Fish Culturists' Association. 15 



hope, reach the ears of our legislators in a tone loud enough to attract 

 their immediate attention. 



The flowing waters, and the large lakes are part of our public domain, 

 and no man, or bod}- of men, should be allowed to defile them ; yet it 

 has been done almost without protest for years past, and will continue to 

 be practiced for years to come, unless the attention of the people is 

 called to it in a manner that shows to them that their vital interests are 

 affected b}- it, and that the efforts of their Fish Commissioners, who are 

 trying to increase their supply of food, are being continually thwarted 

 by the greed of a few men, who, to save themselves the expense of drain- 

 ing their poisonous refuse into the soil, where it might be rendered harm- 

 less in Nature's laboratory-, make sewers of our brooks and I'ivers. So 

 also the dweller on small streams is cut off from his supply of fish, 

 which have always ascended his brook, by the miller who has just built a 

 dam across it lower down. The State of New York has a law covering 

 the latter case, but it needs enforcing sadly. It provides that '"every 

 person building or maintaining a dam upon any of the fluvial waters of this 

 State, which dam is higher than two feet, shall likewise build and main- 

 tain during the months of March, April, May. September. October and 

 November, for the purpose of the passage of fish, a sluicewa}' In the 

 said channel at least one foot in depth at the edge of the dam, and 

 of proper width, with four inch-square cross pieces upon the bottom of 

 the sluiceway three feet apart, which sluiceway shall be placed at an 

 angle of not more than seven degrees, and extending entirely to the run- 

 ning water below the dam, and said sluicewaj' shall be protected on each 

 side by an apron at least one foot in height, to confine the water therein." 



The penalty for non-compliance with this act is $2^) for each month's 

 violation. 



This is a recognition of the rights of the people to have unobstructed 

 passage for their fish ; but in regard to poisoning, the New York law 

 says : — 



"No persons shall place in any fresh water stream, lake, or pond, 

 without the consent of the owner, an}- lime or other deleterious substance 

 with intent thereb}' to injure, poisoa. or catch fish, nor place in an}^ pond 

 or lake stocked with, or inhabited by trout, bass, pike, pickerel or sun- 

 fish, an}' drug or deleterious substance with intent to destroy such trout 

 or other fish." 



This is a "misdemeanor," and is punishable by $100 fine in addition to 

 any damage done. The weakness of this section is in not including 

 rivers, in the words, '•'"with intent to d stroy such trout or other fish." 



Any vagabond can get out of thi.- by declaring that he only wanted to 



