Feb. 3, 1894.3 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



97 



places when fish may be too fresh, not in a slangy sense, 1894, was its first annual meeting. At this meeting re- 

 but literally. He thus describes the serving of his lunch: I ports were received of the work to date. ^ After theelec- 

 C I sat down in the tea house on the soft mats, and my 



bento, Japanese lunch, was served to me on a tiny table. 

 There was water-soup: there was seaweed; there was a 

 bowl of rice, and raw fish. The fish, a small funa, was 

 in a diminutive dish, and its back was covered by a leaf; 

 the head projected over the side of the plate. On the leaf 

 were placed several neatly-cut pieces which had appar- 

 ently been removed from the back of the underlying ani- 

 mal. .As I had long been accustomed to Japanese food of 

 this kind I ate to my heart's content, when to my great; 

 horror, the f una, which had been staring at me with its 

 round eyes, relieved of the weight which had passed from 

 its back* into my digestive organs, leaped up, leaf and all, 

 from the dish and fell on the mat. All the vital parts had 

 carefully been left in the fish, and the wretched creature 

 was stili alive. 



"For days and days after I could see in my mind the 

 staring eyes of the f Una, watching each movement of my 

 chopsticks, and its own back being eaten piecemeal! I 

 had often eaten raw fish before, but never had I eaten 

 live fish I" 



Mr. Landor had an experience of a highly exciting 

 nature when he attempted to make a sketch of a group of 

 the Ainu engaged in cutting up a fish. The hairy men, 

 when they discovered what he was doing rushed upon 

 him, destroyed his picture, palette, brushes and paint box, 

 and threw him upon the sand and waved a big knife over 

 his head. He took them to a Japanese police station, 

 where an apology was made to him and the explanation 

 offered that the strange people believed that to paint the 

 picture of a fish caused all the fish to disappear from the 

 water. W hat a pity that among more enlightened people 

 there is not a superstition of this sort that will cause them 

 to rush upon some of the artists who paint pictures of 

 fishes and destroy the paintings and the artists. 



Distribution of Trout Fry. 



The season is now approaching when the various Fish 

 Commissions of the land begin to distribute the fry of 

 brook trout that they may have hatched during the win- 

 ter. Trout fry are sent out from differeuthatching stations 

 at different ages, from the stage just after the umbilical sac 

 is absorbed up to fingerlings, or yearlings. In a recent per- 

 sonal letter from Mr. Henry C. Ford, President of the 

 Pennsylvania Fish Commission, he tells how the distribu- 

 tion is made in his State: 



"Our trout fry are reared in troughs and are distributed 

 between April 1 and June 1, when they are from three to 

 five months old. The mortality in the troughs is very 

 slight and scarcely noticeable. 



"Competent messengers are sent with the cans when the 

 fish are distributed, and it is unusual to find more than 

 five dead fry in a can containing 1,500. I have made 

 personal investigations in regard to this point. 



"I recall an instance when six cans of fry were sent 200 

 miles by railroad on a warm day in June, and then trans- 

 ported over 20 miles of mountain road before they were 

 deposited in the streams. There were but three dead fry. 

 the six cans containing 9,000 trout. Of course they had 

 competent attention en route. When there is any mortality 

 among the young fry (and I have seldom heard complaint 

 of any), I have found that it has been owing to negl ct 

 on the part of the parties receiving them to properly care 

 for the fish after they had left the hands of our messen- 

 ger- 



"The great increase of trout in the Pennsylvania streams, 

 an increase substantiated by hundreds of letters from 

 parties benefitted, is the result, doubtless, of our system 

 of distribution at a medium age as above stated." 



This is a most excellent and satisfactory showing that 

 Mr. Ford makes of the work of his Commission, and one. 

 doubtless, the people of the State are proud of, as well 

 they may be. Commissioner Demuth, of the Pennsyl- 

 vania Commission, writes me that at Allen town and Corry 

 hatcheries they have about 3.500,000 trout fry that will be 

 ready for distribution after the spring freshets are over; 

 and that at the Erie hatchery they have hatched and 

 planted in Lake Erie a large number of whitefish and 

 pike-perch. A N. Cheney. 



Kennedy Smith. 



Kennedy Smith died at Stratton, Me., on Jan. 8, of 

 pneumonia, after a short illness of four days. Mr. Smith 

 was born in Read field, Me., in 1833. His life was like 

 that of most Maine boys, up to the time of the breaking 

 out of the war of therebelion; and he was among the 

 first to answer the call of the country and enlisted in the 

 First Maine, a three months' regiment. After serving 

 that period he re-enlisted in the Tenth Main ', for two 

 years. Serving that time also, he again re-enlisted in 

 the Twenty-niuth Maine, for three years, and was dis- 

 charged with that regiment at the close of the war, 

 havmg had about five years active service at various 

 points from the Potaraac to the Gulf. 



He was a born hunter and fisherman and lover of 

 nature, and as a pioneer of Franklin county he com- 

 menced the development of the Dead River region in the 

 interest of sportsmen in 1873, by cutting trails into the 

 forest and building camps at Tim Pond for their accom- 

 modation, and later at Seven Ponds and Round Mountain 

 Lake. 



His social and genial qualities were such that he made 

 hosts of friends among sportsmen all over the New 

 England States, who will feel a personal loss in his 

 decease. M. 



Tri-County League, 



Detroit, Mich., Jan. 26.— On the evening of Aug. 10 

 last, upon a numerously signed petition, a number of 

 gentlemen met at the parlors of the Russ"U House in this 

 city for the purpose of organizing a fish and game pro- 

 tective association. It was contemplated that the juris- 

 diction of t\ir club so formed should comprise the counties 

 of Wayne, Macomb and Sc. Clair, which practically cover 

 the American waters of Detroit; River, Lake St. Clair and 

 St. Clair River. The meeting was organized and an as- 

 sociation was formed for the purpose specified and cover- 

 ing the territory named which was called the Tri-County 

 Fish and Game Protective League. 



It was determined to make the organization a popular 

 one, in which the interests and sympathy of every man 

 who loved game and sport might be enlisted. For this 

 purpose the membership fee was made low and the yearly 

 dues the same, both being placed at the sum of $1. The 

 .club has about 150 members, and the meeting of January, 



lion of officers and an executive committee of two mem- 

 bers from each county, the president and secretary being 

 ex-officio members, the club authorized the bringing of 

 suits against parties who were infringing the laws by 

 winter fishing, and the meeting adjourned. 



Herschel Wuitaker. 



A HENRY CLAY FISH. 



Boston, Jan. 27.— It seems that, there must have been 

 big trout in the near vicinity of JSew York in the days of 

 Henry Clay. The other day Mr. William Bellamy, a 

 brother of the gentleman who wrote "Looking Back- 

 ward," showed me a rare diagram of a brook trout. Mr. 

 Bellamy is with Mr. Geo. D. Dodd, of the firm of George 

 D. & Horace Dodd, fur dealers, on Milk street. The shop 

 itself is a curious place for the naturalist, if not a genuine 

 old curiosity shop. Very rare stuffed animals are to be 

 found there, and without "stopping to tell a lie," Mr. 

 George Dodd shows me the "real George Washington 

 natchet," If the implement is not really the truthful 

 hatchet, it is certainly old and of antique pattern enough 

 to have been lied about a great many times. In the same 

 shop it is matched by flint-lock guns and rifles enough to 

 please the collector of ancient arms. The first time I 

 called Mr. Dodd met me with flint-lock in hand. The 

 gun laid away, the brook trout diagram was brought out, 

 with this inscription: "This is an exact outline of the 

 'Clay trout,' taken by Francis Dodd, in Snedicor River, 

 Long Island, on March 4, 1848, at 1 o'clock P. M. Length, 

 19iin.; girth, 12|in.; weight, 31bs 14oz., after having 

 oled freely and been taken two hours; named unani- 

 mously by the company present at Snedicor, the 'Clay 

 trout,' with the health of that illustrious individual drunk 

 standing." 



On the other end of the diagram is further inscribed: 

 "Presented to the Hon. Willis Hall, on the occasion of 

 his dining Henry Clay, the city's guest, on the 8th day of 

 March, 1848." 



I have never read that Henry Clay was a lover of the 

 line and the rod, but his character would indicate that 

 such must have been the case. Mr. George Dodd, grand- 

 son of Francis Dodd, is of the opinion that Mr. Clay was 

 both a hunter and a fisherman during the few leisure 

 hours of his very busy life, and notwithstanding he had 

 been defeated in the race for the chief magistracy of the 

 country, the fishermen of Long Island all loved him. 

 Doubtless the sportsmen who fish the Long Island streams 

 for the fingerlings of to-day in the early spring will be in- 

 terested in the above record of a big brook trout. 



The Boston pickerel fishermen continue to be disap- 

 pointed. Early last week the weather had continued fine 

 and the pickerel ponds were covered with fishermen and 

 their traps. But the results were very few fish. Some of 

 the fishermen of greater experience, though fully intend- 

 ing to have tried the pickerel once more this winter, ob- 

 serving the ill success of the rest, have staid at home. It 

 is suggested, now that a storm and bad weather has come, 

 that if the pickerel are allowed to "rest awhile," that 

 some good strings may be taken in March. Some of the 

 pickerel fishermen are glad that the ice-fishing has come 

 to an end, even through the fact that the ice fishermen 

 are getting no fish, for they do not approve of ice fishing 

 at all, and anything that defeats the methods they despise 

 is satisfactory. 



Some of the ponds in Maine are yielding enormous 

 quantities of pickerel this year. A traveling salesman 

 who came down over the Maine Central Railroad the 

 other day tells me of some pickerel fishermen who got 

 on the train at Winthrop with some big strings. They 

 set an ordinary washtub full of pickerel into the baggage 

 car. The fish were doubtless taken in eitber Lake Maran- 

 acook, which is above the village of Winthrop, or in 

 Anabesacook, which is below. But some miserable net- 

 fishing is going on in Maine this winter. Mr. J ames L. 

 Raybold calls my attention to three enormous boxes of 

 pickerel, sent from "down in Maine," for sale. One of 

 the boxes weighed over l,0001bs., but the other two were 

 not quite as heavy; but the whole must have contained 

 at least a ton of frozen pickerel. About the necks, or 

 just behind the gills are the marks of the deadly gill 

 nets. The fish are taken in great quantities by the net- 

 fishermen after the ponds are frozen. 



It is doubtful if the ton of fish netted the fishermen 

 above $50 after all the charges were paid. Think of the 

 hours of sport and recreation this ton of fish would have 

 afforded to legitimate fishermen with rod and reel. Think 

 of the summer boarders they would have drawn! Think 

 of the boat and camp rentals and the guide and cook hire 

 that ton of fish might have represented! Now the ponds 

 trom which they came must be simply exhausted. Trout 

 and bass must be destroyed as well as pickerel. Truly 

 one man is as good as another in this country and has as 

 good a right to what he can earn. But the right to earn 

 a paltry $50 for a couple of men should not be allowed to 

 stop the incoming of thousands of dollars to the great 

 majority of men, to say nothing of the sport of catching 

 the fish with rod and line, to which sport the net-fisher- 

 men have just as good a right as other men. Special. 



Cayuga Lake Nets. 



Ithaca, N. Y. — A petition is circulating in this com- 

 munity which has for its purpose the passage of a law by 

 the present State Legislature granting the right to use 

 seines and nets at the Ithaca end of Cayuga Lake for the 

 taking of bullheads, suckers, etc. The petitioners claim 

 that if it is right and just for the people residing at the 

 lower end of the lake to haul seines for the capture of all 

 but game fish they should enjoy the same privdege. In 

 other words, that there should be no discrimination 

 against the citizens at one end of the lake in favor of 

 those at the other extremity. 



Visalia County Waters. 



Visalia, Cal. — We in this county are just beginning to 

 feel the necessity of preserving and improving our game, 

 and have begun during the past season bv stocking our 

 nearest mountain streams with 40,000 rainbow and "cut- 

 throat" trout, with the promise from our State Fish Com- 

 mission of more during this next year. M. L. W. 



THE COAST FISHERY CONFERENCE. 



Proceedings of Conference Held to Consider 

 the Subject of the Exhaustion of 

 Coast Line Food Fishes. 



The Tarpon Season. 



Mr. E. vom Hope sends us a note from Mr. George B, 

 Magoun, written from Punta Gorda, Florida, in whieh 

 the writer says of the 1894 tarpon season: "Last week 

 killed three tarpon weigiung 0-5, 99 and 78ibs. respectively 

 The two first I killed on the same day, which breaks the 

 record for this place for the month of January. These 

 fish are rather small, but I am hoping for larger ones 

 later. My brother killed a fish last week weighing 901bs. 

 Only four others have been killed here this season. As it 

 is unusual to take them so early, I think that the season 

 promises to be a fine one." 



OFFICIAL REPORT BY SECRETARY E. P. DOYLE. 



(Continued from Page 77.) 



Mr. Charles F. Chamberlatne, of Bourne, Mass., sub- 

 mitted the following paper: 



Buzzards Bay; An Experiment. 



Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: The seaboard States owe 

 much to the zeal and public spirit which have prompted this 

 meeting. They are all intensely interested in finding a happy 

 solution for the problem here presented. How best to make 

 fish food abundant and yet keep in mind the just claims of 

 the future; how the fact that spawning fish must be pro- 

 tected is to be reconciled with the other fact that it is only 

 while spawning that most food fish visit the coast; when to 

 limit the short-sighted greed of the %h pira'e and not too 

 timidly save what was destined to be used; in short, just 

 what is income, to which, as life tenants, we are entitled, and 

 what is principal, which the trustees should keep intact for 

 the remainder of men, are important and difficult questions. 

 The inherent difficulty is intensified not only by conflicting 

 interests and the prejudices so created, but to a still greater 

 degree by the slight range and uncertain nature of our knowl- 

 edge. Whether the little we know about fish is accidental or 

 fundamental; whether facts hotly disputed really exist, and 

 if so, what they prove; whether both sides are each seeing one 

 side of a shield, and what is needed is a wider range of vision 

 to harmonize and explain conflicting stories, are the myste- 

 ries which are met rather by assumption th an demonstration, 

 or by an inconclusive reasoning from defective premises which 

 only makes the darkness deeper. Indeed, it may well be that 

 no general ironclad regulation, applying indiscriminately to 

 all waters, will work justly to all interests, but that the part 

 of wisdom will be found to consist in preserving the fisheries 

 of particular waters by methods especially adapted to their 

 demonstrated needs. For this reason actual experiments in 

 fish preservation, under fixed and observed conditions cover- 

 ing a considerable period of time, are of more than local 

 value. Such an experiment has been made in Buzzards Bay, 

 and its general results are respectfully submitted to this dis- 

 tinguished meeting. It is of course distinctly understood 

 that Buzzards Bay is not here to urge anything regarding 

 waters other than its own. 



Conditions Stated. 



Our experiment took placeunderthe following conditions of 

 situation, formation and temperature. The general course of 

 Buzzard * Bay is from northeast to southwest, with an extreme 

 lenwth of 20 miles and an average width of 6 miles. Notover 

 12 fathoms at any point, the depth of its channel averages 8 

 fathoms, rapidly lessening toward the headwaters and either 

 shore; ledges and other fishing grounds seldom showing more 

 depth than 8 to 12ft. In t emperature, its waters at the mouth 

 of the Bay are about 2 degrees warmer than adjoining waters. 

 This temperature rises as the water shoals, being 8 or 10 

 degrees higher at the bead than at the mouth. The Bay is 

 entirely free from strong currents; is practically landlocked; 

 the shores are sandy or marshy; the bottom is gravelly or 

 covered with eel grass. Its headwaters run into innumer- 

 able shallow coves and lagoons, often extending long 

 distances inland. Tidal rivers, streams, brooks and creeks, 

 rich in fish-food, both algse and clams, quahaugs, scallops, 

 mussels, oysters, razor fish and many varieties of crustaceans, 

 empty into it. 



A Spawning Ground. 



It is apparently due to these and similar conditions that 

 Buzzards Bay is a spawning ground and nursery for fish. It 

 has been derisively asked whether every well conducted fish 

 as soon as it begins to apprehend the pains of maternity, 

 heads for Buzzards Bay to enjoy the distinction of spawning 

 m so favored a place. The originat or of this little pleasantry 

 is a very distmguishpd Boston lawyer. Poor fellow! he was 

 having a rather hard time! He was contending that Buzzards 

 Bay was not a spawning ground, face to face with an ocular 

 demonstration that the claim was false. Before him, on the 

 table, were 26 bottles, in which were 26 species of young fish, 

 16 edible, including menhaden, scup, squete&gue (weakfish) 

 tautog, bluefish, sea bass, etc., ranging from half an inch to an 

 inchin length, canghtin Buzzards Bay, and preserved in alco- 

 hol. These specimens bad been caught by the expert of the 

 National Fish Commission Station at Woods Holl with a 

 sweep seine of }£in. nie-h. With a bolting cloth surface net 

 he catches voting fry of all kinds with the sack still attached. 

 Iu number these fry are simply beyond computation. 



Legislative Protection. 



As early as 1856 certain public spirited citizens, entirely 

 uninfluenced, we may assume, by what are now amiably 

 called "dudes," "sportsmen," "gamesters," millionaires, 

 etc., then unknown in the matter, brought the attention of 

 the 'Legislature to this situation, and inaugurated for the 

 benefit of whom it might concern, a systematic effort to 

 remove nets from Buzzards Bay. A glance at the map is 

 needed to explain the story. The headwaters of the bay 

 separate Wareham on the west from Sandwich (now Bourne) 

 ou the east. Following down the east side of the bay is the 

 town of Falmouth. On the west side of the bay Marion, 

 Mattapoisett and Fairhaven succeed Wareham. But little 

 was attempted at first. The statute of 1856 (Chap. 176) pro- 

 hibited the use of "any seine or net for the purpose of taking 

 any dsh, except bluefish," within one mile of the shores of 

 Sandwich and Wareham. In 1870 (Chap. 249) this protection 

 was greatly extended by drawing a line across the head of 

 tne bay, including Wareham and Sandwich and parts of 

 Falmouth and Marion. Within this protected zone no per- 

 son was permitted to "draw, set, stretch or use any drag-net, 

 set-net, purse or seine of any kiud, or construct, maintain or 

 use any fish weir, yard or pound, for taking fish of any kind 

 anywhere (withiu the limits established) or iu any bay, cove, 

 inlet, creek or stream bordering on or flowing into said 

 waters " In 1874 (Chap. 282) the protected zone was further 

 extended down the b*y to include a portion of Mattapoisett. 

 The following situation had been created: Within the pro- 

 tected zone all uets, fixed or movable, were forbidden. Below 

 it movable nets were permitted without restriction. Fish 

 weirs, etc., could be set under licenses granted by the select- 

 men of the respective towns, below the line, to their citizens. 



Considerable apprehension was apparently felt regarding 

 these pounds and weirs, and attempts were made to regulate 



