458 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



It seems to be absurd that for the assumed preservation of two tisb 

 which are considered dainties, viz, bluefish and bass, all this ado is 

 made. If the committee bad secured tbe statistics of all the food- 

 fisb received for the last ten years in New York, Boston, Baltimore, 

 and Philadelphia markets, I feel confident that they would have found 

 the qnantities bad largely increased to meet tbe increased demand. 

 The food-fish forming the main fish diet of tbe masses of the people, 

 sucb as cod, herring, mackerel, porgies, flounders, eels, halibut, shad, 

 and numerous others, do not require the menhaden either as food or 

 bait, yet they all have their occasions of periodical scarcity, and had 

 even when menhaden fishing was unknown. 



But I am one of those who believe in certain restrictions as to tbe 

 mode of conducting tbe business. Not that the catching of menhaden 

 in any way interferes with the supply of game or food fish, or that their 

 catching by man diminishes their numbers to any appreciable de- 

 gree; but that the manner in which they have of late been pursued 

 has bad, in my opinion, a tendency, with other causes, to keep them 

 from following, what seems to be, their natural method of migrating up 

 and down the coast. For these reasons, my observations have led me 

 to the opinion that tbe Atlantic coast should be divided off into districts, 

 say from the Gulf to Cape Hatteras, from Cape Hatteras to Chesapeake 

 Bay, from Chesapeake Bay to Delaware Bay, from Delaware Bay to 

 Fire Island, from Fire Island to Cape Cod, Long Island Sound to Point 

 Judith, and from Cape Cod to Maine, &c.j that fishing for menhaden 

 should not commence until the 1st of June, to allow the fish to school 

 along tbe coast ; that not less than 2£ inch meshes be used; that fishing 

 licenses should be required for each and every vessel for the district it 

 was to fish in; that said vessels should not be allowed to fish in dis- 

 tricts except those for which licenses were granted, and before chang- 

 ing a district, the license would have to be surrendered and replaced 

 by a new one for tbe new district before fish could be caught therein. 

 By these means the fish would have a chance to school ; .young fish 

 would not be caught, the fishing fleet would be scattered so as not to 

 be concentrated at any one given point at a moment's notiee, thereby 

 preventing an even distribution of the fish along the coast. 1 know 

 that some short-sighted people or some over eager for gain will strongly 

 denounce this, but all I claim for the above is that it is the result of 

 most deliberate consideration and the basis of my honest convictions 

 that such a plan would benefit all concerned and reconcile opposition. 



I notice the report of the steamer Fish Hawk meeting large bodies 

 of menhaden off-shore; this circumstance may be used as an argument 

 to the effect that steamers muted with natural enemies and causes drove 

 them off. 



Recent occurrences have made me return to my first opinion, viz, 

 that there should be legal and proper restraints over this class of fishery. 



47 Willow Street, Brooklyn, October 14, 1882. 



