American Fisheries Soeiely. 57 



"The utulcrsij^ned. desirous oi proniotiiif:^ the interests of 

 fish cuUure, call a cc)nventit)n of pisciculturists, at the Skatiuj^^ 

 Rink, City of New York, December 20, 1870, at 11 o'clock a. m. 

 "The design of the convention is consultation for the pro- 

 tection of our interests, and. if thought best, to op^anize a ])er- 

 niancnt association. 



"(Signed) "W. CLIFT. 



"A. S. COLLINS, 

 "J. H. SLACK, 

 "F. MATHER, 

 "L. STONE. 

 "Mystic Bridge. Ct., November i. 1870." 



This was the very first step taken toNxards the forming of the 

 American Fish Culturists' Association, now known as the Am- 

 erican Fisheries Society. 



The prime mover in the issuing of this call was Rev. Air. 

 W. M. Clift, of Connecticut, who was carrying on, at that time, 

 a large fish and stock farm at Mystic Bridge. It is undoubtedly 

 true that the chief motive for issuing the call was, as the call 

 plainly states, a desire to do something for the protection of the 

 interests of fish culturists. It is also true that from the very first 

 moment of the assembling of the meeting, as will be seen later 

 on, the mere pecuniary interests of fish culturists became- a 

 secondary consideration. It should be stated here, bv wav of 

 explanation, that the term "fish culturist," at that time, meant 

 trout breeder, for there were then no practical fish culturists in 

 this country except the trout breeders, and it may also be added 

 that trout breeding meant the raising of the brook trout. (M- 

 speckled trout, of New England and New York. now. I think, 

 generally known all over the world by its Latin cognomen. 

 fontinalis. 



The call was accordingly addressed particularly to those en- 

 gaged in the raising of trout. 



It is true that the State of New Hampshire had created a 

 Fish Commission six years before, and the example had been 

 followed by several other States. The Fish Conuuission of 

 Massachusetts had already contributed to the world, through 

 its reports, some of the most valuable information ever pub- 

 lished on the subject of fish culture. Seth Green had already 

 done successful work in hatching shad, the writer had built and 

 operated a large salmon hatchery in New Brunswick, various 

 States had experimented successfully on narrow lines in propa- 



