134 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. [Pul). Doc. 



season of 1885 was not favorable to the comino: of lisli into 

 these waters, and that the so-called "rapacity" of these 

 foreign fishermen had really no influence on the short catch 

 in the years previous to the passage of this law. But mean- 

 time the sportsman has been protected in his so-called 

 rights ; while the farmer, who has as much right to the fish 

 in the sea as the man who lives along the shore, has been 

 left out in the cold. 



The Lapham Bill. 



To overcome the State regulations, there was introduced 

 last winter in Congress, by the menhaden and mackerel fish- 

 ermen, a bill known as the " Lapham Bill," to abrogate the 

 State laws, and permit fishing by citizens of the United 

 States in the bays and inlets along our coast by the newer 

 and improved methods, wdiether for food fish or menhaden. 

 This bill had the support of nearly all the wholesale fisher- 

 men along our Atlantic coast, including the food fishermen 

 of Gloucester, Boston, Providence, Tiverton, New York 

 City and ports on the New Jersey coast. 



This bill created a tempest. State rights were involved. 

 Virginia and Massachusetts joined issues. Our Massachu- 

 setts Legislature was pretty closely divided ; but finally it 

 decided to oppose the passage of the law on constitutional 

 grounds. 



The following curious and contradictory memorial in oppo- 

 sition to the Lapham Bill was sent to the Massachusetts 

 Legislature l)y the selectmen of the towns bordering on 

 Buzzard's Bay : — 



"The natural result of seining, even in the 02)en sea, is extinc- 

 tion. It may be said 'population has increased,' but notice the 

 wonderful fertility of tlie lish. Hand-line fishing never did and 

 never can destroy the fislicries. 



" If comity, decency and fair play were eliminated from the mat- 

 ter, and only the basis of selfishness left, it would still be to the 

 interest of the inland towns to preserve the fisheries of Buzzard's 

 Bay as a source of food supply. 



" In other words, tlie same senseless rapacity of man which has 

 exterminated our buffalo, which has destroyed the whale fishery, 

 which is aiming to ruin the fur-seal fishery of Alaska, and which 



