47 



farming of all kinds: in other countries, including our own 

 colonies, fish-cultural societies are doing most valuable 

 work. ... It will, of course, be in no sense a commercial un- 

 dertaking, but purely a scientific society, established on 

 the simplest and broadest foundations, viz., to promote the 

 interests of inland and sea fish-culture of all kinds in the 

 best way possible." 



At the meeting held in accordance with this notice, the 

 following resolution was, among others, as reported in the 

 Fie/d of Dec. 23, "put and carried unanimously": — 



" That in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable that 

 a National Fish Culture Association of Great Britain and 

 Ireland should be established for the purpose of improving 

 and extending the cultivation of our fresh and salt water 

 fishes in the best possible manner." 



The other resolutions merely nominated a President, Vice- 

 Presidents, and a Council, consisting mainly of gentlemen 

 " interested in Fish Culture." Not a word was said by any 

 speaker of any other object being in view than the promo- 

 tion of " fish culture," " pisciculture," " breeding fish," 

 " transplanting the ova," " importation and distribution ot 

 ova," " re-stocking," and " operations in ova." 



So far as the other "objects" of the Society, as quoted 

 by Dr. Day, and Mr. Oldham Chambers, are concerned, 

 they are merely the incidental and subsidiary means by 

 which the one main object of the Association is to be 

 achieved ; and, although they are essential to the proper 

 performance of the functions which the Association has 

 assumed, they are naturally relegated to the end of the 

 Prospectus, of which " Fish Culture " stands in the fore- 

 front. As I have already said, I should be sorry to belong 

 to a Fish Cultural Society which did not make itself 

 acquainted with the habits of the fish it proposed to breed, 

 and which did not fortify itself, by inquiry into the condition 

 of the fisheries, and their possible depiction or diminution, 

 with information as to the possibility and necessity of arti- 

 ficial fish-culture as a means of remedying such diminution. 



But, after all, the important question is, whether the 

 " National Fisheries Society," which I have proposed, 

 taking up every question connected with the fishing in- 

 dustry, would necessarily clash with the interests of existing 

 societies dealing with j-///^/<? branches of the subject. It is 

 urged that the proposal I have made is for a society which 

 would be only the National Fish Culture Association 

 under another name. It might as fairly be urged that 

 it would be only a duplicate of the Rivers Purification 



