Perce. — Commercial and Sport Fishing 31 



culated to assist in making him a good citizen. Surely 

 it takes him along "paths of peace" and "ways of pleas- 

 antness" and unfolds to him the loveliness of nature 

 without a knowledge of which any man is "poor indeed." 



The roystering rowdy, who goes on an alleged fishing 

 trip as a cloak to a drunken revel is no angler. He is 

 only a lying ruffian and sport for love of sport has no 

 place in his sordid make-up. 



The charge has been made that the angler kills his 

 prey. True, and just so long as society kills in order 

 that it may eat, just so long is the angler entitled so to 

 do, provided he makes it his bounden duty and sees to 

 it carefully, that every fish is eaten which he has killed. 



It would seem a perfectly fair premise that the angler 

 is entitled to his share of the best consideration and 

 effort that our lawmakers are giving and making in the 

 interest of all of the people, but he should always remem- 

 ber that others are entitled to their share as well. 



While the presence of coarse fish, in some of the waters, 

 seems to the angler a menace to his sport, and while 

 they are a menace to some degree, he should always 

 remember that many kinds of such coarse fish constitute 

 a cheap food product, always a desirable thing, particu- 

 larly with food stuffs soaring higher and higher in cost. 



The fishing industry is something of very considerable 

 importance, and, when measured in money, runs up into 

 millions. This means work and wages for men, shelter, 

 clothes and food for them and their families. It means 

 industry and thrift and all that goes with intelligent 

 labor, rightfully applied in developing the resources of 

 nature. It means business and profit, enterprise and 

 progress. 



It ranks in character with farming, mining, manufac- 

 turing, merchandising, all the great basic things that 

 mean so much in this great country, and around it should 

 be thrown all the protection that the wisest minds and 

 most beneficent laws can give. If the commercial fisher- 

 man in a spirit of larger enterprise is liable to overstrain 



