FEDERAL CONTROL OVER FISH IN 

 BOUNDARY WATERS 



By Henry Hinrichs, Jr. 



I realize that the time of this convention is limited, and 

 that other questions of an importance equal to that which 

 attaches to my subject are to be discussed. I shall there- 

 fore be brief in my treatment of the topic selected. 



The majority of those engaged in commercial fishing are 

 not free from the temptation to obtain possession of as much 

 of the world's goods today as is possible, with utter disre- 

 gard for what becomes of tomorrow. This desire for 

 wealth, characteristic of the human race, unchecked by ab- 

 sence of wise laws or the failure to enforce the same when 

 enacted, results in a wholesale destruction of an almost 

 incalculable number of small, immature fish. Unless one 

 has witnessed the landing of hauls of fish from ponds and 

 trap-nets in the spring of the year, the enormity of the waste 

 so incurred cannot be fully realized. It is no uncommon 

 thing to see from ten to twenty tons of small pike, perch, 

 bass, and herring, each fish averaging less than Yi lb. (where 

 the average size of mature pike and herring is % to 1 lb.) 

 brought into one port alone daily for a month or more each 

 spring. A goodly proportion of these, on account of their 

 extremely small size, are taken to the fertilizer plant. No 

 matter how much money the Government may expend on 

 the propagation of food fishes, the depletion of the com- 

 mercial food fishes can only be temporarily deferred unless 

 some drastic measure in the line of rules and regulations 

 governing fishing be adopted. A continuation of the pres- 

 ent policy will mean that, inasmuch as the fish are not given 

 a chance to reach a state of maturity, it is only a question 

 of time before it will be next to impossible for the fish cul- 

 turist to obtain a sufficient supply of mature spawn to war- 

 rant the operation of fish hatcheries. 



