66 Fish Culturists Association. 



under his control, and to Mr. Stone to tell you about the opera- 

 tions in California. I will state that the United States Com- 

 mission have always endeavored to carry out the principle of 

 doing nothing on its part that the States should be or are willing 

 to do ; and while it takes charge of the rivers and large bodies of 

 water that belongs to the several States, it leaves to the States 

 themselves the care of fostering the fishers' interests in the rivers 

 which belong exclusively within their jurisdiction. -Therefore, 

 with regard to such fish as the California salmon, it was 

 considered best to confine the operations of the United States 

 Commission almost entirely to the gathering of the eggs, and 

 to distributing those eggs to the said Commissioners in such 

 quantities as should be called for, they being charged for the 

 payment of packing and expressage merely on what they took. 

 During these years the operations with regard to the California 

 salmon have therefore been constituted on about the same scale 

 as at present, the appropriation being about equal to the demand, 

 and sufficient to pay for the distribution to such States as had no 

 Commissioners. A certain number of eggs were brought to the 

 East, and part to the establishment at Northfield, at Michigan, 

 and a part to the Central Park, from which they were distributed 

 to a very large number of rivers. There are comparatively few 

 principal streams which we have left unsupplied with these fish. 

 The operations with regard to shad for the last year were 

 much more limited than before, as the appropriation available 

 for the purpose was not passed until early in May, when it was 

 too late for the southern rivers, as in previous years the eggs 

 were furnished to the Commissioners of the States, or shipped 

 to other parts. Nothing was done this year with regard to the 

 Bucksport salmon. It was considered undesirable to breed land- 

 locked salmon. We have rather preferred to wait and see the 

 result of the operations with regard to the land-locked salmon. 



