BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



During that period he received no salary for his services as 

 Commissioner although by act of Congress shortly after his 

 death his wife was granted a pension of twenty-five thou- 

 sand dollars in lump sum, in partial compensation for his 

 services. 7 



G. Brown Goode who followed Baird as Commissioner 

 was recognized as a naturalist of outstanding ability. He 

 had studied at Harvard under Louis Agassiz, then taught 

 for a short time at Wesleyan, and finally joined Baird at the 

 Smithsonian in 1877. After less than a year's time he 

 voluntarily relinquished the office of commissioner to devote 

 his full attention to the Smithsonian. He became assistant 

 secretary of the Smithsonian in 1887 and later director, a 

 post which he occupied until his death in i896. 8 



During the tenure of Baird and Goode in office a great 

 deal of scientific work was being carried on by the Fish 

 Commission, chiefly to determine whether food fishes were 

 decreasing in numbers and if so to what causes such de- 

 creases might be attributed. To aid in this work Congress in 

 1 88 1 made appropriations for a properly equipped sea-going 

 vessel at a total cost of over $i6o,ooo. 9 



In 1873 an appropriation of $15,0x30 was made for the 

 work of cultivation and distribution of food fishes in the 

 waters to which they were best adapted. 10 The proposal for 

 artificial propagation first had been made by Dr. Edmunds 

 of the Vermont Fish Commission at a meeting of the Amer- 

 ican Fish Cultural Association held at Albany in February 

 1872. Later when the bill was before Congress the argu- 

 ment was advanced that artificial propagation of fish was 



7 25 Stat. L. 522. 



8 See article by Jordan, David Starr, Dictionary of American Biography, 

 vol. vii, p. 381. 



9 21 Stat L. 440. 



10 1 8 Stat. L. 137. 



