44 Amei'icayi Fishe^nes Society 



where, in any other country, an institute of that kind. They teach 

 almost all the branches connected with the fisheries, fish culture and 

 marine biology, and it has frequently occurred to Dr. Smith that such 

 instruction is needed in this country. We ought not to let the Jap- 

 anese get ahead of us in this respect. Japan has been called the 

 paramount fishing country, but the United States is one of the next, 

 and it is to be hoped that we may see something like this in our 

 own country. 



Mr. John P. Woods, of Missouri: This suggestion has been presented 

 in a very learned way in the paper we have just heard read and we 

 should take special cognizance of it and act on it in whatever way 

 may have the best efiPect. It is a very important matter and I move 

 the appointment of a committee to consider it. 



Approved. 



President: I will appoint Messrs. Wood, Dyche and Prince, and 

 will ask them, to report at a later period of this meeting. 



Mr. John W. Titcomb, of Vermont: Commissioner Smith has re- 

 ferred to a forward movement in agriculture. Something like a thou- 

 sand elementary schools in agriculture have sprung up in the last ten 

 years. In our State we have a movement which provides for associa- 

 tions of farmers and those associations are employing county agents, 

 supposed to be experts, who go about among the farmers to learn of 

 their conditions. It seems to me that this paper contemplates some- 

 thing similar in a fishing community, and if it does as much good as 

 this movement among the farmers is doing it will help tremendously 

 in forwarding the work of the fisheries and will be of great economic 

 importance. 



Fish culture has also been touched upon. I think Dr. Smith feels 

 that we should have experiment stations. We have none today. We 

 have fish culture stations, but not experiment stations, where we can 

 try out theories, and I hope that will be included. 



Dr. E. E. Prince, of Canada: I noticed a reference to Ireland in 

 Dr. Smith's paper. I think Ireland preceded Japan in regard to edu- 

 cation in fish matters. The Baroness Burdett-Coutts, forty years ago, 

 provided the funds to found a fishing school for the purpose of in- 

 structing the Irish fishermen in the arts of fishing, use of bait, and, 

 in brief, their fishing operations. The school was carried on by a 

 priest. Father Davids, who arranged courses of instruction. When I 

 visited the station, about twenty years ago, the fishing population 

 were not thoroughly enthusiastic and the school was not so successful 

 as it had been. 



Another movement in Scotland, a little later, was started by the 

 University of Edinburgh. Courses of instruction were given on fish 

 life and on fish matters generally, and there again the Scottish fish- 

 ermen did not take that intelligent interest in the work that was 

 expected. I, myself, took part in a course of lectures upon fish mat- 

 ters, under what was called the Summer School of Science, and we 

 hoped that the fishermen of the neighboring fishing towns were being 

 benefited. I think when the fisherman left the lecture he felt that 

 there was not very much to learn from the professors. 



The point is how best to get at this work to make it successful. In 

 the first place a little missionary work is necessary; and, in the second 

 place, that work must be done by visiting fishermen themselves in the 

 fishing towns. Fishermen, as a rule, are rather suspicious of instruc- 

 tion from scientific men, and in some respects perhaps they are right. 

 The fishermen expect to learn all they can about catching fish. They 

 do not find much instruction in that, but if their interest could be 

 aroused in regard to conservation, there are many sources of waste 



