250 



The restoration and maintenance of the whitefish fisheries of Lake Erie, or of 

 the salmon fishery of the lakes and rivers, would either of them furnish sufficient 

 motive for liberal expenditures on the part of the Government, if we consider the 

 matter from a purely practical and economic standpoint. It is not only possible, 

 it is entirely practicable, to restore and maintain these fisheries, by adequate 

 recourse to means and agencies entirely within our control. 



The regeneration of the fisheries must be accomplished through fish-cultural 

 work, systematically and persistently pursued. Their maintenance must be 

 assured by concurrent regulation of the lake fisheries by the United States and 

 Canada, and by the enforcement on the part of the State of New York of such 

 regulations and requirements as will permit the salmon to ascend to their spawning 

 grounds. In the absence of such regulations and requirements, it will not be 

 reasonable to expect that the results of fish-cultural work will be permanent or 

 compensating, however extensive such work may be. 



A fish-cultural station, planned to meet all the requirements, must be very 

 extensive and complete in all its appointments, and will involve larger expendi- 

 ture than would be required for a station devoted exclusively to the production 

 of whitefish or the salmonidse." 



Chairman : Dr. Smith asks to be relieved from further practical service on 

 this commission for the reasons he has stated : the question will be on granting 

 leave. Carried. 



Senator McNaughton : Mr. Chairman, Gentlemen, no arguments are needed 

 in support of those advanced by Mr. Amsden, that there should be action taken to 

 increase fish food, and increase the number of fish in our lakes and inland streams. 

 From the earliest organisation of the Fish Commission in this State I have taken 

 a deep interest in the subject, and done what I could, either as a private citizen or 

 legislator, to facilitate its work. I think there are very few of us who realise the 

 important position, geographically, of the State of New York as connected with 

 the great lakes and streams that are well calculated to furnish an almost endless 

 supply of fish; and what I shall say will apply more particularly to this State and 

 to the Provinces. I recognise the importance of enactments by the different States 

 bordering on the great lakes, and by the Provinces, of uniform laws for the pro- 

 tection of fish and fisheries, and there is no doubt the States adjoining the great 

 lakes are more interested than those away from the northern lakes. I agree with 

 the Commissioner from Michigan that the matter of fish, and fish protection, should 

 be left to the States along the shores of the lakes, and not transferred to the 

 general government. In my judgment, the general government, in matters of that 

 kind, acts too slowly ; the machinery is too complicated, and I believe that each 

 of the States, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, etc., are entirely 

 competent to fully protect any matters of that kind ; and I should very much 

 regret if the general management of the fisheries was turned over to the Govern- 

 ment instead of being left to the Commissioners of the various states. I think very 

 few of our citizens realise this fact, that the State of New York, bounded on the 

 west by Lake Erie and the Niagara River ; on the north by Lake Ontario — flowing 

 past us three-quarters of the fresh water of the habitable globe — and St. Lawrence 

 River, the waters of which flow on to the ocean ; east by the Hudson River and the 

 Atlantic Ocean, which of course furnishes an abundant supply of fish ; in addition 

 there are the inland lakes and rivers suitable for fish and fish-culture. There is no 

 state in the Union, Michigan not excepted, that is so favourably situated for 

 furnishing an unlimited supply of fish of the proper kind for table use as the 

 State of New York. I admit that Michigan has a larger number of miles of lake 

 shore, but it has not the variety of water that this State has. Comparatively it 



