4.6 MascaWs Denunciation of Poaching. 



times and seasons when fish are " hole- 

 some " : for instance, that " Cockles and 

 such are not kindly but in the monethes 

 of March, Aprill, and May." 



After relating how strictly the laws are 

 enforced in France against the taking of 

 under-sized fish, fish out of season, or 

 destroying fish by unlawful means, he 

 adds : 



"I WOULD TO GOD IT WERE SO HERE 



WITH us IN ENGLAND, and to have more 

 preservers and lesse spoylers of fish out 

 of season and in season : then we should 

 have more plentie than we have through 

 this Realme." 



It is pleasant to know that, if Mascall 

 could revisit "this Realme" and then 

 journey through France, he would find 

 that his comparison of the state of 

 affairs as regards the inland fisheries 

 would have to be reversed ; indeed, our 

 rivers never were in such a sad state 

 as are those of France now netted, 

 poached, poisoned, dynamited, fished 

 to death, her grand salmon rivers and 

 lovely trout streams now, alas ! too 

 often utterly ruined. The chief de- 

 stroyers of our inland fisheries are the 

 manufacturer, the town councillor, and 

 last, but by no means least, the sanitary 

 authority. 



