American FisJieries >>ociety 153 



ture for its action. T say intelligoiitly, liecause while its mem- 

 bership represents some of the wealthiest and 1)est of our citizens, 

 its enthusiasm for protection of both game and fish and the 

 bills framed is largely based on selfish reasons as sportsmen, and 

 largely without regard to intelligent conclusions with reference 

 to the right of the commercial fisherman, the vote of which class 

 is sutficiently large in tidewater sections of our state to control 

 the electorate. This being true, the county members of the legis- 

 lature, as well as the fishermen themselves, look with suspicion 

 upon any and all measures presented to the legislature, which 

 have for their purpose the protection of fish and game when such 

 measures are presented by city men. Growing out of this condition 

 al)()ut two years ago a Fishermen's Protective Association was 

 formed in ]\laryland for the distinct purpose of fighting the city 

 association, whose only interest, they believed, in protection was. 

 to secure to tlie angler a good day's fishing without regard to his. 

 the connnercial fisherman's interest. Tliis condition grew out of 

 a policy of the Game Protective Association introducing meas- 

 ures abolishing the use of all sorts of nets, or so restricting their 

 use, that the commercial fisherman would be put out of business. 

 I am happy to say, however, that during the past year as state 

 warden, 1 lielieve that largely through my own efforts both the 

 associations at the hist session of the legislature, united on a 

 number of measures for fisli ])rotec-tion, l)ut, even witli this com- 

 bination, Ave failed in specific results. 



Unfortunately, in my judgment, the selfish interest of one 

 class and the suspicions of another, is largely the reason for the 

 failure of proper fish protective legislation. The angler goes to 

 the legislature with a l)ill based on his idea what the law should 

 be — and that idea is usually the prohibition of the use of all 

 sorts of nets which will interfere with his sport ; another class of 

 commercial fishermen prepare a bill to protect them in the use 

 of the sort of nets tliat he fishes with, and still another set of 

 fishermen with a bill to protect him in his method. The result 

 is. that the legislative committee before whom these bills go, are 

 pulled and hauled and besieged and worked u])on l)y the various 

 interests to such an extent, that the committee liecomes disgusted 

 and pigeon-holes all the l)ills, and none are passed. 



Another reason is, that while the state of Maryland spends 



