Fish Poisoned Wholesale.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3144, 4 March 1889, Page 2

Fish Poisoned Wholesale.

The Reverend E. 'Spencer Gough tluis writesfromKenmare, Kerry, to an English paperlf you had witnessed the sight that I looked .upon yesterday, your articles on Angling •• would for months to come bo in a melancholy strain. I am here in aWf' most lovely district—lofty hills, in vfront, and the Kerry mountains all around-some fifteen miles from Killarney, and my friend's .house is charmingly situated on the banks of a river which ought to be one-of the best in all Ireland,' Wandering up " and down the river, "' which runs through the estate, within thirty yards of tbe house, and in the pool right opposite the hall door, I counted on Saturday afternoon last thirteen large salmon, while hundreds of fine white trout were sailing around the deep water. 1 Wo were all full of hope that when a fresh came'fine sport would come too, Imagine mj_ feelings then, when at four,o'clock. yesterday morning one of the.keepmj roused me up to tell me the rplf had been poisoned. I havejfien the result of poisoned salmon rivflKs before, but never have such results as have followedVbis business. The water was poisoned by meV pounding out a noxious-weed, thel Irish name of which, uidna heart-1 milk, the weed "growmgAwimisly/ and abundantly along; bank; when pressed Tljb ruffians to gather ing, or for can secuiely do add there are heavy for

being found in possession of poisoned fish. However, I did not leavotha scoundrels a chance of getting one fish, and I saw them all gathered,' and I took'out with my own hands over 250 white trout from '|ld to 2slb,, and 41 salmon from 51b to 141b, Besides these there, were' thousands of 6mall trout ancMky along the river sides, and B'corwof other big fish in deep and inaccessible places, not a living thing being left for more than a quarter of a mile. I hope I may never see such a sight again, The bed ef th<; river seemed paved with the white bellies of dead and dying fish, and as it is illegal to sell or to have tho fish' in possession, they had to be destroyed and all buried in lime, There ought to bo an Act passed to enable riparian owners to obtain compensation for such diabolical deeds."