THE FISH AND GAME LAWS OF OREGON 



By C. K. Cranston 



The enforcement of the laws pertaining to game, game 

 fish and all classes of commercial fish, as well as the man- 

 agement of everything concerning these subjects, is within 

 the control of a non-partisan and practically unsalaried 

 board of five citizens, the law creating the board and dele- 

 gating to it complete authority over the matters under its 

 jurisdiction having been enacted by the 1911 session of the 

 legislature. Prior to the enactment of this law, all matters 

 pertaining to game laws and game were directed by a State 

 Game Warden, an appointee of the Governor, to whom he 

 was responsible, while all matters relating to commercial fish 

 and fishing were under the direction of a Master Fish War- 

 den, who held his appointment under a Board of Fish Com- 

 missioners, which consisted, ex-ofificio, of the Governor, 

 Secretary of State, and the State Treasurer. The enforce- 

 ment of the laws pertaining to game fishes was assumed to 

 be jointly within the jurisdiction of the State Game Warden 

 and the Master Fish Warden, but in practice it was largely 

 under the direction of nobody. For a number of years con- 

 troversies had constantly arisen as to jurisdiction in specific 

 instances, with the result that the law enforcement was 

 almost universally lax, and in many instances farcical. 



The 1905 session of the legislature enacted a hunters' 

 license law and the session of 1909 added to that an anglers' 

 license law. The accumulation of the fees accruing there- 

 from formed a considerable fund, a large part of which was 

 lying in the state treasury, unused, at the time the 1911 act 

 went into effect, on account of the legislature having previ- 

 ously failed to make provisions for its expenditure. 



This condition of affairs had created a feeling of dissatis- 

 faction throughout the state, and game and game fish pro- 

 tection was consequently becoming more generally in con- 

 tempt. The framers and supporters of the new law foresaw 



