REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 9 



Newport, August 23, 2 brushed, 1 egg lobster $15 00 



Newport, September 11,2 brushed lobsters LO 00 



Block Island, September 16, 2 brushed lobsters 10 00 



Block Island, July 10, 6 short lobsters 30 00 



Block Island, September 20, 10 short lobsters 50 00 



Saunderstown, November 22, fishing in close season 20 00 



$320 00 



The main purpose of the work of the deputies is to keep the law 

 from being broken and therefore the value of their services bears no 

 necessary relation to the number of arrests and fines. 



The provisions of the lobster law and the strenuous attempt of 

 your Commission to enforce them protect the honest fishermen against 

 ignorant and unscrupulous competitors. The lobster law which 

 has been in force for several years and the law as amended last year 

 and now in force, were drawn up solely in the interests of the lobster 

 fishery. The provisions are clear and simple. The lobsterman who 

 breaks the law commits the offence against his fellow fishermen. 

 The well-worn excuse of former times, "someone else will sell short 

 lobsters if I don't, " no longer has a shadow of justification. For these 

 reasons no sympathy need be wasted upon the lobstermen convicted 

 of keeping short lobsters or of brushing eggs. 



The new lobster law passed by the General Assembly May 9, 

 1909, in substitution for the former law, took effect January 1, 1910. 

 The essential provisions of this law are, in effect, that only citizens of 

 the State may engage in this branch of the free fishery; that all per- 

 sons engaged in the fishery must be licensed; that the method of 

 determining the legal length of the lobster is modified so that the 

 body shell alone is measured. The law was passed by the Assembly 

 after several long hearings before the Committee, at which representa- 

 tives of the various lobster interests, including the alien fishermen, 

 freely discussed the provisions of the law from every point of view. 

 It is a significant fact that the law as passed received the hearty and 

 almost unanimous support of the American lobster fishermen and the 



