American Fisheries Society. 11 



something marvelous, and the progress of the work and the re- 

 sults heing achieved hy the states and by the United States and 

 by the enterprising gentlemen who are entering upon this work 

 to produce fish for the market, are something to give us especial 

 gratification. 



Another feature of the subject commends itself to our satis- 

 faction and that is the universal confidence that i^ expressed by 

 the public in our work. I see that year by year, not only as a 

 local observation, but as manifested by the generous efforts of the 

 legislatures of the states and by congress in forwarding and aid- 

 ing the work in which we are engaged. 



I hope our meeting will be as pleasant, as satisfactory, as 

 profitable and instructive to us all as the meetings we have had 

 in the past. Indeed, in my own experience, I may say that each 

 meeting adds to my stock of knowledge ; it increases my interest 

 and opens up new fields of inquiry, and with- the intelligent work 

 that is being done in the direction of the propagation of fish 

 there is surel}^ success to Ije achieved. We have yet our problems 

 and our difficulties, but one l)y one they are being surmounted, 

 although there are many conditions yet to be realized to achieve 

 all that can be accomplished. Our laws for the protection of fish 

 are yet imperfect, public sentiment in enforcing those laws is yet 

 feeble, and we must build up along those lines ; we must not only 

 fill the lakes and the rivers with small fish to grow to maturity, 

 but we must so protect them that the greatest ultimate good may 

 be achieved, and that this end may not be thwarted by wanton or 

 lawless invasion — or too weak and feeble laws for the protection 

 of the fish, which we have demonstrated to the world in our vari- 

 ous fields we can produce in unlimited quantity to supply all the 

 wants of men. We must get the laws and organized societies to 

 join with us in securing for the public the greatest benefit that 

 can l)e accomplished. 



I am requested by the United States Fish Commission to 

 give you the grand totals of their work for the year. You recol- 

 lect their report last year showed an extraordinary gi'owth and 

 increase in their output. So far as I have been able to examine 

 the state reports, everywhere there is evidence of increased suc- 

 cess, larger output, broader and more generous distribution ; and 



