208 American Fisheries Society. 



areas. It means that restrictive catching laws must be enacted 

 so as to make certain that enough spawners reach the spawning 

 beds. It means that spawning areas should be designated in 

 the rivers, and in as near the same locaHties as is practicable, that 

 nature originally provided for spawning purposes. 



The question has been asked : "How long would it take to 

 restore our fisheries if stream pollution was eliminated?" The 

 answer to this is that the work of restoration would commence 

 immediately as is evidenced by better conditions in Connecticut 

 since the quality of the water here has been greatly improved by 

 reason of the industrial depression. Since the war our factories 

 have operated but feebly, with the result that little or no manu- 

 facturing wastes found their way into many of our streams. The 

 fish sensed the better quality of water and immediately ascended 

 the sreams to points many miles above where they had been for 

 ten years. This is positive proof that just as soon as man im- 

 proves the conditions in the streams, just so soon will nature 

 take advantage and commence to do her part in the restocking 

 of barren areas. 



The volume of possible returns may be estimated by the 

 results obtained in California waters where shad and striped bass 

 were introduced many years ago. Neither of these fish were na- 

 tives of the west coast, but were shipped there from eastern 

 points, with the result that in a few years California was able 

 to ship shad and shad roe to eastern points in carload lots, and 

 striped bass are now very plentiful in California waters. Surely 

 if these results are possible in waters foreign to these species, 

 then success must follow sensible efforts to reestablish them in 

 the rivers that nature chose for them originally. 



Much has been said about the advisability of a Federal 

 migratory fish law. It would seem that inasmuch as a similar 

 law had worked wonders in rebuilding our depleted flocks of wild 

 fowl, it might be well worth trying in the interest of our fisheries. 

 It would at least bring the Government face to face with a rotten 

 condition of stream pollution which together with severe over- 

 fishing is fast exterminating several species and sorely depleting 

 a very valuable natural food resource. 



It would not be fair to the commercial fishermen, the fellows 

 who actually catch the fish, to pass on without saying a word or 

 two about the modern method of marketing. When there is a 



