MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS 169 



fishing is almost a thing of the past. This is 

 certainly not due to the fact that there are now 

 many more anglers who fish with rod and line, 

 for fair fishing will never deplete waters. The 

 explanation is found in one word : Pollution. 

 For this the Fishery Board is largely responsible ; 

 local protests, instead of meeting with instant 

 support and remedy on the part of the Board, 

 form the matter of unending "inquiries" and 

 "reports," without anything practical being 

 achieved. Even where stringent regulations 

 do exist as to pollution, all the fish in a river 

 have frequently been poisoned by the care- 

 lessness of manufacturers who have allowed 

 poisoned tanks, etc., to overflow. These manu- 

 facturers are often wealthy firms, and either get 

 off free or with totally inadequate fines. What 

 is there left to do by the individual interested 

 in the general preservation of fish on our inland 

 waters? As man has upset the balance by hik 

 methods, all that remains is to restore it as far 

 as possible in waters still unpolluted by waging 

 continuous war against the enemies of the fish. 



I have indicated the influence of the otter, 

 divers, the heron, gulls, etc., on fish life, and 

 particularly on the existence of trout. The 



