrived when such a law can be really beneficial 

 should be answered separately for every province. 



Whether the question of abolishing the privileges in any of our prov- 

 inces is being discussed at the present time, or whether it is referred to 

 some future period, it will, under all circumstances, be desirable that 

 such abolition should not take place before a good fishing-law has defi- 

 nitely settled all questions relating to the protection and practice of the 

 fisheries, especially those belonging to communities and owners of shore 

 lands, fishing-associations, &c. If this is not done, the abolition of privi- 

 leges and the transfer of the fisheries to communities and owners of 

 shore lands will do more harm than good to the industry. It would also 

 be an inestimable benefit if the new owners could enter on their pos- 

 sessions with that feeling of security which only a practical and well- 

 executed law produces, and if the great landed proprietors, who at 

 present own fisheries, could have the chance of improving them further 

 and of making them more valuable. 



The question of abolishing the fishing-privileges has not yet been 

 fully discussed in all the provinces, nor has an accurate list of all such 



