tup: FISIIEHIES. 161 



;ii;;iiii ;in(l aL;aiii iirgvil du llu' ( lovL-i-niiK'nt the vital importance 

 -of securiii<;- a tliordugh iuvi'stii^-atiou of tlie tislien-ies:, and of estab- 

 lisliiiig a Bui-cau for llicii' siiiiiTvision. He ])ointed ont that 

 Avhilu all other tishiui^- countries had found it necessary to or- 

 ganize departments for tlie collection of information regarding 

 lish and fisheries, with a \-ie\v to their conservation and super- 

 vision Ijy wise legal enactments, we were in utter ignorance of 

 till- pidjii'r means fur jnoterliiig them and turning them to a 

 mure ]iruhtahh' ariount ; wliile we had no scientitic knowledge 

 whicli wmdil lUaMi' u.- to a'^i-ci1aiu the causes of their decline 

 anil a[)[)ly the pi(i]KT remedies. He advocated strongly the 

 .artificial ])rn])agation of tisli for restocking exhausted salt-water 

 area- and i-i\ci'-. Tuo iiiucli ])raise cannot be accorded this gen- 

 tleman fur ilie cai-uestuess and aliilily with which he urged these 

 views on the Lcgislaliire and the countiy. In due time his 

 l;il)ours l)rought forth fruit, ami he took an active part in the 

 jH-actical application of his views. 



The aulhoi- of tlii> volume may be jiermitted, without incur- 

 ring tlic (■liar,L;e of egotism, to say that he had long taken an 

 interest in matters bearing on the ti.dieries, and that he had 

 wrtten extensively in sup])ort of the same views, having given 

 <cou.-iilerable attention to the study of tish-life and the prosecution 

 .of the tisheries ill Newfounilland. He too had urged the neces- 

 sity of a Fishi-ries' ( '(Uiimission and the a[)plication of science to 

 the tisheries. 



C'<)M>riS.SIOX APrOIXTKD. 



At leiigtl:, ill b^«8, the Legislature sanctioned the nomination 

 <of a " Fishei'ies' Commission" to make iiKpiiries into the consti- 

 tution and woiking of Fisheries Departments in other countries, 

 with the \ie\v to the establishment of a similar Department in 

 Newfoundland. The Hon. A. "W. Harvey was rerpiested to act 

 ;;is chfiirman of the ( 'ommission, an.l the ]iresent writer became 

 its secretary. 



WOUK IJKOIN. 



The first step taken by the ("ommission was to issue a circular 

 .-asking for information, which was sent to the Department ot 



