Elected to the office of Recording Secretary in 1883, I feel 

 that I have served the society faithfully and ask to be relieved 

 from further work, The office which I have held, involves 

 more labor than any other in the society, requiring the special 

 knowledge of a journalist in the preparation of papers and 

 reports, and if I can be of any assistance to my successor he 

 has only to name the manner of it. 



Very truly yours, 

 * FRED MATHER. 



After some discussion, Mr. Mather consented to act as Re- 

 cording Secretary until the election of officers. 



PRESIDENT BISSELL'S ADDRESS. 



The following address by President Bissell was then read 

 by Dr. Hudson : — 



Gentlemen of the American Fisheries Society : — 



It may not be inappropriate, on opening this Annual Meet- 

 ing of the Society, for the President to comment briefly upon 

 affairs of the Society, or other subjects which he may deem 

 suitable for the Society's consideration. 



OF MEETINGS. 



As we all believe that some good may accrue to the cause 

 of fish-culture in this country from the proceedings of this 

 Society, it is important to make the meetings of the Society 

 as interesting and practical as we may ; and to secure each 

 year as large an attendance as possible of the persons within 

 reach who are to some extent interested in the topics dis- 

 cussed. To that end I advise that, in future, at least two 

 members of the Executive Committee should be selected 

 from the locality where the meeting of the year following is 

 to be held, and that those members, with the President and 

 Corresponding Secretary, should be constituted a sub-com- 

 mittee having special charge of the Annual Meeting. We 

 cannot always meet in PhiladelphTa, nor always have the dis- 



