18 



PATROL AND PROTECTION. 



The present Commissioners on coming into office were alarmed at the 

 excessive decrease in the salmon take and at the small catch of some 

 other varieties of fish. Ascertaining that the diminution was largely owing 

 to violation of the fish laws of the State, by Chinese and others, the Com- 

 missioners determined to employ upon bays and rivers a strong and active 

 patrol police. We were compelled to do this, or to permit the laws of the 

 State to be violated and our waters and citizens robbed. The Commission- 

 ers also believed it to be a vain work to stock waters for the mere gain of 

 vandals and foreign exportation. The patrol system was inaugurated in 

 the Fall of 1883, and up to the present time has done much excellent work. 

 Chief W. C. Jones in one of his reports favorably says of it, " The best 

 evidence I have to offer in the interest of the good accomplished by the 

 river patrol, is the small amount of violations now being conmiitted of the 

 existing fish laws. It is a well known fact that prior to the establishment 

 of an efficient patrol on the rivers and bays, fishermen carried on their 

 unlawful business without restraint." 



As to the necessity and efficiency of the patrol, no better or more con- 

 vincing statement is required than to refer to the number of arrests and 

 convictions that have resulted from the first day of August, 1883, to Octo- 

 ber 1, 1884. 



That branch of the police service under Chief Jones, arrested, and in 

 nearly all cases, convicted, one hundred and seventy-five criminal offend- 

 ers. From these, fines in the sum of $2,000 were collected, and under the 

 law, mostly distributed to informers and District Attorneys. In 188-5-86, 

 over six hundred were arrested and about four hundred and fifty convicted. 

 During the present year, between April seventh and September eighteenth, 

 Chief J. H. Harten arrested seventy. Many were convicted, fined, or 

 in default of payment, jailed. Whilst these law violations and wrongs 

 have been known to all, their magnitude has been realized by but few. 

 The expense of this service, although it has been heavy, is a trifle in com- 

 parison with the beneficial results secured. The work should be kept up 

 and strengthened. 



MAINTAINING THE LAWS. 



Having reference to public sentiment in favor of maintaining the laws, 

 our Conunission adopt, as applicable to our State, the views of the Commis- 

 sioners of Fisheries of the State of New York, contained in report for the 

 years 1883-1884, page 12: 



Allusion has been made to the decided change in public sentiment in regard to the work 

 of the Fishery Commissioners. It is beginning to dawn upon the minds of a great many, 

 hitherto o])ponents, that every citizen has a direct pecuniary interest in the matter of fis"h 

 culture an(l protection. The stronger and more widespread it becomes, the sooner the 

 aims and objects of the Commission will be realized. If the people can be educated up to 

 the standard of believing what, to every reflecting, intelligent mind is a self-evident prop- 

 osition, namely : that every citizen has an indisputable right to share in the fish products 

 of this State, and that those who infringe the protective laws are defrauding them of a 

 portion, or, perhaps, the whole, of their rightful dividend, antagonism to legislative appro- 

 priation would speedily cease, and in its stead there would be a strong popular demand 

 for the providing of all the money needed to jjerfect the operations already begun. They 

 should be taught to regard the individual who kills an edible fish out of season or by illicit 

 means, at any time as a public enemy. Why not? Either act is unlawful; hence, the 

 man who perpetrates it is a violator of law, and as clearly entitled to punishment as an 

 offender of any other class. 



