160 American Fisheries Society 



pollution originating inside of the areas, serve to reduce, 

 often to destroy, the possibilities for aquatic life in the 

 waters of those areas; and there are numerous instances 

 which have been cited by writers familiar to you all, 

 where such stream pollution originating outside of those 

 areas has served to eliminate almost entirely the possi- 

 bility of aquatic existence within the area of such a re- 

 serve. 



Please do not misunderstand me. I would not inti- 

 mate that in all or even a majority of such parks, espe- 

 cially those under national control, stream pollution has 

 been permitted unreservedly ; and yet it takes but very 

 casual attention to ascertain numerous instances where 

 such stream pollution is a real and serious matter. In 

 other words, no adequate vigorous efforts have been 

 made to control this factor, to correct the errors which 

 have been made, or to keep the waters of such reserves 

 favorable places for the breeding of all aquatic life. 

 Surely we may expect that within the limits of national 

 and state parks the water life should receive as careful 

 attention as the life of the land or of the air. 



In the next place a careful examination of the condi- 

 tions prevailing in such areas will show perfectly dis- 

 tinctly that in many cases the fishes and the aquatic life 

 connected with them are the only elements which are 

 not subject to protection. It is possible to catch fish, or 

 to destroy fish life, almost without reserve in some of 

 these protected waters. You cannot pick the flowers, 

 you cannot break the shrubbery or in any way injure 

 the vegetation of the tract, but if you go fishing it is no- 

 body's business ; the fish have to look out for them- 

 selves ! 



Not only that, but I have been told on reliable author- 

 ity that within state parks it is possible at times to see 

 fish which have been caught in considerable numbers, 

 and, not being wanted, have been thrown away to pollute 

 the atmosphere, a senseless waste leading inevitably to 



