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marks as much as possible, as I know your intentions are to hurry the work and 
finish to-night. The special line of interest that I and the other members 
of the committee of the St. Lawrence Anglers’ Association present here are con- 
cerned in, is to secure the co-operation of the Canadian government on the inter- 
national waters of the St. Lawrence river, that by protection and, if necessary, 
propagation, the fishing may be restored to its former superb condition. If you 
desire me to say anything as to my personal knowledge of how the fishing has 
been in years gone by and now, I think I am able to do so, 
Iam a native of Canada, born in Brockville, Ont., nearly forty-seven years 
ago, and have been a resident in the vicinity of the Thousand Islands nearly all 
my life-time. My recollections as to the fishing extend back to the age of ten or 
twelve years, when the fishing in the vicinity of the Thousand Islands was in- 
finitely better than it isnow. I fancy it is so in almost all of the fishing dis- 
tricts ; but my opinion is—whether endorsed by others or not—that the depletion 
is laryely due to negligence in enforcing laws that have been enacted ; and also in 
permitting licensed fishing. For an illustration: Some years ago, at Gananoque, 
Ont., the fish warden, seized a quantity of fish on the dock and arrested two parties 
—relations—for violating the fish laws. (Please note that the father of one was a 
government light-house keeper.) The officer laid his complaint before the magis- 
trate at Gananoque. The prisoners, when asked to state their case (by the way, 
I wish to say this was along in November, long after the time for angling), one 
of them swore that he caught his barrel of fish with a spoon, and the other swore 
that he bought his fish from an American sportsman, said to have been fishing 
in Kel Bay. There are gentlemen here who know that these affidavits were base 
fabrications, and so did the officers of the law ; but wat could they do in view 
of such testimony? This is only one of many illustrations that I could give you 
of the most shameful violations of the Canadian fishery laws in the vicinity to 
which I allude. 
One point more I desire to refer to, and I would be pleased if Mr. Stewart 
would kindly note it. Since the organization of our association, I have made 
efforts in Gananoque and Brockville to secure in some way the organization of 
a co-operative association similiar to our Anglers’ Association; but I have been 
met with the argument that we on the American side have been progressive 
people; that we have built cottages and improved our islands, and that we want 
Canada to legislate in our behalf. That we have been progressive I do not deny ; 
that our motive in securing co-operation upon this question is selfish I do deny. 
Our interests are here identical. 
The Canadian government is now inviting this progressive spirit by plac- 
ing its islands adjacent to ours upon the market, and I know that Mr. Grant, 
Mr. Thompson and Mr. Folger will bear me out in the statement when I say that 
these islands are being purchased largely by American gentlemen, with the ex- 
pectation that the Canadian government will afford them the same protection in 
all that goes to make them good fishing resorts, that they would be able to 
secure on our side. And that, to me, seems a sufficient argument why the Cana- 
dian government should interest itself, and prohibit the use of nets in the waters 
surrounding these islands. 
I am sure that I can give abundant evidence that protection improves the 
fishing upon the American side. 
During the past year the sportsmen who have been to the North Chan- 
nel—Canadian waters, and once noted fishing grounds—state that they are un- 
able to catch any fish larger than are able to pass through an ordinary gill net, 
