160 American Fisheries Society 



ice in places where fish were bunched up in schools and 

 bedded. By this method many fish were not only taken, but 

 many were snagged and crippled that were not caught. 



In the southern part of the state tons of fish were re- 

 ported to have been taken in one locality by spears and grab 

 hooks, by fishing through the ice; so a law was framed to 

 cut out the grab hook. One hook is enough for sportsmen. 

 The fishermen can use 25 hooks on a trot line. We try to 

 avoid snag hooks and drag hooks, and all kinds of un- 

 sportsmanlike schemes to catch fish by unfair means, es- 

 pecially in the winter time. 



Another provision is this : One man may fish with but 

 one trot line and may not hang more than 25 hooks on it. 



Then the question of nets and traps arose, and that pro- 

 voked considerable discussion. We recommended that all 

 kinds of traps and nets be made unlawful, except a seine 

 with meshes three inches square. Then the farmers ap- 

 peared, saying that they had no time to fish with hook and 

 line, and if they did they could not catch anything. They 

 said that they wanted a law that would allow them to catch 

 a mess of fish once in a while. We explained that we would 

 have a law that would allow them to use a seine just as long 

 and just as wide as they wanted it to be, but the meshes 

 must be three inches square. The idea is that you must not 

 catch with a seine a fish that weighs less than three pounds. 

 1 f a fish weighing less than three pounds is caught it must 

 be put back into the river. 



The law requires that a $50 bond with two sureties be 

 put up by the person who desires to own and use a three-inch 

 mesh seine. We have received several letters from farmers 

 indicating that they had made successful catches of fish. 

 One party of farmers caught about 300 pounds of fish 

 weighing from 3 to 16 pounds each; one member was ap- 

 pointed to write the Department of Fish and Game thai 

 they thought the law was a good one, and that they were 

 well pleased with it. The farmers are satisfied, the sports- 

 men ought to be and the market fishermen have to be, so 



