44 American Fisheries Society 



Resolved, That we. The American Fisheries Society in convention 

 assembled, do most earnestly recommend to the Fish Commissioners 

 of the states where streams are drained of fish bv such ditches, the 

 urgent need of the enactment of laws for the protection of fish from 

 said ditches ; and be it further 



Resolved. That we urge upon the Department of Commerce and 

 Labor the protection of all head-gates to Government irrigation canals, 

 now a great cause of draining our streams of fish. 



Whereas, The rapid decrease in the fish supply of our waters 

 threatens the ultimate extinction of many types of fish life which are 

 of interest to the student and of importance in preserving the bio- 

 logical relations between aquatic organisms, and in giving future 

 generations an idea of the wild life of American waters, and 



Whereas, The utilization of stream waters for domestic and com- 

 mercial purposes is growing so rapidly with the advancing population 

 of the country and with the increasing development of natural resources 

 as to indicate clearly the complete transformation of all water systems 

 in the early future, unless definite measures be taken to provide for this 

 contingency, therefore be it 



Resolved, That the American Fisheries Society urges upon the 

 proper authorities in the nation and in the various states the necessity 

 of taking immediate action to set aside fish refuges or aquatic pre- 

 serves in which the contamination of the water and any modification 

 of natural conditions for aquatic existence shall be forever forbidden, 

 and 



Resolved, That these reservations be so located and distributed 

 throughout the country as to provide for the preservation for future 

 generations of representative tracts of water systems which naturally 

 serve as breeding places and as living grounds for the various types 

 of fish and other aquatic forms, and finally, be it further 



Resolved, That the Chairman of the Executive Committee be in- 

 structed to send to the President of the United States, to the Governor 

 of each state, and to the State Game and Fish Commissioner thereof, 

 a copy of this resolution, with a letter calling attention to the im- 

 portance of the matter and urging that careful and early consideration 

 be given the problem and that definite action be taken to set aside and 

 protect such fish reserves. 



Motion made, seconded and unanimously carried adopting 

 the report of the committee and adopting separately all 

 resolutions recommended by the committee. 



President: I want to thank the members of the Ameri- 

 can Fisheries Society for the courtesies extended to me as 

 their presiding officer; I know that I have fallen far short 



