274

[Verso]

our province and would be unsound and
injudicious to adopt in the general
interests of the public, and Especially
so by Your Department whose object
is to protect, and preserve the fisheries
interests of the Country, the Evidence of
which has been in the Establishment
of a wise and judicious “Close season”
for the [many?] fish, which those [petitions?]
are more desirous of upsetting.

Having been somewhat
instrumental in the advocacy of this
“Close Season” for Bass as against
the former close times, which was
quite futile, I beg to attach hereto
some evidence of the correctness of
your Departmental “Close season”.
I shall give you the Close times as
adopted in the State of New York,
And would if time would permit
find Equally as strong corroborative
proof from documents obtainable
relative to Michigan and others
states of the Union:- I have hurriedly
[ructier?] some of the Reports, and journals
readily at hand, and find the
following –

“Seth Green says in the "American
Angler" that May and June are the
months in which Black Bass come

[Recto]

248

into the shallow waters to spawn.”

Prof. [Hots?] paper read before the
Michigans Sportsmans Association
[thus?] gives the results of that careful
and persistent observations of the
breeding process of the Black Bass.

“The fish beds are made during
the last week in April, and the last
during the second week in June; In
about five days after impregnation
the Eggs hatch out, the bed being care-
fully and constantly guarded by
the female: After hatching the young
fry remain in the beds for some six
weeks or more before they are fully
able to swim about, when the Mother
fish leads them to shallow waters
along the shores to take care of themselves.”

“The Fishery laws of New-
York, Vermont and the Dominion
of Canada with regard to net fishing
for Bass and Mascalonge are more
in accord against harvesting: the
Close Season being 15th April to
15th June both days inclusive.”
"American Angler."

The [?] N.A. Association
for the Protection of Fish & Game held
March 1886. resolved as follows

Be [moved?] that this association…