﻿REPOKT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  27 
  

  

  A 
  RETROSPECT. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  current 
  report, 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  as 
  an 
  inde- 
  

   pendent 
  establishment 
  of 
  tlie 
  government 
  ceases, 
  for 
  on 
  July 
  1, 
  1903, 
  

   the 
  Commission 
  became 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  Department 
  of 
  Commerce 
  

   and 
  Labor, 
  under 
  the 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  Congress 
  approved 
  February 
  

   14, 
  1903. 
  While 
  it 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  doubted 
  that 
  the 
  changed 
  status 
  will 
  

   prove 
  most 
  beneficial 
  to 
  the 
  Commission, 
  it 
  is 
  felt 
  that 
  its 
  entire 
  record 
  

   as 
  an 
  independent 
  institution 
  has 
  been 
  so 
  extremely 
  creditable 
  that 
  the 
  

   best 
  wish 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  entertained 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  that 
  under 
  the 
  new 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  it 
  may 
  continue 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  liberal 
  support 
  which 
  has 
  hereto- 
  

   fore 
  been 
  accorded, 
  and 
  that 
  its 
  operations 
  and 
  influence 
  may 
  increase 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  ratio 
  that 
  has 
  characterized 
  recent 
  years. 
  

  

  The 
  joint 
  resolution 
  of 
  February 
  9, 
  1871, 
  by 
  which 
  Congress 
  estab- 
  

   lished 
  the 
  Commission, 
  provided 
  only 
  for 
  an 
  inquiry 
  into 
  the 
  decrease 
  

   of 
  food 
  fishes, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  adopting 
  an}" 
  remedial 
  measures 
  that 
  

   seemed 
  necessary, 
  and 
  appropriated 
  $5,000 
  therefor. 
  During 
  the 
  next 
  

   ten 
  years 
  the 
  sums 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  

   remained 
  comparatively 
  small, 
  but 
  through 
  the 
  energy 
  and 
  ability 
  of 
  

   the 
  Commissioner, 
  Prof. 
  Spencer 
  F. 
  Baird, 
  with 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  of 
  the 
  executive 
  departments, 
  the 
  work 
  steadily 
  increased 
  and 
  its 
  

   scope 
  was 
  extended. 
  The 
  earlv 
  inquiries 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  Commission 
  

   showed 
  that 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  was 
  -the 
  most 
  effective 
  form 
  of 
  aid 
  

   which 
  the 
  federal 
  government 
  could 
  render 
  the 
  commercial 
  fisheries, 
  

   and 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  quickly 
  became 
  and 
  has 
  remained 
  the 
  key- 
  

   note 
  of 
  the 
  Commission's 
  efforts. 
  So 
  efficiently 
  did 
  the 
  Commission 
  

   labor 
  in 
  devising 
  fish-cultural 
  methods 
  and 
  in 
  applying 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  

   practical 
  work 
  of 
  maintaining 
  and 
  increasing 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  food 
  fishes 
  

   that 
  at 
  the 
  International 
  Fisheries 
  Exhibition 
  held 
  in 
  Berlin 
  in 
  1880 
  

   the 
  grand 
  prize 
  was 
  awarded 
  to 
  Professor 
  Baird 
  as 
  "the 
  first 
  fish 
  

   culturist 
  in 
  the 
  world," 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  International 
  Fisheries 
  Exhibition 
  held 
  

   in 
  London 
  in 
  1883 
  Professor 
  Huxley 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  " 
  did 
  not 
  think 
  that 
  

   any 
  nation 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  had 
  comprehended 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  deal- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  fish 
  in 
  so 
  thorough, 
  excellent, 
  and 
  scientific 
  a 
  spirit 
  as 
  the 
  

   United 
  States." 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  liberal 
  policy 
  of 
  Congress 
  in 
  recognizing 
  the 
  impor- 
  

   tance 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  work 
  and 
  in 
  providing 
  for 
  its 
  development, 
  the 
  

   growth 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  twenty-five 
  years 
  has 
  been 
  

   phenomenally 
  rapid, 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  fish 
  culture, 
  but 
  in 
  biological 
  investi- 
  

   gation 
  addressed 
  primarily 
  to 
  fish 
  culture 
  and 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  in 
  the 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  methods 
  and 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  gather- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  presentation 
  of 
  statistical 
  information 
  covering 
  all 
  phases 
  of 
  

   the 
  fishing 
  industry. 
  The 
  Commission 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  date 
  became 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  popular 
  of 
  the 
  government 
  bureaus, 
  and 
  its 
  popularity 
  

   has 
  increased 
  yearly 
  as 
  its 
  work 
  has 
  become 
  more 
  thoroughly 
  under- 
  

   stood 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  practical 
  results 
  of 
  its 
  operations 
  have 
  multiplied. 
  

  

  