6 Public Document. 



spawned until May or June of this year. More fish have been 

 engaged, and they will be placed in the ponds in March and April. 

 The following ponds were stocked last year by the Commission- 

 ers : — Beach Pond, Newport, 41 black bass ; Stafford Pond, 

 Tiverton, 41 black bass. Prince's Pond, Barrington, was stocked 

 by private parties. 



In view of saving traveling expenses, yom* Commissioners 

 decided to send printed notifications to the different town councils 

 of towns in the State, representing that the Commissioners were 

 prepared to stock suitable ponds in their several towns with black 

 bass, provided the town councils would pass the required laws for 

 their protection. The following towns have responded to these 

 notices : — Hopkinton, Yawgoog Pond ; Warwick, Phonogansett 

 Pond ; North Kingstown, Carr or Belleville Pond ; West Green- 

 wich, Mis wick Pond ; South Kingstown, Yawkers and Harkins 

 Ponds ; Exeter, Deep Pond. 



It has been the custom to stock ponds with one and two years 

 old fish. The Commissioners propose this year to change this by 

 placing large mature fish of from three to five pounds, being from 

 three to five years old. The advantages of this plan are as follows : 



First, the fish being placed early in the spring, will spawn the 

 same year. Second, the fish being large, can fully protect them- 

 selves against the pickerel ; and lastly, as the fish would spawn 

 the first and every succeeding year during the three years of close 

 time, the first young fish hatched would be of sufficient size to be 

 marketable, and also old enough to deposit spawn. 



The Commissioners have recommended certain additions to the 

 existing laws, regulating Inland Fisheries, and they most sincerely 

 hope that your honorable body will consider the matter fiivorably. 



FISH WAYS. 



The Commissioners had fully intended last year to construct a 

 model fish way over the Pawtuxet dam at Pawtuxet, ind consulted 

 with Mr. Bracket, Commissioner of Massachusetts, who very 

 kindly sent drawings and working plans of what was then con- 

 sidered the most successful fish ladder in use. The dam was 

 examined, and the. contract for building the fish way about to be 



