Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 207, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 September 1911 — Bass Killing Off Salmon [ARTICLE]

Bass Killing Off Salmon

Fish Imported Into Pacific Ocean Waters Threaten Great Canning Industry—Feast on Young. Seattle Wash. —Men engaged In the salmon Industry to this state and Oregon are vastly excited over the die covery that their livelihood to threatened by the ravages of bass. There is a demand that immediate measures be taken to exterminate the latter fish. It was only a few years ago when In response to the agitation of sportsmen and others who wanted more v* riety In fish, bass fry were imported In large quantities and were planted to various inland waters and the rivers. It appears that they have multiplied at an astonishing rate and at the beginning of the season they were re ported to be very plentiful. Recently the sehnon men made the discovery that has dismayed them. The base have penetrated far up the Columbia river and its tributaries and have been feasting on young salmon. John M. Crawford, superintendent of the fish hatcheries of Washington

state, tells of the ravages he has observed. The hatcheries he conducts are of great Importance to the industry They were started because it was discovered that the trout played havoc with the young salmon. In big ponds the fry are hatched and millions of salmon are guarded until they are about three Inches long, a size sufficient to permit them to escape the trout. This plan has proved effective for years.

“We can rear the salmon large enough to get away from the trout,” says Mr. Crawford, “but not the bass. When you think that a bass can eat a salmon four Inches long or even larger you can see how utterly impossible it is to keep the fish to tbs ponds until Jiiey are of sufficient else to care for themselves against the new enemy without going to huge expense. We raise them until they are three inches long and then turn them into the Kalama river, from which they make their way down to the Columbia. We have found that the baas are lying in wait for them and gobbling them as they appear.” He advocates the prohibition by law under heavy penalties of any further planting of bass in the waters of ths state, an open season for this fish all the year round and stringent measures to destroy them. Unless some thing to dons he thinks it will be only a few yean before the salmon indue try will be seriously crippled. He would also bar pickerel, pike and perch.