That this sentiment alone controls him — that this is tne reason that he will 

 not aid in the protection of fish — goes without denial. And even if you try to 

 prove to him that by seeking and taking undersized fish, or by the destruction 

 of spawn he will exterminate them, and if he will let them grow, he will se- 

 cure a larger increase in the revenue from the industry, it is not believed by 

 him. I have used this argument time and time again. A few weeks ago at 

 a trial of some cases at Rock Hall, Maryland, and at which I secured the 

 conviction of a number' of fisherman for violating the fish laws, I made this 

 argument: In the Baltimore markets this past spring perch of the size of 

 about eight or nine inches, could not be had at less than fifty cents per bunch 

 of six or seven, while fish of a size prohibited by law in our state, to-wit, 

 seven inches, sold and could be had in plenty for some ten to fifteen cents 

 per bunch of eight or ten. I apealed to them on the ground of a cold-blooded 

 financial proposition, showing the difference between securing twelve cents 

 for a commodity which undisturbed would bring fifty cents within a single 

 year, but as usual a deaf ear was turned to all my arguments, and they are at 

 this time daily violating the law. 



I do not refer to the angler's destruction of fish in this paper because he 

 plays but a small part in fish destruction, for in my state I really believe that 

 a good haul of one purse net destroys more fish than all the fish taken by all 

 the anglers in a season. 



Therefore, while the education of the finer sensibilities of the children, the 

 women and the sportsmen will bring about the natural protection to a large 

 extent of the song and game birds, the market fishermen refuse to be educated 

 on these lines, hence the first problem. The fisherman must be educated 

 on other lines — the mercenary ones. Appeals must be made to his pocket 

 rather than to his heart or brain. He must be taught to believe — which is a 

 fact — that he is killing the goose that is laying for him the golden egg; that 

 he is putting at defiance the better wisdom of the state which passes for the 

 protection of a commercial commodity for his sole benefit; he must be edu- 

 cated up to the fact that fish are the sustenance of life as well as palatable 

 to the taste; that notwithstanding the artificial propagation of fish the state's 

 propagation cannot keep up with his unnatural destruction of them. 



From time immemorial the market fisherman has racked his brain to 

 create some device by which he can take the largest number of fish with the 

 least trouble, expense and work to him. From the primeval means of the 

 Indian who used his spear, we have now come to the system of nets with the 

 use of which in a short time in many of the states, many species of food 

 fish will be entirely exterminated. The market demands for fish can never 

 at this day be filled with the natural supply, hence I take it that this was 

 the reason that the United States government inaugurated the artificial 

 propagation of fish and which has resulted in the formation of the American 

 Fisheries Society, when at least once a year its members may get together 

 to discuss means for the better and more effective propagation of fish." 



Warden Service. 



The enforcement of the law is under the supervision of Hon. Nat. 

 Cohen, president of the Illinois Fish Commission, and with the limited 

 number of wardens and immense territory to cover, the work has 

 been extremely difficult and taken much of his time. 



The State of Illinois is practically surrounded with water and to 

 properly care for it with efficient service would require more wardens 

 than we have. So a few men are inadequate to cope with the situa- 

 tion and give entirely satisfactory services. Complaints of all kinds 

 are frequent, many of them of a trifling nature and immedite action 

 demanded while very many of them should have been taken care of 

 locallv. Chicago is a great fish market and draws not only on Illinois 



