American Fisheries Society 109 



We have no time at present for a discussion of our fishery 

 industries in general. Let us consider a few points of 

 special interest. Evidence is not lacking to show that the 

 long-continued and increasingly extensive fish-cultural 

 operations on the Great Lakes have prevented the depletion 

 of those waters, in the face of the most exhausting lake 

 fisheries in the world. The luscious whitefish, the splendid 

 lake trout, the excellent pike perch may be hatched in such 

 numbers as to assure their preservation without serious cur- 

 tailment of the fisheries. But the absence of concerted pro- 

 tective measures on the part of the various states has the 

 tendency to minimize the effects of cultivation, and would 

 seem to justify, if not imperatively demand, jurisdiction 

 over the Great Lakes fisheries by the federal government. 



In our three Pacific coast states we put three million 

 dollars' worth of salmon into tin cans every year. The 

 magnitude of the salmon fisheries of the Pacific states has 

 required very extensive artificial propagation to keep up 

 the supply. 



The Atlantic shad and striped bass have been successfully 

 introduced into our Pacific coast rivers. Viewed from 

 the purely business standpoint, the transplanting of shad 

 to the Pacific has been a remarkably good investment. 

 From the best information obtainable, the entire cost of the 

 experiment was less than $4,000, while the aggregate catch 

 for market in California, Oregon, and Washington to the 

 end of 1907 was approximately 15,000,000 pounds, for 

 which the fishermen received $300,000. 



The economic importance of the introduction of the 

 striped bass on the Pacific coast may be judged from the 

 fact that the entire cost of transplanting was less than 

 $1,000, while the value of the catch to the end of the year 

 1907 was about $900,000, a sum representing a yield of 

 more than 16,000,000 pounds. 



We may for a moment consider certain of our game 

 fishes in connection with our recreation and our summer- 

 resort industry — the latter really seems to deserve to be 

 ranked as an industry. 



