182 American Fisheries Society 



Messrs. Appleton, of New York, asked me to prepare a few 

 years ago for the Encyclopedia Americana. This summary 

 gives a slight idea of the varied work, administrative and 

 otherwise, performed by the Fisheries Department, now part 

 of the Marine and Fisheries Department, Ottawa, of which 

 Mr. W. A. Found is Assistant Fisheries Deputy. The more 

 saHent features are : 



1. The maintenance of a system of leases and licenses, 

 which until the fisheries decision of 1898 the federal govern- 

 ment claimed to have the sole right to issue. Certain Prov- 

 inces noAV issue Hcenses, and much doubt exists as to the 

 limits of Dominion and Provincial rights regarding certain 

 licensing and leasing powers, which the judgments of 1898 did 

 not remove. 



2. Enforcement of conditions concerning fishing, amount, 

 mesh, etc., of nets and gear, close seasons, dams and other 

 obstructions, pollutions, etc. 



3. Fish culture by means of hatcheries, and propagation 

 of fish of commercial importance chiefly, though salmon and 

 game fish are not excluded. 



4. Fisheries intelligence bureau, established in 1889, and 

 reporting movements of fish schools off the coast, supplies of 

 bait, etc. 



5. Bounties to fishermen derived from an annual Par- 

 liamentary vote of $160,000, representing the interest on 

 $4,500,000 paid to Canada by the United States, under the 

 Halifax Award of November 23, 1877. 



6. Publicity operations, really a development of the old 

 system of issuing special reports, which afforded information 

 upon leading fishery topics, and the spreading of information 

 among the fishermen and public by lectures and addresses. 

 I have myself in twenty-five years delivered over three hun- 

 dred addresses and illustrated lectures to Canadian clubs. Em- 

 pire clubs, boards of trade, fishery conventions, and other 

 public gatherings, in every part of the Dominion from Halifax 

 to Vancouver, and have published numberless articles in vari- 



