28 TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 



are too indefinitely known to properly apply protective meth- 

 ods, and with these instances a gradual decline of the industry 

 is a natural result. It is claimed that at the present rate of 

 decrease, the oyster^ which is of such great intrinsic value to 

 our people, will become practically extinct within the next ten 

 or twelve years. The public waters cannot be conveniently 

 utilized in the establishment of cities, but with proper assist- 

 ance and protection to nature, they are admirably adapted to 

 furnishing all cities with an abundance of fish diet. If proper 

 remunerative encouragement were offered by our Government 

 for the insured establishment of a successful plan to repeople 

 the jmblic waters with valuable food fishes, thus making food 

 cheaper, affording a remunerative outlet for labor, building up 

 a National industry, increasing our public w^ealth, encouraging 

 the advancement of science and art, and finally to more than 

 reimburse our public treasury by increased revenue from our 

 fisheries, in years to come, it is my belief that many of the best 

 talented minds in our country would set to work to accomplish 

 the desired aim. 



It would be capital well invested, and if the acquired results 

 were not quite so perfect as anticipated, the money would still 

 be expended in a profitable and commendable manner, and it 

 would pave the way for future accomplishments in this line. 

 Within the next fifty years, there may be as great a revolution 

 in the introduction and employment of new protective methods 

 as there has been the p^st fifty years in the application of 

 electricity. The achievements in electrical science seem to 

 have been realized out of nothing to begin with. The germ 

 has to be detracted from the elements, then bottled — so to 

 speak — ^before it can be made to manifest itself as useful en- 

 ergy employed as man's servant to be used at his will; but with 

 the fish germ, it is different. We can locate it without difB- 

 culty; it does not have to be manufactured or separated from 

 atmospheric phenomena by means of complicated machinery. 

 We have passed that stage of investigation where the germs 

 in countless numbers can be called into life, and we now seek 

 a class of protection which will insure the maturity of the liv- 

 ing germs. 



It will be noticed that even so far as my own special line of 

 work is concerned, I have not attempted to discuss this ques- 

 tion of ''What is protection to food fishes?" although, I feel 

 that, with one or two exceptions, I am prepared to name 

 the class of protection most applicable to the different fishes 

 propagated at the Stations under my charge. My prime object 

 has been to impress upon you the importance of the question 

 which I have selected, and ask that you take up its discussion 

 at our next meeting as it pertains to your respective lines of 



