American Fisheries Society. 95 



The Gazette, New York, November 14, 1758, mentions a law 

 which was passed, to prohibit the selling or bringing certain fish 

 called bass or twalft to the City in the months of December, Jan- 

 uary, and February. In consequence of tlie great decrease of 

 that kind of fish, and of their being unsound and unwholesome 

 in those months. "The penalty for such offence'' was forty shil- 

 lings lawful money of New York, " and a forfect of such fish." 

 And if it be a negro, mulatto or Indian slave, shall receive such 

 corporal punishment at the public whipping post as the mayor, 

 recorder or aldermen shall think fit, unless the master or mis- 

 tress shall pa}' the above fine. 



The inhabitants of Marshfield, Mass., in 17 62, also endeav- 

 ored to regulate the catching of bass for, in that year, "At a town 

 meeting was presented a ])etition of a number of the inhabitants 

 respecting the catching B A S S in the North River, so called in 

 the winter season, which petitioners applied to the General Court 

 to prevent, was laid before the town and after due consideration 

 thereupon, the vote was put to know the mind of the town wheth- 

 er an act may be passed in the General Court for the preserva- 

 tion of those fish and prevent their being thus taken in the win- 

 ter season, and it passed in the affirmative." 



Jeremy Belknap, in the "History of New Hampshire" (Bos- 

 ton 1792), writes: "The bass was formerly taken in great 

 plenty, in the river Pascataqua; but by the injudicious use of 

 nets, in the winter, tliis fishery was almost destroyed. After the 

 mischief was done, a law was made against it: but the bass have 

 never since resorted to this river in any gTeat numbers. It is 

 said by some, that fish which are spawned in rivers, and descend 

 to the sea, return to those rivers, only where they are spawned. 

 If this principle be true, the breed might be renewed by bringing 

 some of the bass, which are caught in Merrimack river, alive, 

 over the land, to the nearest part of the waters of Piscataqua, a 

 distance not more than twelve miles. This must be done before 

 the spav/ning season, and might very easily be accomplished." 



"There was also, till within thirty years, a good loss fishery 

 (at Exeter, New Hampshire), through the whole course of the 

 river. But very great numbers having been imprudently, oi 

 rather wantonly taken in one season, they almost totally left it. 

 For several years past, they have been returning to \hv\v old 



