14 Tltiriij-si.rth Animal Meeting 



I flon"t know how many of you gentlemen are interested in that 

 character of industry, but 1 ])resume tliey take it all in, don't 

 they, Mr. Meehan? 



]\rr. ]\Iechan : Yes. 



Senator Sisson : AAV, of course, are cliiefly interested in the 

 fresli water fislun'ii's, and in Mr. Aleehan's success. AVe have had 

 some (juestions that have shaken ns u}) a little here. AVe are 

 willing- to co-operate for the Lest end of all, and the question of 

 an open or a closed season upon our waters here has affected us. 

 AA^e realize that the fish run from one jurisdiction to another, and 

 that the state of Pennsylvania cannot operate alone in benefit- 

 ing this industry of fishing in the lake any more than Ohio or 

 New York state can. But it is certain that the best management 

 that can come for this very large industry upon these waters, re- 

 quires that all of the states, as well as Canada, bordering npon 

 these waters, must act together. It w' ill not do to close at one place 

 and open in another. It is impossible. The law should be uni- 

 form, if possible, and if you gentlemen can aid in bringing about 

 that condition, you will have accomplished a great end. AVe are 

 trying to unite with New York state, with Delaware, ^Yith. Mary- 

 land, and with New Jersey, in securing regailation relative to 

 fishing in the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers, and it is a much 

 larger proposition of concurrent legislation than I apprehend is 

 this industry in Lake Erie. I trust you gentlemen may be able 

 to work out something to that end. AA^e had a close season here, 

 but with New York fishing, and open laws in Ohio, it would not 

 work. It was imtposing, I think, on our people here; it would 

 not work out. They have got to work uniformly. And I tell 

 you — the New York gentlemen — I don't know whether any of 

 them are here to-day — but the commissioner from New York 

 state, ]\Ir. AA^hipple, of the town where your last governor came 

 from, and Senator Alls, and two or three other gentlemen, met 

 with our commission, — a commission of which I then was a 

 member — for the purpose of securing legislation relative to fish- 

 ing in the Delaware. The New Jersey people were there also. 

 AVe had a close season. I told those people that our people had 

 tied up their boats and taken their nets out of the water and had 

 stopped fishing, lj\it they looked down to Dunkirk and those New 



