252 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
testimony of any scientific man in the worki lias been produced here to sliow that there is the least 
danger or, in fact, the least probability of any such result ever being produeed by the unlimited and 
unconditioned lishiug going on, sucli as has been pursued for the last ten or lifteen years with purse 
seines. In short, the best scientific men in the world have agreed that thus far man lias been able to 
produce no appreciable effect upon the fish which swim in the deep sea. Therefore we liave no data 
upon which to base any proposition whatever that if this fishing shall continue unlimited in the future 
as it has been in the past, any such result whatever will be produced. 
This being the fact, why is it that the owners of these 400 vessels, who have a large amount of 
capital invested in this business, come here and ask Congress to limit their action and to take out three 
months of the twelve and absolutely prevent or prohibit purse-seine fishing? They have a monopoly 
of the business now ; it is so conceded by both the Senators from Maine, who have told us that there is 
not a single vessel owned in any other State of the United States engaged in this industry save in the 
States of Massachusetts and Maine, and that no one else has any interest iu it whatever. Why come 
here, then, asking a prohibition on the jjart of Congress? One would su^jposo that they would be 
anxious to continue their business during the whole twelve mouths of every year, and jnake it as largo 
as possible; and why not? Because they have found that by the improved methods of fishing whicli 
are now in use by these fishermen they have so increased the amount offish brought into our markets 
that prices have been greatly reduced, and, therefore, the profits of the capital invested in this business 
have been somewhat decreased. Therefore they come hero to ask Congress to legislate against 
themselves, or, iu short, to protect themselves from their own industry. There are so many of them, 
doubtless, that it is impossible that they should form an association and agree by common consent to 
give ux) fishing for throe mouths iu the year. Undoubtedly a large number of them would be glad to do 
that, but no one fisherman and no one firm engaged iu this business will cou.seut to abstain from 
fishing for three months iu the year unless all are compelled to do so. 
Now, what is the object of a cessation of fishing for three months? It is all folly to come hero 
and tell the people of the United States that the fishermen who control these vessels and who have 
tlieir capital invested in the business are x>hilanthropists, and that they are asking to be curtailed in 
their own oiieratious simply for the i)urpose of preserving the mackerel si)ecies as a food product for 
the people of this country. I say it is all folly to come here with any suoh assumption as that. 
We see frequently associations of different industries iu this country, iu which the capitalists 
interested iu and the x>roprietors of great industries get together and agree to curtail the production 
of a x>articular industry — for what xmrpose? For the purpose of increasing the price by decreasing 
the sux^xily. Have we not seen the Besseuicr-steel manufacturers of this country get together in their 
associations and agree to close their works for three months or six mouths? 
What for? For the good of humanity? For humanitarian puri>oses? Not at all; but simply 
that they might reduce the production of Bessemer-stecl rails, and thereby increase the cost; and our 
friends on the other side of the Chamber have come here and taunted the protectionists of this body 
with this very cliargo that the Bessemer-stoel manufacturers of this country had done this thing. It 
lias been done by other manufacturing associations, but they have not come here and asked Congress 
to shut uxi all the Bessemer steel-rail factories for three months in the year lest there should bo a 
surplus of Bessemer steel. 
The cotton manufacturers, w'ho sometimes close down their works for thirty days or six mouths, 
have not come here and asked Congress to pass a law that there shall be no manufacturing of 
cotton goods for throe mouths or six months in the year in order that the amount produced may be 
reduced and thereby the x>rice increased. But here comes an industry confined, as the Senators from 
Maine and Massachusetts show, to their own States, having an absolute monopoly, owning every 
vessel engaged in it, and having all the cax>ital invested in it, and all the men who are employed uiiou 
their .ships citizens of their own States, and it asks Congress to say that for three months in the year 
there shall be no fishing with purse seines by this industry. 
Mr. President, as I said before, these iish swim free in the ocean. They cost us no labor and no 
pains in their growth. They are there free for all our people to take, and they furnish one of the 
great sujiiilies of food for all our peoide. The fisheries of every country have been protected, and 
nations have gone into groat and costly wars iu order that they might protect their fisheries because 
tliey were a source of great profit to the people, but never before in tlie history of the world has a 
nation undertaken to say to its own citizens, “ You shall not fish upon the high seas for three months 
in tlie year,” or for any other time. 
Now, let us see what the value of the catch of mackerel has been in this country for the past 
few years, and see how greatly it has been reduced iu its price to all our peoxile. 
