232 



THE FISH AND FISHINO 



many after them ; in short, that " times are not as they used to 

 be," and so also says the gunner of his favorite sort of game. 

 Now, what are the causes of this scarcity and disappearance ; 

 what the preventives and the remedy therefor ? 



The causes are easily seen, and almost as easily remedied, if 

 those interested in the preservation of our game would unite 

 their efforts to do so. The haunts of our favorite fish are 

 netted by mercenary fishermen, who, in season or out of 

 season, take large and small (for all is fish that comes to their 

 net) to the nearest city, where they get extravagant prices for 

 their unhallowed spoil. And this resurrectionism, for it is 

 little better, is practised nightly* in our midst. Another reason 

 is the indiscriminate taking of fish at spawning time by boys 

 and (what is worse) ignorant men, and also by market fisher- 

 men, who take them in great numbers from their icy retreat 

 and spawning grounds in tide waters. Add to this the wanton 

 waste of fish by many who call themselves anglers, who 

 (angling not for the pleasure of fishing, but to see how many 

 they can take) leave them to gasp and die by the stream side, 

 and you have reasons enough for the depopulation of all the 

 waters in creation. Trout has almost become extinct in those 

 parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and many 

 of the eastern states, that are adjacent to the principal cities 

 and towns, and are abundant only in the less populated and 

 accessible portions, and even there are fast decreasing, owing 

 to the same causes. 



Now what are the remedies ? The rod sportsman has 

 several advantages over the gunner. Birds fly high, are as 

 free as air, and so are those that pursue them ; " they can be 

 seen." Every boy in the country that has arrived at the age 



* Very few streams where anglers much frequent are cared for in the 

 day time by the netters ; night is the time to cover their dark deeds. 



