PUBLIC DOCUMENT -No. 25. 85 



past, but the decline has steadily continued, since these laws were either 

 inadequate, or, as was more often the case, not enforced. Likewise, over- 

 fishing has seriously depleted local supplies, and in Massachusetts has 

 accelerated the general decline which is so marked in the Merrimac, 

 Charles, Taunton and Connecticut rivers. 



Development. -- Let us consider what has been done in the past by 

 Massachusetts to offset this decline. In the early days, soon after the 

 establishment of the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Game 

 in 1866, salmon and shad hatcheries were located on the principal rivers 

 as long as any native fish remained; but during the last twenty years 

 brook trout have formed the main output of the State hatcheries. These 

 fish, reared in variable quantities, were indiscriminately dumped into ponds 

 or streams at the request of individuals, who filled out brief descriptions 

 of the waters in question. Lack of funds made it impossible to examine 

 these waters, and reliance had to be placed on the judgment of unskilled 

 observers. In many instances this hit-or-miss stocking was successful, 

 in others a failure, resulting in financial loss. 



The chief objections to indiscriminate stocking may be enumerated as 

 follows: (1) stocking private ponds and streams from which the public 

 are excluded; (2) intentional distribution of fish by the applicant in other 

 waters than called for by the petition; (3) stocking badly polluted streams 

 in which the young fish cannot exist; (4) putting fish into brooks which 

 run dry in summer; (5) introducing fry or small fingerlings into streams 

 containing large numbers of pickerel or other voracious fish, and con- 

 versely introducing course fish into trout waters; (6) stocking where con- 

 ditions are unfit for the life and spawning of the particular species, or 

 where there is a deficiency of food; (7) utilizing streams, poor but popu- 

 lar, to the neglect of more suitable waters; (8) lack of systematic stocking 

 and consecutive distribution; (9) financial loss from stocking in unsuit- 

 able quantities. 



The method of stocking in vogue in Massachusetts until the last few 

 years has been of questionable value, results have been inconsistent, 

 ponds and streams have been stocked with wrong species of fish, and con- 

 siderable money has been expended without completely satisfactory 

 results. The methods of propagation have not been entirely adequate 

 to offset the increasing causes of decline, such as pollution, dams without 

 fishways, illegal seining, liming and dynamiting. Hand in hand with 

 propagation should go proper restrictive laws, which must be enforced. 



The benefits derived from the proper development of the inland waters 

 are: (1) increased facilities for sport and recreation; (2) more business 

 from vacationists; (3) a large food supply; (4) new cottages and pleasure 

 resorts upon our inland waters, developing taxable property. 



Stocking. - - The stocking of inland waters has three essential parts : 

 (1) the rearing of fish at the hatchery, with its expense, labor and nu- 

 merous attending problems which have caused it to be falsely considered 

 the entire solution of fish propagation; (2) the successful distribution of 



