American Fisheries Society. 69 
with the quantity of the fish as some people think. I have 
changed my opinion, for certainly, in spite of the filthy-looking 
water the fish are extremely plentiful, and especially in Spring 
Lake. 
° 
Q. They are bass? 
A. Large mouth. We always considered factories polluting 
streams had driven out our bass, but I have changed my opinion, 
and I would like to know whether I am right in changing it or 
not. 
Mr. Atkins: What polluted the water? 
Mr. Boardman: About everything, I should judge. I under- 
stand they turn the sewage from Chicago into the Illnois river 
largely through the drainage canal, and I should think every- 
thing that could pollute a stream was there—from the looks of it. 
Mr. Atkins: It makes probably an immense difference what 
sort of pollution you put into the water. It has been found in 
Europe to be an excellent practice to manure ponds, so that if 
you have cow-yards and stockyards draining into your streams, 
according to the practice in many parts of Europe, that would be 
a decided advantage to the fish. 
Mr. Titcomb: What kind of fish ? 
Mr. Atkins: Carp. (Great laughter.) 
And at the same time it might be very deleterious to have the 
water pollution or refuse from paper mills or chemical works, 
and it seems to me that the whole question is one that needs to 
be thoroughly investigated, and we have hardly begun it. There 
needs to be a commission at work in every state investigating the 
condition of the water, the causes of any pollution that they 
may find, and the specific action of the particular sort of pollu- 
tion upon fishes. 
Mr. Clark: A word or two in regard to pollution. The proof 
seems positive that pollution is highly detrimental to the waters 
of the Great Lakes for,whitefish. At Alpena on Thunder Bay 
river fifty or sixty years ago, whitefish weighing from 5 to 10 
pounds were caught, but twenty-five years ago no whitefish were 
