Oshurn. — Science and Practice in Fisheries Work 71 



unapplied, and fish-cultural practice and commercial fishing, 

 unaided by investigation, are bound to be wasteful and slow 

 of progress. We must render science applicable and under- 

 standable, and make practice as scientific as it is possible to 

 make it. 



I know of no scientific men in this Society who "sit in 

 the scorner's seat" ; most of them have some knowledge of 

 fisheries practice. On the other hand, there may be an occa- 

 sional fish culturist, or commercial fisherman, though perhaps 

 none such would be a member of this Society, who has not 

 kept abreast of the times and who may have some doubts as 

 to the value of scientific research in his work. That is, he 

 is in thei same class with the farmer who works like his father 

 did before him and maintains that that is good enough for him. 

 But the old-fashioned farmer need only observe the scientific 

 farmer's greater results to realize the value of new methods, 

 and the same will apply to fisheries work. Usually, however, 

 such a man is given merely to cursing his luck for his failure 

 instead of seeking the reason. 



Now, we will agree, I think, that practice should follow 

 scientific advances just as rapidly as possible, and the only 

 question is as to how we are to achieve this result. Between 

 the scientific man who is unskilled in practical work and the 

 practical man who is unlearned in science, there is a wide gulf 

 — they speak a dififerent language — but, as I have said, there 

 are at the same time all sorts of intermediates. The most 

 practical of the scientists and the most scientific of the practical 

 workers must be the interpreters between the extremes. 



The scientist, in his ignorance of matters outside of his 

 particular field, may not know the problems which confront 

 the practical man, but, being shown them, he may be able to 

 assist in their solution. The practical man, with his limita- 

 tions of knowledge, may not know that the solution of his 

 troubles has already been found, nor where to apply for as- 

 sistance. 



