COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 7 



desired may be judged from the partial list (given farther along in 

 the report) of those which have been stocked by the Commission. 

 A great number cf these applications must be denied or at most the 

 applicant given a small fraction of the consignment desired. The 

 chief reason for this lies in the inability of the Commission to obtain 

 the fish — sometimes through lack of funds, but more often because 

 the fish cannot be obtained. The surrounding states have their own 

 hatcheries and the government is able to furnish only a limited number 

 — often not the kind or size desired. 



Fresh -Water Hatchery. 



These considerations have led your Commission, for the past two 

 years to seriously consider the advisability of constructing a small 

 fresh-water hatchery as the best means of supplying this growing need 

 of our State. A need which is not confined to the sportsman alone, 

 but to every individual in our State who enjoys a day's outing on the 

 banks of one of our beautiful streams or ponds with the pleasure and 

 satisfaction of catching a good mess of fish. At a moderate initial 

 outlay sufficient to cover the purchase of the site and the construction 

 of artificial ponds, a hatchery suitable for our needs could be built. 

 A location could be obtained close to our present marine hatchery 

 at Wickford which would enable us to use — to a great extent — the 

 men already employed there. Then at a small annual expenditure 

 many times the number of fish which we can now supply would be 

 available for the waters of our State. 



Fish Ponds on the Farm. 



Another feature which your Commission has in mind in connection 

 with the proposed fish hatchery is the maintenance of a model fish 

 pond such as could be constructed upon any farm at moderate cost 

 and at practically no cost of upkeep. There is scarcely a farm in our 

 State which does not possess some natural pond which could be made 

 productive or some marsh or lowland in which a pond suitable for 



