MUSEUM METHODS IN RELATION TO THE 

 FISHERIES SOCIETY 



By T. E. B. Pope 



Curator of Zoology, Public Museum of Mihvaukee. 



The modern natural history museum is not in the fish- 

 hatching business, nor is it concerned in any financial or 

 other way with the commercial fisheries, but nevertheless 

 it is intensely interested in both of these directions as will 

 be briefly shown. It is, therefore, greatly concerned with 

 the proceedings of this Society and other allied scientific 

 bodies that are endeavoring to promote and encourage the 

 proper conservation, production and utilization of the natu- 

 ral history resources of this country. 



If I should be asked as to the relationship that is so 

 claimed to exist between the modern museum that includes 

 natural history exhibits within its walls and the fisheries 

 industry in all of its phases, my answer would be that it 

 serves as a sort of public clearing-house between the society 

 concerned and the general public ; it serves, or can well be 

 made to serve, as the medium for the tangible and actual 

 illustration of the results achieved in the field of production 

 and is in reality an agent, exponent, or publicity-medium 

 for the fishery and other allied societies. 



Let me now briefly attempt to illustrate by a few facts 

 and wellknowm exam.ples, some concrete evidence of the 

 claims so made. To do so I will be obliged to roughly out- 

 line the methods of a modern museum in this important re- 

 lationship to the Fisheries Society. The evidence I believe 

 will speak for itself. 



1. The modern museum does actually serve or can be made 

 to serve as a direct agent between yourself and the people at 

 large even though its services as such have hitherto not been 

 solicited or openly considered in that capacity by you. 



Despite the numerous papers that have been submitted 

 and read before this body on the identification of species, 

 nomenclature, apparatus, transportation, legislation, con- 

 servation factors, resources, etc., etc., the major number by 

 far have been directly concerned with the problems, methods 

 and various phases of production. To a large extent this 

 society has been recognized as a society of fish producers 

 and the most active participation in its meetings have con- 

 sequently been by public officials of the Federal Bureau, of 

 state hatcheries, state fish commissions, and conservation 



55 



