Cobb.— Federal Control 27 



where the benefits derived would be shared by other 

 states. The states are in most cases chiefly concerned in 

 propagating game fishes and the better class of food fish- 

 es, such as the lake trout and pike-perch, which rank as 

 game fishes in some states, and could hardly be brought 

 to undertake any such task as adding to their work the 

 propagation of food fishes for the river. 



This is a large undertaking and could only be carried 

 out by the Federal Government as it would require a plan 

 covering many states and a knowledge of the many varie- 

 ties of fishes which can only be secured through institu- 

 tions such as the biological station now operated at Fair- 

 port, Iowa. 



Several years ago, it was found that many fish were 

 landlocked in the sloughs along the river and it was un- 

 dertaken to rescue them. These fish added considerably 

 to the number available for distribution and the work be- 

 came quite popular. The rough fish were returned to the 

 river along with a part of the game fish and the balance 

 sent to applicants in various parts of the states securing 

 them, or to states farther away by the Federal Govern- 

 ment. 



As the demand for game fishes is always great, it be- 

 comes easy to send away more and more of them, leaving 

 only the rough fish for the river, and it also becomes easy 

 to take those which are nearest at hand. This leads read- 

 ily to taking them from spring-fed sloughs, cross chan- 

 nels and the mouths of streams, and the work becomes in 

 effect an effort to secure a supply of fish to fill applica- 

 tions rather than an effort to rescue fish which are in 

 danger from the freezing or drying up of the sloughs. 



You will bear in mind that I am not making any state- 

 ment about any state or federal work with a view to dis- 

 credit any one, but am simply stating my own ideas in this 

 matter. When appointed Superintendent of Fisheries of 

 Minnesota, I entered into this work thinking it to be of 

 great importance. Many fish had been rescued and many 

 applications filled with these fish which would presum- 

 ably have been lost if left alone. A crew of men were 



