Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 May 1901 — STATE'S NEW FISH LAW [ARTICLE]

STATE'S NEW FISH LAW

Attorney-General Gives His Interpret tation of It. Attorney-General Taylor Saturday, in compliance with a request: from Dan Burlingame of Chicago, representing the Erie railway employes, issued the following statement of the provisions of the new fish law free from legal terms: “It is unlawful to permit dyestuffs, acid or other refuse to bethrown, run or drained into any waters of the state in sufficient quantities to injure or destroy fish. “It is unlawful to use any spear, seine, net, trap, cockle or fish berries, or poison, at any time or place, except in Lake Michigan or the Ohio or Wabash rivers, wherethey form boundary lines between, states or in private ponds. “Minnows may be caught with? a glass trap or seine, which shall, not be more than one qu irter-inch mesh. “It is lawful to catch fish:! with a hook aud line in any of the? streams or ponds of this state at; any time of the year; except thafc it is unlawful to fish in water either partly or wholly covered, with ice. “It is unlawful to shoot fish atr any time or place. “It is unlawful to sell or offer tc* sell or buy at any time pike, pickerel, wall-eyed pike, perdu, blue ; gills, black bass, green bass, rock bass or other species of bass if such fish are caught in any waters of this state.

“It is unlawful to fish with more* than one trot line having more than 100 hooks at any one* time; the fisherman must obtain consent*, of the owner of the enclosed land before setting a trot line thereon-. “It is a misdemeanor for one to have in his possession at any time, any seine, net, spear, gig; or trap*, or any part.thereof, other than* a* minnow seine or trap “All licensed seines or nets, except minnow seines, must be disposed of within sixty days from the taking effect of the law. This; does not apply to Lake Michigan or the Ohio river, or the Wabash river, so far as it is a boundary line between Indiana and Illinois. All licenses to use seines are revoked. “It is unlawful to catch or possess more than twenty black bass in any one day. Two or more persons fishing from the same boat may take not exceeding thirty-six black bass. “No pickerel or wall-eyed pike less than twelve inches in length, or rock bass or croppies less than six inches in length,*or black bass, less than ten inches in length, shall be intentionally caught, and if caught shall be immediately returned to the water. “It is the duty of the fish commissioner, his deputies and each sheriff and constable to seize and destoy any seine more than twelve feet in length and four feet in width, and all dip, gill, set and pond nets, traps, seines, spears and gigs”