40 COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



CHAPTER III. 



ENFORCEMENT OF STATE LAWS. 



While the lack of appropriation prevented as aggressive an en- 

 forcement of our fisheries laws as your Commission desired, still the 

 chaotic state of affairs which might have resulted had there been no 

 enforcement of the State laws, was prevented, and in so far as was 

 possible, the laws were strictly enforced. 



The following prosecutions were made and fines imposed and paid 

 under the lobster law (the names of those fined are omitted) : 



Newport, April 17, fishing without license $20 00 



Narragansett Pier, May 17, fishing without license. ....... 20 00 



Newport, May 6, short lobsters 30 00 



Jamestown, June 16, 18 short lobsters 90 00 



Fox Island, July 6, 10 short lobsters 50 00 



Saunderstown, August 5, 9 short lobsters and 1 egg lobster . 50 00 



Newport, August 16, 5 short lobsters 25 00 



$305 00 



Your Commission is very much pleased with the recent decision 

 of the supreme court of Rhode Island in upholding the constitu- 

 tionality of the lobster license law. It is almost needless to point 

 out the very great assistance which the license system renders in the 

 enforcement of the lobster laws. It is sincerely hoped that this 

 decision will effectually silence that faction of our fishermen — for- 

 tunately very small — -which desire no fisheries laws, but are willing 

 that our splendid fisheries shall be wantonly wasted by short-sighted 

 and greedy methods of fishing. 



For the benefit of those who do not wish to read the entire text of 

 the decision, we give the following brief summary. The full text 

 of the decision is given in Appendix A to the report. 



