30 FIRST BIENNIAL REPORT [W. VA. 



careful protecting, it will again be possible to have plenty of these fish in 

 our mountaini streams. 



By close observation, we find many streams, which on account of lum- 

 ber and other industries, were for a time practically depleted of fish, are 

 again re-stocking themselves, and promise, in the next few years, with 

 proper care, to bo fine fishing streams. 



If we will pay the same attention to re-stocking our streams and pro- 

 tecting our fish, that we give the planting a.nd cultivating of our crops or 

 orchards, there is no question but what we wil get satisfactory results. If 

 the farmer were to take a crop from his land year after year, without try- 

 ing to re-seed the ground when it needed it, he could not reasonably expect 

 the harvest time to be abundant, neither can we expect to take from our 

 streams, year after year, thousands of fish, without some effort to re-stock 

 and keep up our supply, and at the same time expect our fish to keep up in 

 number. 



There may bo some contention that the revenue raised from the sale of 

 licenses, should not be used for the purpose of protecting or re-stocking 

 our streams, yet we can siee no serious objection, to this, as most hunters 

 are also fond of fishing, and the two sports are so intimately associated, 

 that to build up one, helps the other. And until the time which will come, 

 when our fishing industry will be of sufficient magnitude to attract thous- 

 cTnj<5 ,>f tourists from othrr state*, ancl w>e can iliou chv^e a li^.-nse for 

 fishing, as well as hunting, the revenue raised from hunters' license, must 

 be used for the thr -unfold pun.^? that of protecting our forests, mine and 

 fish. 



While the Government has done a great deal for us in the past two 

 years, in the Way of re-stocking our streams, arid while our able United 

 States Fish Commissioner should receive the most grateful thanks of every 

 cittern of the State for this aid, yet us co"Up:rd with most other states, 

 we have done comparatively nothing along this line and we must awaken, 

 to the great opportunity that presents itself, if we keep pace with our 

 neighboring states. In the past two years, we planted 4,291,000 fry, and 

 468,] OH firigerlings and yearlings. The State of Pennsylvania planted more 

 than 200,000,000 in the year 1909, and the State of New York 530,000,000 

 in the year 1910. 



Our State should have a fish hatchery of her own, but unitil that 4 ime, 

 w>e should at least be progressive enough to ask for, and take care of the 

 quota that we are entitled to receive from the United States Government. 



A sufficient appropriation should be made from the Forest, Game and 

 Fish Protective Fund, to employ a competent and experienced man to 

 assist in properly planting our fisih, with which our streams are stocked, 

 for unless this is properly amd carefully done, we cannot hope to get the 

 best results. 



Tlie License Feature. 



For many years, different states have been charging a non-resident li- 

 cense fee for hunting, but not until recently, has the resident license been 

 a.loplcd by a majority of the states. 



