2796 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



gather such information as I could, from my own personal observation, 

 and that of my colleagues, as well as by inquiries from, fishermen and 

 others whom I have met. 



Q. How far have you prosecuted that personal inquiry of the fisher- 

 men and persons engaged in the fisheries? A. I have, by the help of a 

 phonographic secretary, taken the testimony of many hundreds of fish- 

 ermen along the coast in reference principally to questions in the natural 

 history of fishes. The facts as to the statistics of the fisheries have 

 come out incidentally, and were not the original object of my inquiry. 

 I was interested more in determining what kinds of fish we had, what 

 natural, physical, or moral causes influenced them, and what would prob- 

 ably be the lesult of these causes, and how any evil influences could be 

 remedied. 



Q. Then have you employed fishermen to examine and make in- 

 quiries? A. I have had in my employ several men, some for the whole 

 year, or several years in succession, and others for a part of the year, 

 who have taken a series of printed questions that I prepared in regard 

 to the natural history of fishes and pursued these inquiries in regions 

 where I myself could not go conveniently, especially in the winter season 

 or in the early spring. 



Q. Then you issued some printed circulars ? A. Yes ; a great many 

 thousand blanks, inviting responses, and I have had a reasonable per- 

 centage of returns, of which I consider a fair percentage more or less 

 reliable. But, as a general rule, as everybody knows, fishermen know 

 less about fish than they do about anything else. That is to say, they 

 know how to catch fish and the practical details of their business, but 

 of their natural history they know very little. About such questions as 

 the time of their migration, the rate of their growth, their spawning 

 seasons, and other matters, only here and there will you find a man who 

 has observed and noted the facts closely enough to be able to answer 

 your questions. 



Q. You employed some such persons ? A. I have one man especially, 

 a skilled fisherman, resident on the south coast of New England, and 

 whom I employ to visit the different fishing stations and gather sta- 

 tistics. 



Q. Have you any of those circulars about you ? A. I have one. (Cir- 

 cular produced.) 



Q. (Beading circular.) There are something like nearly ninety dif- 

 ferent questions. Under one head you require the man's name, &c. 

 Then as to the distribution of fishes : what kind of fish he has in his 

 neighborhood, their abundance, migrations, movements, food, relation- 

 ships, reproduction, artificial culture, diseases, pursuits, capture, their 

 economical value, application, &c. A. That circular was issued in 1871. 

 I have issued a great many editions of it. Then I have another circular 

 which refers more particularly to the coast and river fisheries. I have 

 only issued this within the present year. 



By Hon. Mr. Kellogg : 



Q. Was that about the time, Professor? A. Yes; the first thing 

 I did was to distribute these questions in order to get as much in- 

 formation as I could. I have some eight or ten special circulars, but 

 these are the ones I have most used. I have issued special circulars for 

 the cod and mackerel and menhaden, but of these I have not copies 

 with me. 



By Mr. Dana : 

 Q. Here (referring to circular spoken of as issued during the present 





