112 Fortieth Annual Meeting 



West Virginia enact a law on the question of pollution identical with 

 the law that is in force in Pennsylvania, and a copy of that resolution 

 was also given to the United States Bureau of Fisheries with a view 

 of having Mr. Bowers present that same bill to Congress. I believe 

 that Mr. Bowers is going to do that at this coming session of. Congress. 

 I heard so indirectly. 



But there is no doubt but that this has become a big question and a 

 live question and one that this organization must of necessity take 

 part in to see if something cannot be done. There is little use in 

 putting fish in a stream where the water has been so badly polluted 

 that even vegetable life is destroyed. 



Mr. S. F. Fullerton, St. Paul, Minn. : I do not think anyone present 

 is more delighted than I am at the trend that things have taken. I 

 have always contended that protection and propagation ought to go 

 hand in hand. Here is an example : Two valuable papers have been 

 read by our President and Dr. Townsend, identical in tone. 



I come from Minnesota where the Mississippi rises, where I have 

 jumped across the river many times, at Lake Itasca. I have lived of 

 the banks of the Mississippi near Minneapolis and St. Paul, and I 

 think the Mississippi down to Wabasha would be the greatest bass 

 stream in the world if purified. I have made a study of the subject, 

 and can state that the fish have been disappearing simply on account 

 of the pollution. It is not necessary to say that this Society ought to 

 go on record against pollution ; but we must follow that up and work 

 on our legislators and our Senators and Congressmen, and impress on 

 them the necessity of stopping this pollution. We can do it; there 

 is no question about it. This Society is a strong society, and its mem- 

 bers are men of influence generally in the community in which they 

 live; and if everyone leaves this meeting determined to do something 

 in addition to passing a resolution, the time will come when we will 

 have our waters pure. 



Dr. B. M. Briggs, Brooklyn : I want to speak in favor of old ocean. 

 It does not appear to have many advocates. The streams and ponds 

 have many advocates but the salt water and the millions of New York 

 people are left to take care of themselves. Now the ocean is getting 

 polluted. We cannot catch fish as we used to in New York Bay. You 

 must go past Sandy Hook. Last Saturday we had to go to Fire Island 

 before we could catch fish. The water is getting polluted and New 

 York has got to take this matter up and stop it. The Croton water 

 is foul smelling and bad tasting today due to vegetation, and the pres- 

 ence of that vegetation is due to the upsetting of the balance of nature 

 by not having fish enough where the waters come from to eat up the 

 vegetation. The water is hardly fit to drink, and in years to come 

 it will not be as good to drink as it is now. 



But what I am specially interested in doing is to propagate fish for 

 the people of New York. I think the United States Government 

 should use each life-saving station to propagate fish. Owing to the 

 improvement in vessels wrecks are not as frequent as they used to be 

 and the life savers, who are most carefully selected men, have become 



