﻿40 
  

  

  number 
  of 
  breeding 
  fish 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  reaching 
  their 
  

   spawning 
  grounds, 
  (this 
  is 
  universally 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  step 
  towards 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  our 
  best 
  

   food 
  fishes.) 
  

  

  3d. 
  i3y 
  protecting 
  the 
  fish 
  on 
  their 
  spawning 
  beds 
  ; 
  that 
  

   is, 
  by 
  prohibiting 
  their 
  capture 
  as 
  their 
  spawning 
  seasons 
  

   approach, 
  (the 
  habits 
  of 
  each 
  species 
  must 
  determine 
  the 
  

   period 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  protected.) 
  

  

  4th. 
  By 
  the 
  apparatus 
  of 
  fish 
  culture 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   and 
  young 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  loss. 
  

  

  5th. 
  By 
  regulating 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  meshes 
  of 
  nets 
  and 
  

   seines, 
  and 
  by 
  prohibiting 
  the 
  erection 
  or 
  use 
  of 
  " 
  fish- 
  

   traps 
  " 
  or 
  '■^ 
  fisli-baskets," 
  (we 
  c.annot 
  too 
  strongly 
  urge 
  the 
  

   entire 
  abolition 
  of 
  ''fish-traps.") 
  

  

  We 
  would 
  recommend 
  that 
  a 
  small 
  tax 
  be 
  levied 
  on 
  seines, 
  

   nets 
  and 
  fixed 
  apparatus 
  used 
  to 
  capture 
  fish, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   tax 
  be 
  in 
  proportion 
  to 
  their 
  capacity 
  of 
  destroying 
  fish. 
  

  

  We 
  would 
  also 
  recommend, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  better 
  regulate 
  

   the 
  fishing, 
  that 
  all 
  nets, 
  seines 
  and 
  fixed 
  apparatuses, 
  be 
  

   licensed, 
  and 
  that 
  "Fish 
  Wardens" 
  be 
  provided, 
  whose 
  

   duties 
  will 
  bo 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  laws 
  enforced 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  districts, 
  

   and 
  that 
  provisions 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  ensure 
  the 
  observance 
  of 
  the 
  

   laws 
  in 
  the 
  bay 
  and 
  navigable 
  rivers." 
  

  

  We 
  beg 
  to 
  express 
  the 
  thanks 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  to 
  Mr. 
  

   J. 
  Alexander 
  Shriver, 
  Vice-President 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  

   Baltimore 
  Transportation 
  Line_, 
  for 
  4 
  Root's 
  steam 
  engines, 
  

   which 
  will 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  rotating 
  the 
  shaft 
  of 
  the 
  Shad-hatch- 
  

   ing 
  apparatus 
  described 
  on 
  page 
  25. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  has 
  been 
  much 
  facilitated 
  by 
  

   the 
  continued 
  co-operation 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  linos 
  of 
  transporta- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  and 
  I 
  beg 
  again 
  to 
  acknowledge 
  our 
  obli- 
  

   gations 
  to 
  the 
  several 
  presidents 
  and 
  agents 
  of 
  these 
  routes, 
  

   who 
  have 
  been 
  specially 
  enumerated 
  in 
  my 
  previous 
  reports, 
  

   as 
  they 
  have 
  continued 
  their 
  assistance 
  in 
  the 
  transportation 
  

   of 
  live 
  fish, 
  cvc. 
  

  

  ResiDectfuUy 
  submitted, 
  

  

  T. 
  B. 
  Ferguson, 
  Commissioner.' 
  

  

  