554 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



SPAWNTAKING OPERATIONS, BAIRD, CAL. 



The fish (chinook salmon) are dipped from the pen, killed by a blow on the head, and passed to the 

 spawntakers. The eggs are taken by opening the abdomen, and the stream of eggs may be seen in 

 the picture following the hand making the incision. 



dustry of the nation has suffered more 

 from such baneful effects. It is the 

 irony of fate that this important busi- 

 ness, with its tremendous wealth, of 

 steadily increasing economic value to 

 our people, should be doomed to de- 

 struction through the fatal indulgence 

 of "its friends." 



Those States nearer the seaboard in- 

 variably get the lion's share of our 

 marine fishes. For this reason we find 

 the people of New Hampshire com- 

 plaining against those of Massachu- 

 setts ; those of Massachusetts inveighing 

 against Connecticut ; those of New York 

 muttering against New Jersey ; Penn- 

 sylvania protesting against Maryland ; 

 and Maryland declaiming against Vir- 

 ginia. And the illustration could be 

 extended. 



Too often it happens that where rea- 

 son and common sense have prevailed 

 over opposition to remedial legislation, 

 some invisible influence has intervened 



to paralyze the efforts of the officials 

 charged with the enforcement of the 

 laws. Again, when effort has been hon- 

 estly made to carry out the laws, too 

 frequently their administration has 

 been entrusted by some States to a Fish 

 and Game Department under the con- 

 trol of officials experienced only in pro- 

 tecting inland fish and game a sports- 

 men's proposition but possessing rela- 

 tively as much knowledge of "marine 

 fisheries" as do the natives of Patagonia 

 of the nebular theory. 



It is plain that adequate legislation 

 can never come from legislative bodies 

 thus deterred from fearlessly enacting 

 into law their honest convictions. Ob- 

 viously, what is required for intelligent 

 solution of the situation is the strong, 

 guiding hand of the Federal Govern- 

 ment for legislation springing from 

 sources freed from all personal influ- 

 ences, personal friendships and exterior 

 considerations. 



