12 FISH AND GAME. 



FIELD AND STREAM. 



Outdoor sport is a great factor in the making of good clean 

 citizens. Any man with the love of nature and the great out- 

 doors in his heart cannot be otherwise than a valuable member 

 of his community. The physical effort and the training of 

 muscles, eyes and senses in outdoor recreation have saved many 

 a busy business man from a nervous breakdown. In the 

 "strenuous" life of to-day it is essential that facilities for rest 

 and pleasure be afforded close at home. A great opportunity 

 for recreation on field and stream lies at our very doors, and 

 needs but the touch of the magic wand for awakening. The 

 sports of hunting and fishing closely woven into our national 

 growth have in no State been a more powerful factor than in 

 our Commonwealth. 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES. 



Inland fishermen should not forget that on the coast of 

 Massachusetts are commercial salt-water fisheries of great 

 value. From these fisheries Massachusetts derived her origin 

 and early wealth, and to-day Boston and Gloucester rank 

 among the leading fishing centers of the world. Verily, the 

 historic codfish of our Commonwealth well deserves its fame. 



The Fish and Game Commission does not exist, as is often 

 considered, solely for the interests of the angler and hunter; 

 it also has the important duty of conserving and regulating the 

 commercial fisheries which employ a large number of men, and 

 are a source of food supply to a vast population. Its efforts 

 are directed toward the oversight of the shore fisheries, preserva- 

 tion of the lobster and shellfish eries, experimental investigations 

 to increase the production and the education of the fishermen in 

 regard to the general status of the fisheries. The establishment 

 of a fisheries institute, the opening of new experimental fields, 

 the regulation of injurious methods of fishing, and the advisability 

 of establishing a salt-water fish hatchery, are future problems to 

 be undertaken. This Commission has always been a pioneer in 

 fishery work, and aims to enlarge its influence in the salt-water 

 fisheries. 



