64 American Fisheries Society 



Mr. John P. Woods moved the adoption of the report, which 

 was unanimously carried. 



Mr. John W. Titcomb, Chairman of the Committee on Mem- 

 bership, presented the name of Hon. Honore Mercier for election 

 as an honorary member of the Society. President Field called for 

 a rising vote which was declared to be unanimous. 



The next speaker to be introduced by the President was 

 Hon. W. A. Killian, State Commissioner of Fisheries of Maryland. 

 An abstract of Mr. Killian's remarks follows: 



HON. W. A. KILLIAN'S ADDRESS. 



' ' I have often wondered why the fisherman of any region have 

 so devastated their source of livelihood, but perhaps the suggestion 

 that it goes back to the Pilgrim Fathers and to misconceived ideas 

 of the right of free fisheries, is correct. But it is wonderful what 

 the conservation idea can do in a community when the logical 

 consequences of waste and the fact that their livelihood has been 

 destroyed is brought home to the fishermen themselves. 



One of the first things recognized when the Maryland Con- 

 servation Commission was created — and I take it the same has 

 been true in other states — is that very little can be accomplished 

 until there is real co-operation between the states which have 

 common interests. It was a by- word for years that no co-operation 

 could be expected between Maryland and Virginia and one of the 

 largest industries of these states, namely the oyster industry, had 

 gone wrong, merely because the Potomac River forms the boun- 

 dary line. The crab and fish industries also suffered greatly for 

 the same reason. Fortunately, it was possible to arrive at an 

 understanding. I wish to say for your encouragement that if the 

 commissions of any two states will get together and cut red tape 

 and form a joint partnership for handling the work they can get 

 somewhere. That is what we have done and when we get together 

 on the boundary line we have present all those who are charged 

 with any part of the work. While we have had only one year of 

 such co-operative work, enormous benefits are already apparent. 



It is much easier to secure respect for law if the people appre- 

 ciate the benefits to be derived. We have recently devised a plan 



