78 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE 



This haphazard method was especially noticeable in the fish ])lant- 

 ing efforts of the various agencies and resulted in considerable wast- 

 age of fish, effort, and money. Requests for fish were received by 

 both the State and Federal departments and were filled by the 

 agency receiving the request, without regard to what had been done 

 or was going to be done by the other agency concerned. The results 

 were that often the two agencies planted different species of fish in 

 the same waters and these different species might be antagonistic to 

 each other. In the actual planting of these fish more time and money 

 have been spent than necessary. The Federal Government has sent 

 its trucks to waters that could have been better and more cheaply 

 served by the State and vice versa. 



With the advent of pollution problems, stream-survey work, and 

 stream-improvement programs, the need for coordination of effort 

 became even more apparent. Rivers know no State lines, nor do 

 the fish in them. The work to be successful must embrace river 

 systems regardless of State boundaries. This, then, would require 

 careful planning and direction. 



Commissioner Bell, therefore, called a meeting of State game and 

 fish officials in St. Louis on April 23, 1934, and laid before them a 

 plan to coordinate the activities of the various States and the Fed- 

 eral Government in all their activities concerning fish. This led to 

 the formation of the National Planning Council of Commercial and 

 Game Fish Commissioners. Through this council it is expected to 

 establish unified programs that will bring about a saving in money 

 and yet actually accomplish more for the fisheries than under the 

 old system. 



The council divided the country into five zones, grouping together 

 those States with similar problems and conditions. Each zone will 

 hold meetings every 3 months or often er to consider the problems 

 of that zone, and the whole council will meet once a year for general 

 consideration of the whole situation. 



COOPERATION WITH STATES 



Many of the cooperative relationships for fish culture are a continu- 

 ation of those existing in previous years. Among the newer de- 

 velopments is an arrangement whereby the Bureau's Northville 

 (Mich.) station incubated trout for assignment to the States of 

 Indiana and Ohio in conformity with the program of those States 

 to develop trout fishing. Upon the closure of the Federal hatchery 

 at Grand Lake Stream, Maine, the State Fish and Game Depart- 

 ment was prevailed upon to take over its operation and allot the 

 Bureau a limited number of land-locked salmon eggs. The resources 

 of the State and Federal hatcheries, located at Put in Bay. Ohio, 

 were pooled, with the result that the operations with whitefish ard 

 with pike perch were conducted at a material saving to both agencies. 

 The State of Georgia undertook to distribute fish from the Bureau's 

 Lake Park station, filling both State and Federal applications. At 

 Rochester, N. Y., the cooperative arrangement with the city and the 

 Monroe County Park Board was continued, and there was ]ilaced 

 in operation a first-class trout hatchery, the activities of which were 

 supervised l)v the Bureau, while the costs of construction were met by 



