American Fisheries Society 15 



Society. The oldest members have nearly all passed away, 

 and there are but few who were members twenty-five years 

 ago, but the organization lives and thrives. Its present mem- 

 bership of over six hundred includes most of the professional 

 fish culturists of the country, the men who are today con- 

 ducting our remarkable national and state work of fish 

 propagation and who have for many }^ears contributed to 

 its wonderful success in America, a fish-cultural work un- 

 equaled in any other country. 



I congratulate this organization on its long and useful 

 life. Its strength is not likely to wane or the art which it 

 has promoted to decline. Its field of usefulness grows 

 with the population of the land, and its labors contribute 

 to the food supply and the general welfare of its people. 

 Let us hope that this will be the best meeting in the history 

 of this Society. 



You are invited to lunch today with the trustees of the 

 New York Zoological Society, and with the trustees of the 

 American Museum of Natural History tomorrow, and to 

 make yourselves at home in the aquarium and the museum. 



My haste in reducing a very long paper to comparatively 

 few pages may leave it just a trifle disconnected in places, 

 l)ut I will try not to take more than about fifteen minutes 

 of your time. 



Dr. Townsend's paper on ''The Conservation of Our 

 Rivers and Lakes" was then presented ; it is published 

 in full elsewhere. 



President : I think you will all agree with me that Dr. 

 Townsend has given us a splendid paper. He seems to 

 have grasped the entire situation. 



Our constitution provides the order of business and next 

 is the roll-call of members. This is usually done by having 

 each one sign a card. The cards will be passed to you now. 

 Those who have not already signed will please do so, 

 because only those who fill out a card will be entitled to a 

 badge, and only those who have a badge can get in on the 

 good luncheon this noon. (Laughter.) 



