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lake food fishes; and while many of our commercial fish- 
ermen oppose protective legislation mainly because they 
object to any laws which shall limit their ability to take 
all the fish possible from a given water area in a given 
time, the thoughful fishermen express a willingness to 
co-operate with legislative enactments looking to thor- 
ough preservation of fish. My attention has been fre- 
quently called to the fact that there is no legislation on 
the statute books of Ohio which offers any protection to 
the game and food fish of Lake Erie during the spawning 
season. Any attempt at such legislation is met by the 
organized opposition of the men who wrongfully imagine 
that their private interests are thereby attacked, and 
who have been able thus far to prevent the passage of 
many measures that would have materially benefited 
them in the end. On the other hand, most men do not 
care to expend time and money in urging a species of 
legislation from which they are to reap only an indirect 
and remote advantage. Neither for the same reason do 
they incline to aid in securing a thorough and impartial 
enforcement of such laws as already exist. Many believe 
in restriction as to the seasons and methods of taking 
_ fish, but they are unwilling to act as either prosecutors 
or witnesses when such laws are violated. In this con- 
nection I might add that in all legislative action taken, 
whether by national or State governments, care should 
be taken to properly define what constitutes the waters 
of the lakes and inland waters. One of the most prolific 
causes of misunderstanding as to the meaning of various 
laws now passed has been the claim made by some that 
the waters of the lake extended up the rivers as far as 
tide water; it will thus be seen that the efforts to protect 
the rivers are paralyzed by having their mouths filled 
with nets. Another trouble is the lack of uniformity of 
the laws in adjoining States, thus in Ohio some of our 
best streams are fully protected against destructive net 
fishing, while their mouths, emptying into the lake in an 
