Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-10-09
COMMERCIAL CON
GRESS ADJOURNS
ants Power OF Interstate Com
merce Commission Increased.

congress here today on THE Work
of the International Fisheries Com
mission" David Starr Jordan. presi-
dent of Stanford university. spoke
in part as follows:
The international. fisheries com
mission represents a most interest
ing effort to settle at once a num-
Der of problems in international
law, in constitutional law, in con-
flict Of laws, in equity and at the
same time in biology, for no sta
tute for the preservation and pro-
pagation of fish can be effective un-
less the nature OF the individual
species, its food, its distribution and
its habits, is primarily and persistent
ly kept in view.
The boundary waters of the United
States and Canada include two of the
greatest fishing areas of the world
The great lakes constitute the great
est body of fresh water belonging
to any single system, and it is rich
er in fish life than any other. Puget
sound and the adjacent waters are
part of the great Alaskan system,
the region of all the world richest
in salmon.
In these boundary waters the sta
tutes of the Dominion of Canada,
those of the different provinces and
those of the different states of the
American Union are more or less
at cross purposes with each other.
Over Lake Erie, for example-the
richest of the lakes in fisheries
four states and one province claim
Jurisdiction, with the greatest varia-
ton in theory and pratice of fish
protection.
In the treaty of April IL, 1908, an
attempt is made to remedy this con-
dition of affairs by the adoption by
Great Britain and the United States
of identical statutes relating to the
fisheries, these statutes to hold for
period of four years without change
except by the joint action of both
nations. Under this treaty two COM
missioners have been appointed to
draw up this code of fishing statutes
These are Hon. Samuel T. Bastedo OF
Toronto as representative of Great
Britain and the present writer az
Representative of the United States
1t is agreed that the code shall
be submitted to both nations fol
adoption by the first of January
19Os.
This treaty involves number o.
Interesting principles. I'd Joint in
terantional actions in the case o
migratory animals moving from wa
tiers Of one nation to those Of an
other in place of the national con
troll on the two sides OF the bound
airy. CD Substitution of interna
! tional legislation in this regard TO
that OF the several provinces, state
: and counties. l3) The code o
statutes must depend on the natur
of the different species of animal
!. 1t is designated to protect, the mat
ter becoming. at bottom, one Q
natural history.
In nearly all cases the final Ike
to the situation is found in artificia
propagation - the development c
= the hatchery-this demands, how
ever. men who are willing to stud
their business and to learn thorough
ly the nature fthe fishes eoncerne
| the egg, the fry and the adul
Artificial Matching is not a process
II is an art. and like all arts, It mus
| rest on science. How much none
| spent on hateheries has been who'll
| wasted no one can tell, but ii
amount is considerable. And tn
| value of the hatchery is determine
| not only by the nominal output I
eggs and fry. but by the brains ps
into the business. Each species /
fish. like each plant in the gardei
/ has its own nature and must be M
4 on its own ground 1t is set in !
ways and win not conform 70 q
habits Of any other species.
/ The species Of fishes affected
\ this legislation are numerous. b
they can be grouped into about 5
types, as represented By the herrin
the whitefsh, the red salmon Of q
20 Pacific, the black bass, the wallel
- and the sturgeon.
To another category belongs =