THIETY-PIRST BIENNIAL REPORT 67 



animals and birds are protected during the time they are having and 

 caring for their young, but not so with the fish, particularly the trout. 

 We have recommended to the legislature for many years that the season 

 on trout be kept closed until the majority of the fish were through 

 spawning, but when some selfish interests protest that they must have 

 an earlier season, it is generally given to them to the destruction of 

 the breeding fish. Persons who will catch spawning fish, when they 

 have to a great extent lost their instinct of self-preservation during the 

 time that they are in the act of propagating their species, are devoid 

 of the finer sensibilities of civilized human beings. They seem to think 

 and act as if the trout and salmon should be destroyed at this particular 

 period of their existence, instead of assisting in their protection so that 

 their progeny could later on be used for food and sport. 



The use of salmon eggs and the eggs of other fishes for bait should 

 be prohibited, as no more destructive methods could be used than the 

 use of fish eggs for bait. The small, immature fish are taken and not 

 given a chance to develop. The use of salmon eggs as bait is increasing 

 and as the idea spreads among the bait fishermen, they are learning 

 that the eggs of inferior species of fishes can be successfully used as 

 bait and that they do not have to buy salmon eggs. The use of the ova 

 of any species of fishes should be prohibited as bait. 



Under the guise of sentimentalism, many advocates of the use of 

 salmon eggs claim that the passage of such a law would deprive women 

 and children of the pleasure of fishing. This is not a fact as there are 

 many kinds of natural bait that can be used if a person does not desire 

 to use a fly or spoon. Those advocating the use of salmon eggs are 

 actuated by a selfish motive to catch as many fi-sh as possible regardless 

 of size. These persons are backed up by those who are getting a profit 

 from dealing in salmon eggs for the trade. It is not the women and 

 children that are being considered but a pecuniary interest of those 

 who are deali]ig in eggs, and the persons who will take fish regardless 

 of size, to the detriment of all anglers who desire to catch and enjoy a 

 mess of fair sized fish, are not true sportsmen. 



We recommend that some action be taken by the state in conjunction 

 with the counties to open liighways, trails, or roads along all streams 

 not flowing through cultivated lands so that the persons who are closing 

 the streams by leasing or purchasing lands for the exclusive use of 

 themselves and their guests will be prevented from denying to the 

 public the right to fish in the streams and lakes of tlie state that are 

 rightfully the property of all the people regardless of who owns the 

 wild land through which the streams flow. Section 4085i should be 

 amended so that "the state can cooperate with the counties in purchasing 

 the right of way for the purpose of fishing along the streams and lakes 

 on Avild lands. There have been several instances where persons have 

 leased or purchased wild lands along streams and fenced them in and 

 cultivated a small piece of land near the bank of the stream, thus claim- 

 ing that these lands were cultivated lands so that the provisions of 

 section 4085i could not be applied. This should not be allowed. The 

 section should be amended so as to apply only to bona fide farms or to 

 lands cultivated for a beneficial purpose and not for the purpose of 

 evading the law. 



