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Piscator.
Sir, they be principally three, namely, March, April, and May:
for these be the usual months that Salmon come out of the sea to
spawn
in most fresh rivers. And their fry would, about a certain time,
return
back to the salt water, if they were not hindered by weirs and unlawful
gins, which the greedy fishermen set, and so destroy them by thousands;
as they would, being so taught by nature, change the fresh for salt
water. He that shall view the wise Statutes made in the 13th of
Edward
the First, and the like in Richard the Second, may see several provisions
made against the destruction of fish: and though I profess no knowledge
of the law, yet I am sure the regulation of these defects might
be easily
mended. But I remember that a wise friend of mine did usually say,
"
that which is everybody's business is nobody's business ":
if it were
otherwise, there could not be so many nets and fish, that are under
the
statute size, sold daily amongst us; and of which the conservators
of the
waters should be ashamed.
But, above all, the taking fish in spawning-time may be said
to be
against nature: it is like taking the dam on the nest when she
hatches
her young, a sin so against nature, that Almighty God hath in
the
Levitical law made a law against it.
But the poor fish have enemies enough besides such unnatural
fishermen; as namely, the Otters that I spake of, the Cormorant,
the
Bittern, the Osprey, the Sea-gull, the Hern, the King-fisher,
the Gorara,
the Puet, the Swan, Goose, Duck, and the Craber, which some call
the
Water-rat: against all which any honest man may make a just quarrel,
but I will not; I will leave them to be quarrelled with and killed
by
others, for I am not of a cruel nature, I love to kill nothing
but fish.
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