81 



following their occupation. It is to the Interest of the 

 whole people that the close season should be established 

 for the protection of fish during the season of repro- 

 duction, and the interest of the individual should be 

 subservient to the larger interest," 



" Touching the questions presented here, if you 

 make a close season, say from the first day of Septem- 

 ber to the first day of May, for the purpose of giving 

 the fish time to reproduce, and if you permit market 

 men to handle during that season fish taken outside of 

 the State of New York, the market will be open for 

 buyers, and it would work hardship to people engaged 

 in raising trout for market." 



Mr. Dale said : 



" One word in regard to Mr. Peabody's enquiry 

 about protection of the fish. . The experience in our 

 State, referred to by Mr. Ford, is well illustrated by 

 examples of the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers, 

 where in ten years the value of the shad had risen 

 steadily in the Delaware, while in the Susquehanna 

 they have been depreciating all the time. The Dela- 

 ware river has the protection of your laws. Our sal- 

 mon, and also the shad, run up into your State, and if 

 you should make a law that would keep this fish from 

 getting up or down it would interfere with the general 

 interest. They must go up where they will spawn, for 

 they will not spawn down in the wider portion of the 

 river, and thus one State depends upon another, and 

 the laws of the different States should harmonize. The 

 laws have been harmonized to some extent this winter. 

 The New Jersey Legislature passed certain laws and I 

 am glad to say these laws have been adopted, and the 

 Governor has to enforce them, and I hope he will not 

 veto this, as it covers joint interests, and the different 

 interests oug^ht to work togrether, and the laws of one 

 State ought to agree with those of the other States. 



