13 
ADDRESS: OF THE PRESIDENT. 
GENTLEMEN OF THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY : 
When your society met in these rooms in 1889, the 
organization that then extended to you its welcome was 
desiginated ‘The Anglers’ Association of Eastern 
Pennsylvania.” A broader view, however, of the work 
confronting them in their State, prompted a change of 
name to “The Pennsylvania Fish Protective Associa- 
tion.” Under this title the work commenced by its 
members as anglers for the perpetuation and increase of 
fish in Pennsylvania for purposes of sport has been 
raised to the higher and nobler plans of propogating and 
protecting the supply of food and game fish for the bene- 
fit of the people. And for this end it has sedulously 
labored and steadily impressed upon Fish Commission- 
ers and legislatures the fulfillment of its motto “The 
enforcement of the laws and the protection of the 
spawning fish.” This statement, however, implies 
nought that is derogatory to the angling fraternity, for 
from the anglers came the first fish culturists. Seth 
Green and Thaddeus Norris learned first to cast the fly 
before they delved into the mysteries of hatching boxes. 
And even at this late day, our anglers, men of close 
observation, whose calling renders them familiar with 
the habits of fish, can often correct errors that ichthyolo- 
gists and fish culturists sometimes erroneously promul- 
gate. Asan instance, a fish cultural article relative to 
shad appeared a few years ago stating that shad always 
spawned between nine and twelve at night. A thought- 
ful man might well have wondered how any fish culturist 
could discern spawning shad in these dark hours, but it 
was reserved to an observant angler on the Upper 
Delaware to utterly disprove this theory and show that 
shad spawned in broad daylight. 
