Seal. — Suggestions of Possible Interest 189 



pears to be impossible to overcome the purely selfish ten- 

 dencies involved and until this is accomplished there will 

 be no progress in this direction. 



For many years a stranger listening to the discussions 

 of the American Fisheries Society might have concluded 

 that there was but one phase of fish culture of very great' 

 importance, with but one serious question involved, that 

 known as "Fry vs. Yearlings." It will probably never 

 be settled to the satisfaction of its opposing advocates. 



It was quite apparent to the writer at the Fourth Inter- 

 national Fishery Congress that the feeling was strong 

 among the working fish culturists that too much promi- 

 nence was being given to scientific and pseudo-scientific 

 investigation, and perhaps even more to plain amateur 

 observations such as interest the writer and others as 

 becomes good citizens interested in problems affecting 

 the general welfare. 



The society has since then wisely differentiated its 

 functions thus practically broadening its legitimate field 

 of work, allowing full scope for the spirit of investiga- 

 tion as well as for encouragement of practical work. 

 This course, if pursued with liberality, should lead to 

 greater popularity for the society, without which it never 

 will be progressive. 



It is in this spirit and from this viewpoint that it is 

 here suggested that there should be a modification of the 

 fish protective laws in the interest of scientific investi- 

 gators, nature students, and aquarium fanciers, to allow 

 them to take fishes for their purposes. The schools, even 

 down to the kindergardens, have aquaria, for nature 

 study, but no legitimate means of supplying them. 



The aquarium societies represent a class of citizens 

 that should be in alliance and in sympathy with the gen- 

 eral work of fish culture and fish protection, if only as 

 creators of fish cultural sentiment. There is no such re- 

 striction, so far as known to the writer, in any other 

 country and it is looked upon by those whom it affects as 

 an arbitrary, selfish, and unjust misuse of power. There 

 is no analagous feature in the laws for the protection of 



