THE NECESSITY OF STATE LEGISLATION IN THE CON- 

 SERVATION OF FRESH-WATER MUSSELS. 



By A. F. Shira, 

 U. S. Fisheries Biological Station, Fair-port, Iowa. 



In an attempt to adequately preserve the very valuable fresh- 

 water mussel resources of our streams the two expedients, usually 

 resorted to in such cases, have been advocated and to a certain 

 extent practiced: (1) artificial propagation and planting, and (2) 

 protection by legislative enactment. All of you are, no doubt, 

 somewhat familiar with the work of artificial mussel propagation 

 carried on by the United States Bureau of Fisheries, through 

 its Biological Station at Fairport, Iowa. The successful results 

 of this work are apparent, and experiments in the rearing of 

 mussels under control to a sufficient size for making definite 

 plants on particular bottom areas, have been successfully carried 

 out on a small scale, and give promise of far-reaching results. 

 Yet it must be stated that the main dependence for a continued 

 supply of mussels must be placed upon sufficient and wise pro- 

 tecting laws, which can be furnished only by the states concerned. 



The protection of mussels is not a new subject and its need 

 has been repeatedly emphasized. (Coker, 1914 and 1916). 

 (Smith, 1919).* My object in the present paper is to detail what 

 the states have already done in making the necessary provisions 

 and to outline what still remains to be done. 



The first move for protective measures resulted in a conference 

 at Madison, Wis., in 1914, participated in by representatives of 

 the Bureau of Fisheries, state officials from Wisconsin, Minnesota, 

 Illinois and Iowa, and other interested persons. At this con- 

 ference a bill was drawn up and endorsed, the principal features 

 of which provided for a size limit on the mussels, a limitation on 

 the manner and means of capture, a license fee for resident and 



* "The Protection of Fresh-Water Mussels," by R. E. Coker. U. S. 

 Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 793. 1914. 



"The Utilization and Preservation of Fresh-Water Mussels," by R. E. 

 Coker. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. December, 1916. 



"Fresh-Water Mussels: A Valuable National Resource Without Suf- 

 ficient Protection," by Hugh M. Smith. U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, Eco- 

 nomic Circular No. 43, 1919. 



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