292 Salmon-Fishing. 



neither the sport of the proprietors nor the food- 

 supply of the community would be injured in the 

 slightest degree. As a matter of fact, both would 

 be undoubtedly and materially increased. At pres- 

 ent, the number of clean fish killed by the legiti- 

 mate rod - fisher during the short open season, 

 amounts only to an infinitesimal fraction of the 

 number of foul fish slaughtered by the poacher 

 throughout the winter. The angler may be pro- 

 verbially " honest " in the midst of strong temp- 

 tation to be otherwise, when he conscientiously 

 returns all unclean fish to the water whence they 

 came ; but he must be more than " honest " if he 

 should manifest unwearied exertion to discoun- 

 tenance poaching in the upper waters, simply to 

 provide fish for the people lower down. If even a 

 small share of clean salmon fell to the rods of the 

 legitimate anglers, a local interest in preserving 

 the fish would be enlisted in the districts where 

 it would most avail, and a practical guardianship 

 would be established, which would do more to pre- 

 vent the annual slaughter of tons of unclean fish 

 than all the vigilance of all the bailiffs on the river, 

 and would bring to the proprietors and the com- 

 munity at large a handsome return for the very 

 small privilege accorded to the brethren of the rod. 

 Other grievances that still remain to be effec- 

 tually dealt with by the Legislature are pollutions 



