46 T-a'cnfy'Sez'oifli Annual Mccfijig 



trout by interstate laws. Add to this an urgent market and a fair 

 price for brook trout. Contemplate results! 



1 will say in closing this paper th^t 1 give the foregoing let- 

 ters from men of practical experience for what they are worth. 

 My investigations, I nuist admit, have educated me in favor of an 

 open season, but I would demand certain restrictions. With no 

 restrictions, and no hatcheries, a closed season is better than 

 nothing. If representatives of the Commission were allowed to 

 g"o on the boats oi the fishermen and take the spawn, without 

 expense to the State; or, in case no representatives of the Com- 

 mission were present, the fishermen were required bv law to strip 

 the matinee females and imj^regnate their spawn and ship it to 

 the hatchery, or when not practical to do so. place it back in the 

 water; and the size of whitefish, lake trout and pike perch be 

 limited to practically mature size; and it be made an offense 

 against the State for fish under these sizes to be found in one's 

 possession, I believe, from the investigations that 1 have made, 

 that our waters would not be depleted as rapidly as under our 

 present closed season law. On the contrary, I believe a percepti- 

 ble increase in the fish supplv would soon be manifest. 



I wouUl also suggest that it be made the duty of ImsIi Com- 

 missions to instruct commercial fishermen in the art of stripping 

 and impregnating the spawn, and that it be the duty of all fisher- 

 men to always have in their employ a man who has learned the 

 practical method of stripping, impregnating and handling the 

 eggs. This done, it occurs to me that all fishermen would take a 

 personal and selfish interest in saving every egg possible for the 

 hatcheries.' 



When fish coiumissions and fishermen pull hand in hand for 

 the restoration and preservation of our fish supply success will 

 crown their efforts. Let them get together then on some com- 

 mon ground that will be of the greatest good to the greatest 

 number. 



Mr. Sevmour Bower then read the following i)aper: 



NATURAL VERSUS ASSISTED REPRODUCTION OF CERTAIN 

 KINDS OF FISHES. 



If all the members of this society were practical fish-cultur- 

 ists, I should need to apologize for introducing mtich that is 

 trite and stale to the experienced fish breeder. lUit a good 

 many of the members, perhaps a majority, have had little or no 

 opportunity of observing nature's plan of reproducing certain 



