REGULATION OF THE SEA-FISHERIES BY LAW. 75 



[Quotations are made from Storer at pp. 277, 422, 334, 339, 365, 226, 

 231, 82, 83, 265, and 269.] 



So much for Storer. Star-fish and oysters are notoriously bad friends. 

 An old fisherman of Newport, and I believe he is far from being alone 

 in his views, often said the steamboats seriously injured the fishing. 

 Now, without claiming undue weight for all these restraining or repress- 

 ive causes, they should have due and that/a very great weight when 

 we form our opinions. Every one of tke.se facts has a direct bearing 

 upon the intricate question before us. 



There is a sound principle of philosophy to be applied to questions of 

 science, and most especially in the department* of natural history. It 

 is, not to mistake a succession of phenomena or a coincidence for cause 

 and effect. 



Now, in the reptilian family, low down in the scale of creation, 

 where we find the fishes, the variety of circumstances which attend 

 their existence is very great, and very curious ; so that the most 

 learned men have been unable to indulge with any safety in dealing 

 with analogies. The circumstances which mark the habits of each 

 species vary with one another in a most extraordinary way. Thus 

 the United States commission, in running the Texas boundary line, found 

 fresh-water fishes which produced their young alive. Other fishes are 

 curious, and especially, I believe, the salmon family, which appears in 

 both fresh and salt water; and this is the family which most especialty 

 has been proved to return to its native waters. It has no relation what- 

 ever to the migratory fishes of the sea, which range the coast from the 

 Mexican Gulf to the waters of Massachusetts Bay — few of them pass 

 that cold point, Cape Cod. 



The food of fishes has a vast deal to do with their presence. We 

 know very little about their food. Can any one tell me what is the food 

 of the rich and valuable shad, and that of most of its relatives in the 

 herring family? The food of nearly all fishes, as far as we know, is of 

 an animal nature, and in its turn requires food ; and any failure of this 

 secondary supply of the food of the food will entail the absence of the 

 fishes which consume the first kind of provender. 



Fishes are liable to disease, to parasites. All the perch in the ponds ' 

 about South Kingston have little black specks in their scales. [Other 

 parasites were referred to.] [Certain enemies named.] I do not wan- 

 der further into this intricate field. It is enough to show hoio many 

 grounds there are for the conflict of testimony so decidedly announced. It 

 has convinced me that there is no sufficient ground, and especially taken in 

 the whole broad spirit of our report, to p>ass a> measure so fraught with the 

 direst ruin to many of our citizens. * * * * 



STATISTICS. 



J. M. K. Southwick, from Albro's market, November 2, 1870. (All ^ 

 hook and line.) George Crabb, (alone,) 439 pounds tautog, one day. Mr. 

 Brown, (with man and boy, 3,) 718 pounds tautog, one day. Benjamin 

 Nason and father, (2,) 600 pounds tautog and cod, one day. Samuel 

 Young and Lawrence, (2,) 800 pounds tautog, two clays, (not from the 

 books.) 



Gary's market, same date, November 2, 1870. Hook and line only. 

 John Heable, (1,) 193 pounds tautog, one day. Mr. Osman and man, 

 (2,) 126 pounds tautog, 97 of cod, one day. Champlin & Huddy, (2,) 

 260 pounds tautog, 330 of cod, one day. " Win, Champlin and Young, 

 (2,) 388 fish of various sorts, oue day. 



