210 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 



FisHng in Canada," and other writers, speak also of the 

 former abundance of Salmon in the Canadas. Mr. Nettle 

 says, " The late Eobert Christie, so many years the member 

 for Gasp^, and by whom I have been urged to do battle in 

 behalf of the Salmon-fisheries, has often told me, that while 

 he resided there he never took less than 2000 tierces in the 



Ristigouche alone Bouchet, in speaking of the same 



river, says 2000 to 3000 are taken What would that 



gentleman say, could he know that the 2000 or 3000 of his 

 day has dwindled down to 200 or 300 at the present time ?" 



Our own countrymen, in their everlasting search after 

 "that other dollar," after having destroyed their own Salmon- 

 fisheries, are now prompting and assisting the illegal fishers 

 of Canada in doing the same, by establishing packing-houses 

 for the exportation of smoked, pickled, and " canned" Salmon. 

 Setting a price on the head of every fish of this species that 

 finds its way up the rivers, after escaping the gill-nets that 

 drift out even' beyond the entrance of the bays and estuaries, 

 and the stake-nets that extend beyond the prescribed distance 

 from the shore, by paying the mongrel Indians four or five 

 cents a pound for all the Salmon they spear at night. 



It is claimed with some show of justice that the Indians 

 have an hereditary right to the use of the flambeau and 

 spear — it is the only way in which they take Salmon ; but 

 this is no reason why they should be permitted to practise it 

 at improper seasons of the year, for the injury they do to the 

 rivers is visited upon themselves as well as the whites, by 

 the gradual extirpation of the fish. 



A few years back, and there was scarcely a stream of any 

 size on the coast of New Brunswick, that was not visited 

 annually by large numbers of Salmon, and still are to a 

 limited extent; but the drift-net, the stake-net, the spear, 

 and the high dams — without a sluiceway to help them over. 



