ON INLAND FISHERIES. 7 



when the grand run came along the prices fell off to a very low figure, 

 and it is difficult to see where much if any money was made in the 

 business. How much or how little it is impossible to ascertain, for 

 fishermen look upon their business as a legitimate one and do not like 

 to be asked impertinent questions. It is a hard life while it lasts, and 

 whatever profit is gotten out of the business is fairly earned. A large 

 amount is invested in the trapping business. Traps and leaders are 

 usually made of old purse nets. New gear would cost about 13,000.00 

 per trap, but second hand they stand worth from 11,000.00 to $1,200.00. 

 Losses are frequently met with from rough weather and it would seem 

 as if the profits year by year were not great. 



The law was well observed and only one instance was reported of its 

 evasion. This we intended to prosecute as much to make a test case 

 as anything, but it was decided after taking legal advice not to make 

 any prosecutions this year. Benjamin Tallman "the father of trap 

 fishing," was the party we were after, and in the event of any future 

 transgressions on his part we hope to make an example. 



The difficulties of enforcing the present law as far as the trap fish- 

 ing is concerned are obvious, during the run of the scnp the traps are 

 overhauled at least every two hours, night and day, a deputy can over- 

 look a limited number of traps during daylight, but after dark, jiar- 

 ticularly in rough weather it is impossible unless a boat is anchored 

 beside each trap to tell what goes on, for a gang can go off to their 

 trap, overhaul it, dump the fish into the pound and come ashore, and 

 the deputy be none the wiser. When no fish are running the fisher- 

 men are very willing to be law abiding, but we were frankly told that 

 in the event of a run of fish on close days several of them would run 

 the risk of prosecution. 



The first run of fish command the highest prices and then, if ever, is 

 when the law would be disregarded. The fish are put on board schoon- 

 ers, packed in ice, and taken to New York and Philadelphia, in some 

 cases sold at the traps and in others sent by the trappers. We under- 

 stood that the past season the sale was very poor in both cities. 



In our opinion the law as applied to trap fishing does no harm, if it 

 does not accomplish what its originators hoped it would, for it gives 



