272 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Man being one of the chief destroyers of fish, his influence npon their 

 abundance must be studied. Fishery methods and apparatus must be 

 examined and compared with those of other lands, that the use of 

 those which threaten the destruction of useful tishes may be dis- 

 couraged, and that those which are inetficient may be replaced by 

 others more serviceable. Statistics of industry and trade must be 

 Recured for the use of Congress in making treaties or imposing tariffs, 

 to show to producers the best markets, and to consumers where and 

 with what their needs may be supplied. 



3. The introduction and multiplication of useful food-fishes 

 throughout the country, especially in waters under the jurisdiction of 

 the General Government, or those common to several states, none of 

 which might feel willing to make expenditures for the benefit of the 

 others. This work was not contemplated when the Commission was 

 established, though the appropriations for this purpose have since 

 been renewed every year on an increasingly bountiful scale, and the 

 propagation of fishes is at present by far the most extensive branch 

 of the work of the Commission. 



The origin of the Commission, its purposes and methods of organi- 

 zation, having been described, it now remains to review the accom- 

 plished results of its work. Although most valuable results have been 

 attained in each department, the limits of this paper and the fitness of 

 the occasion will not allow me to more than touch upon the salient 

 points of the division of flsh culture. 



The most pronounced question fronting the advanced fish-cul- 

 luralist is, what can be done to neutralize the various destructive in- 

 fluences which man brings to bear upon the inhabitants of the waters. 

 There are evideutly three things to do. (I) To preserve fish waters, 

 especially those inland, as nearly as it may be possible in their normal 

 condition. (2) To prevent wasteful or immoderate fishing. (3) To 

 put into practice the art of fish breeding. In other woods, to aid in 

 maintaining a natural supply ; to repair the effects of past improvi- 

 dences, and to increase the supply beyond its natural limits rapidly 

 enough to meet the necessities of a population constantly increasing 

 in number and requirements. 



The preservation of normal conditions in inland waters is com- 

 paratively simple. A reasonable system of forestry and water purifi- 

 cation is all that is required ; and this is indeed not only by the fish in 

 the streams, but by the people living on the banks. It has been shown 

 that a river which is too foul for fish to live in is not fit to flow near 

 the habitations of man. Obstructions, such as dams erected for power 

 purposes, and proving barriers to the free movements of the fish, may 



