49 



This year, 1888, I have met with some difficulty in inter- 

 viewing the shad fishermen, who are the ones who catch 

 them, because of a law of New York which forbids their 

 capture except with hook and line, and on interviewing a 

 fisherman his first thought was that I was one of the State 

 fish and game protectors or their agent, and he became 

 suspicious. The conversation would run somewhat this 

 way. After the usual references to the weather and other 

 topical subjects, I would ask : — 



"Did you catch any salmon this season?" 

 "No-o; I did'nt get one. That $100 fine for catching 

 them is still good, ain't it?" 



" Yes ; that is the law, but (in a conciliatory tone) no 

 man has been fined for it yet and it has not been en- 

 forced. I am the man who hatches and plants these fish 

 in the river, and I want to get evidence of the result of our 

 work for the United States Fish Commission, in order to 

 judge whether it will be advisable to continue it or not, and 

 any information you give me will not be used to your detri- 

 ment. If I publish any captures, as I may in my report, it 

 will be so long in appearing that your grandchildren will be 

 glad to know that you caught one of the first salmon placed 

 in the river, and the game protectors will be too old and in- 

 firm to interest themselves in your case. Besides this, I will 

 decline to testify against you and fail to recognize you in 

 court, if you will only tell me what you know of catching 

 salmon in the Hudson." 



" Well, you talk square enough, but a man don't like to 

 give his neighbors away, for while I didn't get a salmon some 

 other fishermen did. Now if you won't give me away to them 



I'll tell you that of cotched two," etc. and in this 



way I have dug out a few catches. When I interviewed 



of he went over the same story, only he told me 



that the man I first talked with " got a big one." 



The following is the full text of the law of the State on 

 salmon, which of course does not affect theNew Jersey fisher- 



