5d 
regard to the important interests concerned. It will 
not be denied, I presume, that the effect of unrestrained 
fishing in our rivers is to reduce supply, which it is 
necessary to compensate for, either by artificial propa- 
gation or by restrictions in the fishing, or preferably, 
both combined. This necessity arises from the fact 
that it is possible in our rivers to intercept or obstruct 
the fish on their way to their spawning grounds. The 
further conclusion must be drawn that wherever, in 
reference to our coast fishes, it can be shown that the 
methods and locations of the fisheries are such as to 
obstruct or materially impede access to their spawning 
grounds, the same results must inevitably happen in 
reference to these that we have already found to take 
place in the case of our river species. 
The broad fact I wish to impress upon this audience 
and upon the fishing interests, is this: that the interest 
of the community is in maintainance of supply, and the 
interests of the fisheries cannot in any measure be 
separated from the general interest. Whatever meas- 
ures are required to increase or maintain production, 
are as clearly in the interest of the fishermen themselves 
as in that of the community of which they constitute a 
part. 
M. McDONALD. 
Captain Collins said, ‘Mr. President, I think I can 
help Colonel McDonald in regard to the statistics he 
has presented. At the time the investigation was made 
of the Gulf and South Atlantic States, I was in charge 
of that department of the United States Fish Commis- 
sion, and the figures he has given were those of the 
year 1890. Since that time there has been a system 
established of getting returns by blanks left with the 
fishermen, and all the statistics of the Great Lakes were 
taken in ’gt, or about that time. I think I am correct 
in stating that the complete statistics were not taken 
