lyo First Report on Economic Zoology. 



i. Owing: to the special interest attached to the subject, tlie paper has 

 been issued as an extra number of the " West Indian Bulletin." It will 

 iilso appear amongst the Conference i)apers to be published in the second 

 volume of the Bulletin now in the press. 



3. Althou2:h the British West Indian Islands are surrounded by wide 

 seas, inhaljited by large numbers of edible fish of excellent quality, the 

 methods employed in capture are somewhat i^riniitive, and in no instance is 

 advantage taken of modern improvements. At present a considerable trade 

 in salt fish is carried on between these islands and British North America, 

 the annual value of which is estimated at £234,000. 



4. Dr. Duerden, so far as I am aware, is the first to draw attention 

 from the scientific point of view to the potentialities of the marine 

 resources of these islands. It would, in my opinion, be most valuable if 

 the subject could be taken up as a part of the research work entrusted to 

 this Department. This would be in harmony with what has been done 

 with considerable advantage at Cape Colony and in connection with the 

 recently created Board of Agriculture in Ireland. I estimate that the cost 

 of adding a Fishery Branch to this Department would be about £800 to 

 £1000 per annum. 



.5. I commend for special consideration the resume given at the close 

 of Dr. Duerden's paper (pp. 18 and ID). He rightly points out that the 

 West Indian Fisheries and the men associated with them have been wholly 

 neglected by the agencies devoted to the improvement and extension of 

 the industrial resources of these Islands," and he concludes as follows : 

 "The directions along which development and investigation in fishery 

 matters are most needed at present within the West Indies may finally be 

 summarised : — (1) The best methods of capturing and curing tropical fish ; 

 (2) Knowledge of the life-history and habits of the edible and migratory 

 fish ; (3) Encouragement of enterprise in fisheries generally ; (4) The 

 best means of shipping live turtle. Artificial hatching and rearing of the 

 green turtle and the hawksbill ; (5) Restocking of the exhausted grounds 

 around Barbados with artificially reared sea-eggs ; (G) Oyster, sponge, and 

 lobster culture. One of the great endeavours of to-day in the West Indies 

 is to supplement in as many directions as possible the old industries of 

 sugar and rum by the introduction and encouragement of other products ; 

 and in the undeveloped resources of the sea the Colonies have a possession 

 which, if rightly used, will constitute a valuable adjunct to the many 

 agricultural efforts." 



('). In order that the subject may be placed before the Secretary of State 

 in a complete form I suggest that a copy of this letter and of Mr. Duerden's 

 paper be referred for their opinion as Zoological Experts to Professor Ray 

 Lankcster, F.R.S., Director of the British Museum (Nat. Hist.), and to Pro- 

 fessor Howes, F.R.S., of the Royal College of Science, South Kensington. 



7. In the meantime copies of Dr. Duerden's paper have been communi- 

 cated to the Governors and to all the leading officials and residents in 

 these Colonies. 



8. I forward, under separate cover, five extra copies of the Report for 

 the use of the Colonial office. 



I have, etc. 



(Signed) D. Morris, 



Commissioner of Agriculture for the West Indies, 



