REPORT 



OF THE 



Commissioners of Fisheriss 



OF 



To His KxveUeiic[i, -James Black Groome, 



Governor of State of Maryland : 



The Cuumii.ssioDcrs appointed bv your Excellency in pur- 

 suance of Chapter 150, of the laws of Maryland, enacted at 

 the session of the General Assembly of 1874, beg leave to 

 submit the following : 



We have combined the report of 187-1, (not printed,) with 

 that of 1875, that the work of the Commission, from the 

 adjournment of the Legislature of 1874, to the assembling of 

 that of 187G, might be transmitted to that honorable body by 

 vour Excellencv in its entiretv. It is much to be rearretted 

 that we are Avithout reliable statistics of the annual yield of 

 our waters, and have onh" to rely on information furnished 

 from the memory of fishermen and fishdealers, but enough 

 has been obtained to satisfy us, that the most valuable fish- 

 eries are becoming less and less productive, and our Avaters 

 are being dejileted of their yield of fishfood, to an alarming 

 extent, and we now feel that neeessit}^ for tlie protection ot 

 our fishes, and the resort to artificial means offish culture to 

 restore our waters, which has stimulated in turn, other more 

 densely peopled countries. Most of the States have been im- 

 pelled to protect and propagate food fishes in consequence of 

 the fearful decrease in the yield of their fisheries, save the 

 State of California, which is with great foresight, prosecuting 



