96 



Tivcnty-sixth Annual Meeting 



ties, and when the mass was quietly slid into the water the com- 

 ments were: "There goes another batch that will come back to 

 us or some of us within two or three years." 



If such work can be done by men in such a hurried manner, 

 and by slippery fingers without being trained, and will produce 

 the results described so that fishing has kept good on these 

 grounds for fifteen years, and has been up to its standard ot 

 former years, what results would be accomplished if fishermen 

 were instructed by men appointed for that work, and the mass 

 of fishermen intelligently instructed and encouraged to assist the 

 state or national government in this great work. 



The idea has' gnjwn into circulation that fishermen have no 

 thought beyond the present moment and would not use such 

 methods after they had been trained for efifcctive service. 



Has it ever been tried? 



Again ; in all the Fish Comnfissions of the states surrounding 

 these great lakes has ever a member of the fishing fraternity been 

 appointed to the oflfice of fish conmiissioner? 



Has any attempt been made to secure laws that are practical 

 in their working so that the laws could be obeyed? 



Have means Ijeen tried to secure a Ijetter interest in the laws 

 made to protect fish by securing a united action of fishermen for 

 the su{)p(jrt of such laws? 



Contra; the men who are su])posed to enforce the laws — the 

 Game and V\s\\ Wardens — have made the fishermen the spoils on 

 which to recoup them for their work; seizures have been made 

 by men having a show of authority; and though the injustice of 

 the charges have been proven, yet no satisfaction was given as 

 to freedom from such legalized robbery; men have been threat- 

 ened with arrest, their fish seized and sold; the men told to quit 

 fishing, just because a pompous individual desired to air his little 

 authority. 



Such treatment does not conduce to any love for a fish com- 

 mission nor its officers. 



If any desire was shown to consider the costs of such an 

 experiment as herein described could not a sum of money be 

 spared from the comnfission work of these states, or an allowance 

 made from the funds of the United States Fish Conmussion. 



The experiment tried one season would settle the question 

 and all the men would readily "catch on," and on the waters of 

 these great lakes lakes there would come an army of strippers that 

 would render to the Superintendents of the Fish Hatching sta- 

 tions valuable service at any time when needed. 



