PACIFIC SALMON FISHERIES. 99 
FISHERIES OF BOUNDARY WATERS. 
Waters which form the boundaries between States or between 
nations, and in which fishing is carried on by the citizens of both, 
have almost always proved bones of contention, and the Pacific coast 
has been no exception to the rule. 
The Columbia River, which forms the boundary between Oregon 
and Washington, affords a typical example of the evils which can 
result from a division of responsibility between two States. For 
many years each State enacted laws regulating the fisheries of the 
river with very slight regard usually to laws already in force in the 
other State. As a result of this the fishermen transferred their 
residence for license purposes from State to State as the laws of one 
or the other best suited their particular purposes. 
The fishermen and packers also were in apparently irreconcilable 
conflict as to the proper means to be taken to conserve the fisheries, 
and each session of the legislatures saw strong lobbies present to 
work for certain selfish ends, while the few earnest men who had the 
real welfare of the fisheries of the river at heart had difficulty in 
making the slightest headway against the influence of these lobbies. 
To further complicate the matter, in 1894 Oregon claimed that, 
under the provisions of the enabling act admitting it as a State, it 
*had jurisdiction to the Washington shore, and proceeded to arrest 
Washington men who were fishing in what was the open season 
according to Washington law but the closed season under Oregon law. 
In June, 1908, the voters of the State of Oregon had presented for 
their consideration two bills radically affecting the waters of Columbia 
River. One closed the river east of the mouth of the Sandy River 
against all fishing of any kind except with hook and line, and was 
originated by gill-net fishermen of the lower river for the purpose of 
eliminating fish wheels in the upper waters. This bill was the first 
presented to the people, and when it appeared the upriver men 
retaliated by presenting a bill affecting the lower river to such an 
extent that it practically prohibited the net fishermen from operating. 
Very much to the surprise of all concerned both bills were passed 
and became laws on July 1, to take effect, as provided, on August 25 
and September 10, respectively. The Oregon master fish warden 
proceeded to enforce both laws, arresting all violators on both sides 
of the river, irrespective of whether or not they were operating under 
a Washington or Oregon license, and incidentally did the fisheries a 
great service by bringing prominently before the public the anoma- 
lous condition of affairs which was occasioned by the archaic system 
under which the fisheries of the Columbia were governed. The State 
of Washington appealed to the United States courts, which, after 
argument, issued an injunction preventing the warden from enforc- 
ing the laws so far as the Washington fishermen were concerned. 
