Fish Culturists' Association. 46 



LAWS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF FISH. 



BY CHAKLES HALLOGK. 



It is an evident fact that but one general law, identical as to time of 

 close season, can ever thoroughly protect the fish, birds or beasts of our 

 country. It is perfectl}' possible to imagine a case where on a river of 

 no great length it may be illegal to catch fish fifty miles from its source 

 at certain times in one State, when one hundred miles below in another 

 State the catching of such fish w^ould in no wa}- infringe on the fish 

 statutes of that State. 



Again, since we owe a great deal to the Canadian Fish Commis- 

 sioners, it might frequently happen that rivers rising in the States and 

 flowing into the Dominion might be depopulated of fish at their source by 

 us while protected in the Provinces, or that exactly the reverse might 

 happen. A commercial question enters here into the subject which occa- 

 sions no end of dispute and unfortunate consequences. Fish may be 

 legally caught in one State at one particular season of the 3'ear, then 

 shipped and exposed for sale in another State where the time for catch- 

 ing such fish may be against the law, and it becomes a nice question to 

 decide whether the seller or the purchaser of the fish are acting in contra- 

 vention of the law. 



The following is the preamble and resolution offered and accepted b}' 

 the Convention of the American Fish Culturists' Association, with Mr. 

 Hallock's remarks on presenting them : 



I beg to bring to your notice a subject admitted to be of the greatest 

 importance, though I doubt whether it comes fullj- within the scope of 

 this association ; but having heard one of 3'our most distinguished mem- 

 bers yesterday assert that, " protection must go hand in hand with pro- 

 pagation, and that all efforts in breeding fish will be nullified by neglect 

 to protect the young fish and fish in spawn by judicious legislation and 

 wardenship," I am encouraged to speak. We set the highest value upon 

 provisions and penalties to prevent the use of nets, giant powder, 

 coculus indicus, and other devices for the wholesale and indiscriminate 

 catching of fish, and for the taking of gravid and sjDcnt fish and all un 

 seasonable fishing whatsoever, and for the means devised to prevent 

 poaching in private or public waters, and for all those wholesale restric 

 tions intended to govern angling on leased and open rivers, lakes and 

 streams. All these go far towards the consummation of the main objects 

 desired to be accomplished, but it is evident that the imperfect operation 

 of the existing laws and the great loophole of escape for transgressors 



