34 TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 



Tonr parent fish to breed from in a few years? What is the 

 present condition of Lake Ontario, which the United States is 

 attempting to restore? They can not find whitefish enough 

 in Lake Ontario with which to stoclv their hatcheries at Cape 

 Vincent on that lalce. 



A comparison is instituted in the paper between shad and 

 whitefish, but that argument is faulty. Notwithstanding the 

 Great Lakes are, as it would seem, almost illimitable in their 

 extent, they are indeed restricted areas which can be sur- 

 rounded and are surrounded by nets on every side. They are 

 fished from one year's end to another; in season and out of 

 season; in the summer; in the fall and in the spring, and so 

 far as possible, in the winter. On the other hand, as Mr. Clark 

 has said in his paper, the shad is an anadromous fish. God 

 Almighty protects that fish about eight months in the year 

 because it goes out into the ocean where the nets cannot reach 

 it. It does not need the legal protection that fish do in the 

 restricted areas of these lakes. The consensus of opinion of 

 this body has been, and it has been so expressed within three 

 years, that a greater protection to fish should be given. It 

 has recognized the necessity of protection. Everybody rec- 

 ognizes it. It appeals to good .iudgment. It must be done 

 if you are going to keep your fisheries. 



We have had this question of a close season up in Michigan, 

 and the attempt was made to repeal the measure at this session 

 of the Legislature, but it was not accomplished. The attempt 

 was defeated in the Senate although it passed the House. 



We have an organization in Michigan called the ''Michigan's 

 Fisherman's Association," I believe — alias the Michigan Fish 

 Trust. It has been fighting with people whom they call the 

 Chicago Fish Trust. This Chicago Fish Trust appeared there, 

 so far as my information goes, as an advocate in favor of sus- 

 taining the closed season. The Michigan Fish Trust said, 

 "They want to keep up the market prices of fish." So far as 

 these organizations are concerned, I care nothing for them; 

 but if either trust is to be trusted the Chicago Fish Trust is the 

 safest one. 



Now, let us see what this Michigan's Fisherman's Associa- 

 tion, otherwise properly denominated the Michigan Fish Trust, 

 has done in Michigan in the last ten or fifteen years. Two 

 years ago the Michigan Commission succeeded in getting one 

 bill passed. We presented three bills; one in accordance with 

 the suggestions made in this government report I have referred 

 to, that if you are going to control and regulate fishermen you 

 must license them. They defeated that bill easily. Another 

 thing we proposed was the enlargement of the meshes of the 

 nets!^and the other was for a close season of November. These 



