American Fisheries Society 43 



me that this resolution is entirely out of place, that there is no 

 call for it whatever. 



Mr. Clark: In moving the adoption of the committee's re- 

 ])ort, I liad in mind the trend of what we have done here today in 

 a way of requesting legislation in regard to federal power. I 

 thought probably the committee had that more in mind when 

 they failed to approve of this resolution than anything else, and 

 that so far as inland matters of the different states and prov- 

 inces were concerned, the committee thought that the states 

 themselves would take care of and handle their local legislation. 

 1 was not ou the coiumittee on resolutions, but that is what I 

 tbouglit the couimittee on resolutions had in mind, and it is 

 what came iuto uiy mind at once, and therefore I moved the 

 adoption of the couimittee's report, ^ow anything that will 

 tend to help local legislation in inland waters I think the Amer- 

 ican Fisheries Society sliould endorse. We may not all be of the 

 same mind as to how it should lie done. Of course, it is well 

 known that I do not approve of many of the laws that are on the 

 statute books of the different states of the United States and 

 provinces of Canada today, and no doubt you will realize tluit 

 when you hear a paper I have ])repared for the Internatioual 

 CongTess. 



Xow, so far as the bass are concerned, the close season laws 

 of the different states should be strict, as the bass are rigid bed 

 guarders. The time that matter was before the legislature of the 

 state of Michigan I was asked by the chairman of the joint com- 

 mittee of the two houses to appear before them and give my 

 views, and I think very likely Mr. Bower and some of the other 

 commission men were: and I did, and I told them 1 would not 

 have a close season l)ut 1 would have an open season, and tliat 

 open season would Ix' only such time as would give the rod and 

 line a chance to catch the fish, and in Michigan I would have the 

 season open from the 1st of July to the 1st of November, and all 

 the balance of tlie time closed. That is what I believe in so far 

 as the bass is concerned, and no doul)t your New York state law 

 should be on that same principle. In other words, make the 

 time as low as possible. I believe in that, but I do not believe 

 that this society should take the matter up in such a broad way, 

 as the resolution of Mr. Wilson would. Mr. Clark I think has 



