Report on Inland Fisheries. 5 



avail ourselves of his kindness. Under the present circumstances, 

 we believe we have in the past five years, done all that is neces- 

 sary to demonstrate if our streams are capable of supporting salmon. 

 Of course the very numerous dams will forever bar the return of 

 these fish to the upper parts of the streams, where they pass the 

 first year, and some authorities say, two of their lives. Once over 

 the dams, there is no return for them. Their instinct at a certain 

 age prompting them to seek the sea. Now all we can demonstrate 

 is, will our streams support these fish in their young state till that 

 age is reached. That they once did is certain, but the qualitv and 

 temperature of the water has undergone such a change, that he 

 would be a bold fish commissioner, who would make a positive 

 statement. We are encouraged to hope they will, for very many 

 of these young salmon have been taken, by various modes of cap- 

 ture, in different stages of growth. But it is difficult to study what 

 is going on under the water, and so we at present are more or less 

 in the dark. Five years ago a great hue and cry was raised for fish- 

 ways over the dams in all the JSTew England States ; many thous- 

 ands of dollars have been spent on them, and with our present light 

 we cannot but congratulate the people of Rhode Island on holding 

 aloof up to date. 



BLACK BASS. 



We are happy to be able to reiierate all we have said in our past 

 reports as to our success in making this capital fish a native of our 

 waters. The bass have become very popular and are destined to 

 become more so, as our people learn better how to take them. 



The past season we have only placed them in one locality name- 

 ly, the Stillwater Reservoir in Smithfield. Private parties have 

 however stocked numerous ponds with fish taken from the waters 

 previously stocked by the State. A good many have been taken 

 from the Blackstone River the past year which no doubt found 

 their way there from Whitinsville. The reservoir at that place 

 having given away some five years ago. To show the rapidity ol 

 the increase of these fish ; five years since in October, 8 bass 

 were put into Steer's pond in Rockland, of about 8 acres in area, and 



