AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. 29 



work, aud thus give the rest of iis the benefit of your ('xi)ei'i- 

 •ence. Therefore, I reeonuneiul tliat this Society ui-ge u]»on its 

 members the necessity of a more comprehensive study of this 

 subject, and tliat this (jnestion of "])rotecti()n" be tal^eu up 

 in its ditfei-ent phases and at our next meeting as many i)apers 

 as can be i)repared on this topic, be read before the Society and 

 discussed bv the members. 



DISCUSSION OF MR. CLARK'S PAPER. 



Mr. Guuekel: Mr. Chairman, that is the great question which 

 j lias been agitating the Fish Commissioners for the past fifteen 

 or twenty years in the State of Ohio. Whenever they seem to 

 get a law that is right for the protection of the fish, the com- 

 mercial nian^ backed by wealth, will go to Columbus and 

 so impress upon the various committees the importance of 

 changing the laws to suit his manner and way of thinking that 

 no law ever has been introduced yet that has proven success- 

 ful. Today on the reefs of Lake Erie we have a new invention 

 called the trap, which is absolutely destroying the black bass. 

 I presume most of you have noticed recently Ex-President 

 Cleveland's trip to Middle Bass, in an article in one of the 

 Eastern papers, where he pronounces it as an absolute shame 

 that the United States did not take this matter up. and that the 

 fresh water lakes, particularly Lake Erie, should be protected 

 similarly to the way Canada i)rotects her half of Lake Erie. 

 When I went down to Columbus and told these Fish Commis- 

 sioners that something ought to be done, they say that they 

 have this to meet, that while they will do something which 

 looks right and proper for the protection of the fish, Michigan, 

 New York, Pennsylvania, bordering on Lake Erie, will have 

 different laws, so that they conflict, and while in Ohio we are 

 not allowed to fish beyond the 10th day of June, Michigan will 

 fish and take the fish that would naturally run into the waters 

 of Ohio. So it looks to me as if we must fall back to the dis- 

 tinguished and sensible representatives of the United States, I 

 do not see any other way. After hearing the able and very 

 interesting article which has been read, how they can produce 

 fish here almost by charm, I think they can do most anything. 

 I think it is a subject if it was introduced at our next meeting 

 that would, if the gentlemen from the northwest were brought 

 here, occupy the entire time. I do not think we can ever ac- 

 comi)lish anything except to appeal to the Ignited States. I 

 would like to hear from Mr. Stranahan on that subject. 



Mr. Stranahan: Mr. Chairman, I believe, so far as we know, 



