36 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



in the treatment of fish, the necessity for the preservation of the 

 fisheries and kindred matters. Our people do not understand that. 

 In the lobster and other fisheries they do not understand the necessity 

 of preserving the supply ; they do not understand the need of preserv- 

 ing our oysters by proper regulations and the necessity of preserving 

 the lobster by short seasons and by the regulation of fishing. If 

 some of these men could be taken to a school and given a course of 

 education and if you could thus obtain a certain number of leaders in 

 the different fishing communities who could explain to the others, there 

 would be, together with the pamphlets distributed among the fishermen, 

 an inspiration to the fishing public of these communities to follow the 

 lead of the men who had studied the subject and who were close enough 

 to them to bring the lessons home. 



Hon. a. E. Arsenault : I have been interested myself in the fisheries 

 for some years past. One of the greatest necessities is the education 

 of the fishing population in regard to the preservation of the fisheries. 

 One of our greatest difficulties with respect to the oyster is the preju- 

 dice of the fishermen. They say, in regard to the oyster, " You have 

 opened up our grounds to leasing and, in the case of the lobster, you 

 have shortened our season. You are giving us nothing in return ; you 

 are doing everything for the farmer, he is a particular pet of yours, 

 you give him money and send out papers to him, but for us you do 

 nothing." Some demonstration stations would go a long way towards 

 instructing the fishermen in the necessity for a short season and the 

 necessity for taking a larger view. If they think that the fish are 

 theirs and that it is for them to take them at all times of the year, 

 regardless of whether they will become depleted by over-fishing, great 

 mischief must result. That has been the trouble with some of our 

 fishing industries; they have suffered from over-fishing. This applies 

 especially to the oyster on our Island, in reference to which I shall 

 have something to say later on. Now that a beginning has been made, 

 even if it be only the starting of stations to educate the fishermen as 

 to the necessity of putting up better fish and marketing it in better 

 condition and of preserving the fisheries, a great deal should be accom- 

 plished. I trust that the beginning made here to-day will not end the 

 matter, but that it will be taken up and that something will be done. 

 Fisheries Institutes along the same lines as the Farm Institutes would 

 interest the fishermen and bring them together to talk their business 

 over. I trust that we shall see some practical results from this dis- 

 cussion. 



