REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 11 



that were discovered by Prof. Baird in such large numbers, and 

 seemed to be annihilated at one stroke. 



Having' considered the natural causes that affect all fish, and 

 referred to some of tlie indirect influences of man upon the fresh 

 water spawning fish, we will now enquire into the direct act of 

 man, the capture of ocean fish in large quantities as is now possi- 

 ble by the use of improved methods. 



What is the effect upon the fisheries ? 



Who can answer ? 



We had thought to leave this question, but inasmuch as our 

 State has especial interest in the solution of this question, as our 

 largest fishing interest is directly and vitally affected by its deter- 

 mination ; we feel that we should not be doing our whole duty 

 by evading it, lest we might, like too many others, " step in where 

 angels dare not tread." 



We will first see what others have to say about it. The English 

 Commission under Prof. Huxley examined a vast number of 

 witnesses, received answers to nearly 62,000 questions and visited 

 nearly all the fishing localities of Great Britain and Ireland, many 

 of which had been fished over for many centuries, and though in 

 addition to our modes of fishing by weirs, nets and seines, the 

 beam trawl is there used, which is far more destructive to fish 

 and their spawn and young than any mode of fishing by us, that 

 Commission came to the unanimous conclusion that there was no 

 danger to the sea fisheries either in the open sea, or in bays and 

 arms of the sea from over fishing. The points indicated are the 

 following : "That no amount or kind of fishing can diminish the 

 schooling or wandering fishes of the high sea, such as the herring, 

 mackerel and menhaden." 



The same conclusions were arrived at in regard to the great 

 herring fishery of the North Sea, in fact, while the investigation 

 was being made (if we remember right) an immense quantity of 

 their spawn became detached from the bottom by a storm, and 

 were driven upon the shore, where it was fed to hogs or carted oft' 



