Feb. 18, 1911.] 
2 G 1 
Fish Men Protest. 
New Orleans, La., Feb. 6 . —Editor Forest and 
Stream: The New Orleans fish dealers held a 
meeting during the present week and protested 
against the recent laws regulating the catching 
and the sale of fish passed by the Louisiana 
Legislature. 1 he fish dealers signing the pro¬ 
test represent a large majority of those engaged 
in the business in this city. They claim that the 
enforcement of the new laws will work a great 
hardship on those engaged in fishing for a liveli¬ 
hood and on the dealers and the general public. 
They assert also that the public will be deprived 
of purchasing fish from the salt waters of Louis¬ 
iana, and they as dealers will be compelled to 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Heretofore salt water fish could he caught and 
shipped at any time and placed on the market. 
1 he fish dealers declare they are heavy losers. 
Chairman F. M. Miller, of the game commis¬ 
sion, and L. A. Tulian, superintendent of fish 
hatcheries, have returned from a tour of inspec¬ 
tion, and it is announced that it is very prob¬ 
able Lagoon Catherine will be selected as the 
hatchery for black bass. Lagoon Catherine is 
within the city of New Orleans, only a few miles 
from Chef Menteur and twenty miles from the 
heart of New Orleans. The body of water is 
described as being ideal and to abound in both 
salt and fresh water fish. Mr. Miller and Mr. 
Tulian also inspected Cedar Bayous Nos. 1 and 
2, and the lagoons leading from those waters 
THE TOP RAIL. 
There is something wonderfully attractive 
about a brook in winter, when the trees are iced 
over and snow lies on the ground. Perhaps it 
is the sharp contrast between the pure white 
blanket, the silvery sheen of the shrubs, the al- 
A SNOW SCENE IN PROSPECT PARK. 
From a photograph by F. A. Aldridge. 
purchase fish from other waters, and they will 
consequently be several days old when they 
reach the public. It is also pointed out that 
between March 1 and June 1 it will be unlaw¬ 
ful to ship, or have in their possession, or to 
sell any black bass, yellow bass, sac-a-lait, perch, 
sunfish and various other species of fish from 
salt waters. The fish dealers claim that the 
population of Louisiana is more than half 
Roman Catholic, and the observances of that 
church require the members to abstain from 
meats on Fridays and feast days and during the 
enten se ason. The fish men assert that this 
law will be particularly severe on all these peo- 
P c ‘ ile fi sl1 dealers also call attention to the 
seventy of the law which requires all shipments 
of fish to be tagged and the contents of all ship¬ 
ments plainly marked, and if not tagged the 
shipment is subject to confiscation. The fish 
f valors also call attention to the close season 
" r salt water fish from May 15 to Aug. 1. 
abound in the alligator gar which thrive well 
there. It is the intention of these officials to 
wire off these waters and seine out the alligator 
gars. 1 he alligator gar is very destructive to 
the game fish and of no value whatever. He 
advocates an ordinance by the city council pro¬ 
tecting the alligator which is an enemy of the 
alligator gar. If the fish hatchery is located in 
Lagoon Catherine, the board will restrict the 
catch out of the waters to fifteen fish per day 
by each person. 
The warm weather of the past two weeks has 
rather increased the number of fishermen at the 
various resorts. Some good catches have been 
reported, and it is thought that the sport will 
become more popular if the weather continues 
warm. Regular summer temperatures prevail, 
but the waters are yet rather too cool for effec¬ 
tive fishing. Some red snappers, speckled trout, 
sheepshead, green trout and other fish have been 
landed. p q q 
most black tones of their trunks and branches 
and the dark water. The footprints in the snow 
alongshore are not all made by anglers, as may 
be determined in an examination of their sizes 
and form. True, the brook is almost irresist¬ 
ibly attractive to anglers, but this, I fancy, is 
due to its total dissimilarity to the brook of 
May. To others its intrinsic beauty appeals 
strongly, and one of them is F. A. Aldridge, 
who has given me permission to present the pic¬ 
ture which is reproduced on this page. The 
pictuie might almost be called an optical illus¬ 
ion. for it was made in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, 
and the “brook’’ was a wet asphalt walk from 
which the snow had been partially removed with 
a horse-drawn scraper. In the middle distance 
is a favorite bench on which old fellows are 
fond of sitting on a quiet Sunday morning, the 
while they read their papers, smoke their cigars 
and watch the gray squirrels scampering about. 
But before one notices the bench, the illusion 
