160 American Fisheries Society 



fit to regulate the taking. But where society has undertaken to 

 regulate it, then the taking contrary to such regulations is evil 

 per se; the community has exercised its sovereign power over its 

 own property. "Thou shalt not steal," and he who violates 

 society's regulations for taking from nature's storehouse, to his 

 own advantage, steals from the rest of the community. 



Experience has shown that conservation laws are necessary 

 and that to get the best enforcement of such laws it also is necessary 

 to remove (as far as is possible) from localities affected and from 

 local politics, the power of such enforcement. Such laws have 

 failed of enforcement where left to sheriffs and county police 

 officers. A state head has been found to get the best results. 

 The best possible protection and benefit to the fishing industries 

 comes from state supervision. By this means, local conditions 

 do not bias enforcement of the laws, and enforcement throughout 

 the state is uniform. At the same time, the head is sufficiently 

 close to be in touch with all circumstances arising and to 

 familiarize itself with the peculiar conditions of each stream, lake, 

 bay, and river. For these reasons a state control is the best 

 solution so far found. Federal aid and assistance should be had 

 upon request and by way of suggestion, but not by right of 

 authority, for the reason that a federal head would be too far 

 removed, and it would be far more difficult to regulate and legislate 

 for each locality so as to conserve, and at the same time draw, to 

 the greatest extent consistent with conservation. 



Through ignorance and procrastination, a calamity has been 

 and is being wrought upon us by the wanton destruction of our 

 fish, game and timber in the greater portion of our country. 

 At last, and too late for the pigeon and buffalo, a few of the states 

 have awakened and have adopted good conservation laws, well 

 enforced, for fish, game and forest. Other states are rousing from 

 their slumber and have some kind of conservation laws, more 

 or less enforced, for game. Fewer still have laws for fish, and a 

 very few for forests. 



Our Florida laws governing fresh-water fish are not worthy 

 of the name. Such as they are, they are under the county police 

 officers for enforcement; and that means no enforcement except 

 occasionally in some localities. A large number of the counties 



