of small fry that are too small for sale and that normally would 
furnish the fish caught during subsequent years, so that the des- 
tructiveness and v/aste of this method is easily evident# Yet stop- 
netting is ccramonly practised by some of the more unscrupulous fish- 
ermen who sot their nets at night and no apx^urent effort is made to 
stop them# During the course of my work I examined many nets briefly 
but in no instance did 1 see one with a larger mesh than l-l/4 inches 
from bar to bar (2-1/2. inch stretoh mesh) whiiR'raen who were stop 
netting used a net with l-l/a inch bar (2-1/4 inch stretch mesh). If 
it was so desired it would be an easy matter to apprend those using 
these illegal nets as it would be necessary only to visit^ the drying 
racics or to examine the nets iVhen in use and apply a measuring rule on 
then. The Wardens are empowered to confiscate such nets and it would 
be necessary to do this only once as nets are expensive and the fish- 
ermen could not afford to take chances if they knew that they were ac- 
tually liable to arrest. Yet nothing is done at present to oheok these 
misdemeanors. 
The better olass of fishermen realize the evils of the present 
system of fishing and deprecate it aB they see that they are destroy- 
ing the source of their livelihoods by their own Acts. These men how- 
ever are thrown into competition with other less scrupulous and in 
order to compete with them are forced to use small meah nets in u? din- 
ary fishing even though they may decline to resort to stop-netting. 
The whole system apparently is one that may be fostered end supported 
by powerful fish dealers. 
