PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 25. 11 



NATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 



The Massachusetts Commissioners have always held offices 

 of great importance in the national associations which have to 

 do with the larger phases of the work. We believe we should 

 continue to be closely identified with all interstate and national 

 problems, contributing our share toward their solution. 



Commissioner George H. Graham represented the Board at 

 the meeting of the American Fisheries Society and the National 

 Association of Game and Fish Commissioners in New Orleans 

 last October. The full Board attended the meeting of the 

 Game Breeders' Association in New York City in December. 



OUR NATURAL RESOURCES. 



Why should sportsmen be forced to take expensive trips to 

 Maine and the Provinces for fishing and hunting, when there 

 are latent facilities in Massachusetts capable of offering as 

 good fishing, and in some respects as good hunting? Mr. 

 Sportsman, are you thoroughly acquainted with the natural fish 

 and game resources of your native State? Necessarily Massa- 

 chusetts can never offer any big game hunting except deer, but 

 for small game and birds of all varieties her facilities are 

 hardly equaled by any State in the Union. The same can be 

 said of her streams and ponds. With this Commission lies the 

 possibilities of opening up these natural resources to afford 

 recreation and sport for both vacationist and working man. 



What has Massachusetts to offer? Over 800 natural ponds 

 and lakes, all over 20 acres in area; a host of artificial ponds 

 of all sizes, scattered from Barnstable to Berkshire, and some 

 4,000 miles of streams, all of which are potential producers of 

 many species of fresh- water fish; a long shore line indented 

 with bays and coastal streams, where all forms of recreative 

 and commercial shore fishing are available, not to mention 

 excellent shore bird and waterfowl shooting; over 62,000 acres 

 of wild land reservations for the protection and propagation of 

 game birds; and a varied and abundant supply of forest, brush 

 and swamp land suitable for such game as white hares, deer 

 and birds. Such are the latent natural resources of our Com- 

 monwealth which await development. 



