THE NEED OF AN INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES 

 SOCIETY 



I5V (). T. OLSKX. (ii; LAI Sin'. EXOLAXD. 



There is jji'oliahly no one ])reseiit who will ln'silate to agree 

 tliat lliei'e is an ui-geiit neet'ssity I'oi- tlie establishment of sueh a 

 society as the oiie I now jirojiose. Many congresses are held 

 fi-oni time to time, and many matters of interest to the fishing 

 industry are discnssed, l)iit nnfoi'tnnately it is generally fonnd 

 that after the talking is done, and the I'esolutions are ])assed, 

 matters deserving a ht'tter fate are allowt'd to drop foi- the want 

 of a representative international society to make nse of the in- 

 formation thus gained. It sueli a society were in existence, tlie 

 hest results of individual and collective eifort might he utilized 

 for the henefit of the fishing industries of the nations con- 

 cerned. These industries have of recent years developed enor- 

 mously. So much so tliat there are tliose to l)e found who assert 

 that as a wealth-producing concern fishing has seen its hest 

 days. It is a well authenticated fact, howevei;, that tlie depre- 

 dations of trawlers are small in (oni])arison with the damage 

 done hy the fish thems(dves. Indi\'idual scit'iitists ha\e dont' ex- 

 cellent A\ork in the ])ast, hut it is oidy of recent yeai's that in- 

 ternational investigation has heen attenii)tt'd. Much very \alu- 

 ahle research is l)eing made at the pri'sent time, hut for the full 

 henedt to he enjoyed hy the (ishing industry, and iudirectlv hy 

 the genei-al |udilic. an international lisheries society is indispen- 

 sable, it should cons'st of scientilic and comiuei'cial mi'ii with 

 one common object in \iew — that is. the well-being of tishing 

 as a commercial undeilakiug. and its (levelo]tnu'nt as a nu'ans 

 of jifoviding food. In obtaining the best results commercially 

 the work of the scientist ])lays a very inijioriant ])art. As time 

 advances it will doubtless he found that this part becomes in- 

 creasingly important, so that it behoves everyone interestefl, 

 whether linaiu-ially or otherwise, to support any proposal lead- 

 ing to the co(")pei'ation of scieiu-e and coinmerce. 



When formed, and in jiropei' wiu'king m-der, such a society 



