General Discussion of Toptcs. 113 
in a week a large club of influential men, whose province it 
will be to take charge of the fishing interests of Harlem 
River, the Westchester creeks, and all the little tributaries 
around the city, and they hope that, by the codperation of 
ourselves and other gentlemen here and elsewhere, that they 
will be able to make a better showing in a short time than 
at present. 
Mr. Scott: Bass-fishing this last fall has been better 
around New York than for thirty years. So all the boat- 
men say. I went down late in the season, and I found 
most beautiful bass. I took from fifteen down to five fish, and 
never found so good fishing before ; and that reminded me, as 
we supposed that by the fishery of the menhaden we were de- 
pleting the water of the ocean, but instead of that, menhaden 
have been more numerous than ever. How can you account 
for that? Perhaps some gentleman will state why bass, after 
the streams have been fished and netted and hacked for so 
many years—why we found bass more numerous. than ever. 
Tur Presipent: I would like you to seek an explanation 
why the price of bass has risen from twelve to twenty 
cents a pound, as it is now. 
Mr. Scorr: I am led to conclude that bass for the mar- 
ket are taken in bays, and have decreased. I was speaking 
in regard to what were immediately about New York—fishes 
taken with the rod and reel. I suppose Mr. Blackford 
could tell how the waters of the East are depleted, and that 
they are obliged to charge more for bass, because they sup- 
ply a great share of them. One thing, moreover, we know, 
in connection with bass-fishing near New York, that on the 
south side of Long Island the fishing was better last fall than 
