﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XLVII 
  

  

  be 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  intelligent 
  and 
  progressive 
  fish-culture, 
  speak- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  value 
  of 
  scientific 
  investigations, 
  the 
  need 
  for 
  compe- 
  

   tent 
  legislation 
  on 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  the 
  practical 
  worth 
  to 
  the 
  Govern- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  complete 
  statistics, 
  especially 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  fisheries. 
  

   Mr. 
  W. 
  V. 
  Cox 
  followed 
  with 
  " 
  A 
  glance 
  at 
  Billingsgate," 
  which 
  gave 
  

   an 
  excellent 
  description 
  of 
  that 
  famous 
  old 
  fish-market, 
  and 
  ended 
  with 
  

   the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  little, 
  if 
  anything, 
  for 
  American 
  fish-dealers 
  

   to 
  learn 
  at 
  Billingsgate, 
  except 
  how 
  far 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  this 
  res- 
  

   pect 
  we 
  are 
  on 
  this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic. 
  A 
  paper 
  was 
  then 
  read 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  E. 
  G. 
  Blackford 
  on 
  " 
  The 
  oyster-beds 
  of 
  New 
  York," 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  

   spoke 
  of 
  the 
  investigation 
  in 
  progress 
  under 
  his 
  charge 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  

   year 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  This 
  

   investigation 
  showed 
  that 
  the 
  natural 
  oyster-beds 
  were 
  in 
  bad 
  condition 
  

   and 
  much 
  less 
  in 
  extent 
  than 
  they 
  were 
  twenty 
  years 
  ago, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  

   loss 
  in 
  the 
  natural 
  areas 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  made 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  

   planted 
  beds, 
  which 
  increase 
  the 
  territory 
  upon 
  which 
  oysters 
  are 
  grown, 
  

   so 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  sent 
  to 
  market 
  is 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  times 
  what 
  

   it 
  was 
  a 
  score 
  of 
  years 
  ago. 
  The 
  pollution 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  the 
  conse- 
  

   quent 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  oyster-beds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  City 
  

   was 
  referred 
  to, 
  and 
  a 
  plan 
  was 
  spoken 
  of 
  whereby 
  individual 
  owners 
  

   may 
  hold 
  small 
  areas 
  of 
  oyster-grounds 
  and 
  work 
  them 
  thoroughly. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Charles 
  G. 
  Atkins 
  reported 
  on 
  " 
  The 
  biennial 
  spawning 
  of 
  sal- 
  

   mon," 
  as 
  learned 
  from 
  experiments 
  conducted 
  at 
  Bucksport, 
  Me. 
  These 
  

   seem 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  normal 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  Penobscot 
  salmon 
  to 
  

   spawn 
  every 
  second 
  year, 
  while 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  fairly 
  well 
  established 
  

   that 
  a 
  large 
  part, 
  perhaps 
  nearly 
  all, 
  of 
  the 
  salmon, 
  instead 
  of 
  proceed- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  sea 
  at 
  once 
  after 
  spawning, 
  linger 
  in 
  the 
  fresh 
  water 
  all 
  winter 
  

   and 
  descend 
  only 
  with 
  the 
  spring 
  floods. 
  The 
  concluding 
  paper 
  was 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Fred 
  Mather 
  on 
  the 
  " 
  Work 
  at 
  Cold 
  Spring 
  Harbor," 
  which 
  

   gave 
  a 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  at 
  this 
  hatchery 
  with 
  foreign 
  and 
  do- 
  

   mestic 
  fish 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  18S4-'8o. 
  The 
  facts 
  stated 
  are 
  included 
  

   in 
  the 
  Keports 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  for 
  1884 
  and 
  1885. 
  

  

  Before 
  the 
  final 
  adjournment 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  society 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  

   White 
  House 
  and 
  were 
  presented 
  to 
  President 
  Cleveland. 
  A 
  visit 
  was 
  

   also 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  Government 
  carp 
  ponds, 
  near 
  the 
  Washington 
  Monu- 
  

   ment. 
  

  

  On 
  May 
  7 
  the 
  society 
  made 
  a 
  trip 
  to 
  the 
  shad-hatching 
  grounds 
  of 
  

   the 
  Potomac, 
  on 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  steamer 
  Fish 
  Hawk. 
  At 
  Fort 
  

   Washington 
  4,000,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  exhibited 
  in 
  process 
  of 
  packing 
  for 
  

   shipment 
  to 
  the 
  central 
  station 
  at 
  Washingtion. 
  On 
  the 
  homeward 
  

   trip 
  a 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  executive 
  committee 
  was 
  held, 
  at 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  

   decided 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  next 
  annual 
  meeting 
  in 
  Chicago. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  gentlemen 
  were 
  elected 
  as 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  society 
  for 
  the 
  

   ensuing 
  year 
  : 
  

  

  President— 
  Col. 
  M. 
  McDonald, 
  of 
  Berryville, 
  Va. 
  

  

  Vice-president— 
  Br. 
  W. 
  M. 
  Hudson, 
  of 
  Hartford, 
  Conn. 
  

  

  