35 



is well known to every angler, and the erection of a saw-mill 

 on a stream means the destruction of the trout, and perhaps 

 other fish, within a few years. 



Mr. Mather. — A man should have no legal right to make 

 a sewer of a stream in which he can flow refuse of any kind 

 that is detrimental to the fish in it. The public have rights 

 in the fish, and if the saw-mill man cannot afford to take care 

 of his refuse then he should not run his mill. Saw-mills may 

 be a necessity, but fish are also needful, and the fish were 

 there before the mill. If a man can't run his business with- 

 out ruining the streams he should be compelled to shut up 

 shop. He should not be allowed to maintain a nuisance in 

 order that he may make money. It is not a public necessity 

 that he should make money, but it is of general benefit that 

 the streams are filled with fish. I have said that sawdust 

 does not kill the adult fish but does ruin the spawning beds. 



Mr, Spangler. — The theory that sawdust kills adult fish 

 is not a true one, but that it kills the eggs and the young fry 

 is indisputable. The great injury from sawdust comes from 

 the smothering of the spawn and from the decay of the finely 

 comminuted wood, which rots in the water and injuriously 

 affects the fry. The pollution of our streams should be 

 stopped. 



Mr. Osborn. — We have had some experience with poison 

 in our Ohio streams, but the paper mills are not turning in 

 as much chloride of lime as formerly, they now use this ma- 

 terial ove»and over. The straws-board mills send quantities 

 of fine pulp into the streams, and this kills suckers by adher- 

 ing to their gills. The crayfish march up when fermentation 

 takes place from this pulp, and perhaps sawdust also fer- 

 ments and has the same effect. 



Dr. Hudson. — As the sawdust question seems to have 

 been exhausted I would Hke to say a word on a matter that 

 is troubling us in Connecticut. This is the decrease of shad 

 in our rivers. Some years ago we increased the shad by 

 hatching, so that the fishermen begged us to desist because 



