Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 57, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 March 1899 — The New Fish Law. [ARTICLE]

The New Fish Law.

No Fishing of Any Kind In April and May. A great many readers of the Republican have inquired about the fish law recently passed and now in force. The following synopsis contains tKe more important features: It provides against the pollution of streams by any deleterious or poisonous substance, prohibits the use of dynamite ‘or other explosives in any of the waters of the state and makes such use a felony punishable by not less than one or more than three years imprisonment. Under this section a man is prohibited from using explosives in the water of the streams and lakes even for mining or mechanicalpurposes without a special permit from the fish commissioner. It prohibits the usp of fish berries or like substances, and does not allow spearing, netting, seining or trapping except as provided for in the law. Minnows can be taken with seine not over 15 feet long with meshes not less than one-quarter of an inch. Section 4 provides: “It shall not be lawful to take, catch or kill any fish in any way nor by any device whatever in the months of May and June, in any of the streams of the state and except with a hock and line, in any of the waters of this state, except Lake Michigan and the Ohio river, and except, also, in private ponds, between the first days of January and the first day of April, and between the first day of May and the first day of July of any year. Whoever shall violate, or attempt to violate, any of the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined not less than $5 and not more than SSO for each offense.” Sec. 5 provides that the shortest fish permitted to be caught shall be as follows: Pike 12 inches; rock bass and croppies 6 inches and black bass 9 inches. No person is permitted to catch or possess more than twenty four black bass in one day and the aggregate number of bass taken by a party of two or more persons in any one day shall not exceed thirty-six. This does not apply to fish other than bass. Sec. 6 makes it unlawful to fish with a trot line having more than fifty hooks and with that you can not fish during the months of May and June. Sec. 7 provides that any person desiring to fish with a seine shall obtain a license from the fish commissioner permitting him to own a seine not over 100 feet long and eight feet wide. With this he canfish during the months of July, August and September, provided he does not use it within one-half mile of the inlet or outlet of a lake or within one hundred yards of any person fishing with a hook and line or with another seine, or on the lands of any one who gives notice that seining is not allowed on his premises. Sec. 9 makes it unlawful to sell, possess or transport any fish caught in the waters of this state during the time when such catching is unlawful. z Sec. 10 provides a tine of from $5 to S2OO for having a seine; net or trap in your possession except as provided for in sections 3 and 7.