REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 15 



part in the discussion, and submitted formal papers. Through an 

 International Jury of Awards, prizes were offered for original papers 

 submitted in competitioh on various topics. Through one of its 

 members your Commission submitted two papers based on the work 

 accomplished at the Wickford station, and both papers received 

 awards: the one for "The most Useful, New, and Original Principle, 

 Method, or Apparatus to be employed in Fish Culture or in Trans- 

 porting Live Fishes," the other for ''The Best Original and Practical 

 Method of Lobster Culture." In giving an account of the proceedings 

 of this congress the English Journal of Science "Nature" makes the 

 following favorable comment upon the method of fish culture worked 

 out by your Commission: "the method is a wide departure from those 

 previously employed, and marks the greatest advance in fish culture 

 within recent years. It may be added that it has for several years 

 demonstrated its practical utility." 



At the close of the congress at Washington the foreign guests made 

 a tour of inspection of the principal fisheries industries of New Eng- 

 land, and about fifty delegates, including representatives of about 

 twenty nations, were entertained at Wickford by your Commis- 

 sioners on September 29th, We are glad to acknowledge the cordial 

 co-operation and assistance of our friends at Wickford, particularly 

 the Lewis Brothers and the Wickford Oyster Company, who very 

 materially assisted in making the visit enjoyable and profitable to 

 the distinguished foreigners. 



At the conferences of the Governors of the New England States, 

 held last December in Boston at the invitation of Governor Guild, 

 your Commissioners were represented, and took part in the discussion 

 of the subjects of clam and lobster fisheries. Two subsequent con- 

 ferences of the representatives of the Fish Commissioners of the 

 several New England States were held at Boston, and discussions of 

 these problems were continued through four sessions. While these 

 conferences were advisory in function, they nevertheless brought into 

 definite form many matters of common interest to all the States and 

 gave to the representatives of each State a better understanding of the 



