TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT. 101 



This is true in a greater degree of shad and other sea fishes 

 which succeed in passing through the unspeakable waters of New 

 York Harbor. 



There are immense quantities of sawdust and other matter 

 flowing in most of the streams of the Adirondacks. Washed 

 down by freshets, these wastes are deposited in the beautiful 

 lakes chiefly used for summer residence, rendering the water unfit 

 for domestic and municipal use. 



It has taken a (piarter of a century to get ])ure food laws 

 through Congress, and it will take longer to clean up the streams 

 of the country, but it seems possible by concerted action of the 

 anglers of America that our mountain streams can be cleared up, 

 and in a verv few vears — soon enough for most of us to derive 

 benefit from our labors. The results desired can only be secured 

 by united elTort. 



By separating the higher waters from the general pollution 

 problem, the angler can count on consideraljle support from 

 towns using such streams for drinking water. 



Important decisions have recently been made in New York 

 respecting sawdust pollution, which affect more than 600 saw- 

 mills in the northern part of this State, but the work of improv- 

 ing conditions can not be left with the courts and the State 

 fishery officers. The latter are in some cases at least dominated 

 by the very interests which cause the trouble. 



The citizen — and best of all for this ])articular purpose, the 

 oragnized angler-citizen — must be the active prosecutor. 



Several angling associations have gotten good results in op- 

 posing stream pollution by organized effort, and have done away 

 with small nuisances in their own neighborhoods. Cleaning up 

 the mountain streams is undoubtedly the easiest part of the whole 

 anti-pollution task. 



If associations of anglers can get together for united action 

 there is no reason why the work of preserving the angling waters 

 can not rapidly be made successful. It seems better for the pres- 

 ent to take up the struggle from the point of view of the angler 

 and to confine the efforts to the head waters. In this way the 

 ^vork will be easier for boards of health in their labors for the 

 purification of waters further down. 



Anglers should be able to secure help from commercial fisher- 

 men everywhere, since market fishing, even when excessive, is 

 not as bad as wholesale stream pollution, and they should also be 

 able to secure the support of all communities desiring clean water 

 for town use. As organized bodies they could exert a most 



