32 Fish Culturists' Association. 



Another subject, and one which I hope will attract general 

 attention among our fish culturists, is that of obtaining informa- 

 tion upon which to base the passage of proper laws concerning 

 the regulation of our tide-water fisheries, if you choose to call 

 them such. You know very well, Mr. Chairman, that when we 

 attempt to make any laws for the protection of those of the 

 fishes that seem to need protection, we are always met by an 

 immense mass of sworn testimony from the owners of 

 pounds, and others interested in that branch of industry, to 

 show that these pounds are not destructive, and do not 

 tend to lessen the number of fish. The only way to 

 come at the truth of the matter would seem to be to 

 cause a series of observations to be made. This has been 

 done to a very great extent already by the admirable investiga- 

 tions of the United States Commission, under Prof. Baird, and 

 the previous investigations by the Massachusetts Commission. 

 But we still lack a large amount of specific information. When 

 we shall have secured the information upon which we can show 

 how many fish may be taken without diminishing the annual 

 crop, and when we know the facts as to the migrations of each 

 fish, then we shall be prepared to go before a legislature and 

 show that more have been taken than should have been taken, 

 in view of what should have been left for seed for the next 

 year. When you put your petition in that form, you can get a 

 law passed that will be a satisfactory one, but, until you do that, 

 you cannot get such a law. 



These are two subjects which have much interested us in 

 Massachusetts, and they are those which must interest all the 

 States — the inland States, to a greater or less extent, as well as 

 the others. I have ventured to call the attention of my col- 

 leagues to these points, so that we may, with the least possible 

 delay, acquire all the information which will enable us to 



