58 American Fisheries Society 



the general economy of the nation. I believe that the conditions 

 that obtain now, when the people are going to look into these 

 practices on account of the necessities of war, will make very 

 largely for improvement. 



We found, as a general proposition, that in the fisheries business 

 as conducted in a great many places, at least 40% of the total 

 product is wasted; never gets to market, never utilized for food, 

 never turned into cash in any way, shape or fashion. Now I do 

 not know of any greater arraignment of any industry than to say 

 that there is a 40% waste. What would it mean to the country 

 and to the world if there were that waste in the grain trade or in 

 the handling of meat supplies. It is a national disgrace that such 

 a condition obtains anywhere in the United States. 



There is also an enormous curtailment of the fish supply and 

 particularly of the breeding grounds. This comes about through 

 the introduction of sewage into public waters. Factory wastes 

 entail an enormous loss, not alone to the fish, but particularly to 

 the industries themselves. I have had a recent report of one of our 

 rivers which was formerly an important salmon and shad river 

 and could be utilized for many other species of fish. That river, 

 the Merrimac, was practically wiped off the fishermen's map on 

 account of the pollution by factory and municipal sewage. The 

 report states that the factories, particularly the woolen factories, 

 are equipping their mills with devices for saving wool scouring 

 wastes. Already there has been a very marked improvement in 

 that river and we may look in the near future to its becoming 

 again a source of food and recreation to the people. Now that 

 must be done ultimately in practically every large river of the 

 country. One cannot traverse any of the large rivers without 

 noticing a large amount of waste going on unnecessarily. This is 

 true, not alone of the rivers of the east where the condition has 

 grown worse through years of malpractice, but the rivers of the 

 central part of the country and of the west are rapidly getting into 

 that condition. 



I was astounded at the changes made in the rivers by mining 

 operations in Nevada, Northern California and Oregon. Some of 

 this can be avoided. Lumbering operations, too, throw enormous 

 amounts of useful waste into the streams because up to the present 

 time we have not been obliged to utilize those types of materials. 



