30 
tirely on other fish, their abundance on or near our 
coast depends largely upon that of the kinds men- 
tioned in the beginning of this letter. . 
With regard to salmon, shad and alewives, which 
run up into inland ponds and streams to spawn, the 
protective measures now enforced by State Legis- 
latures while these fish are in fresh water are 
amply sufficient to secure their increase. There are, 
however, about forty species of food fishes, be- 
longing almost exclusively to the salt water of the 
coast from the Bay of Fundy to the Gulf of Mex- 
ico which require the consideration herein indi- 
cated. 
As a result of such quiet but convincing 
appeals to reason, based on a profound 
knowledge of the subject, and a full under- 
standing of the results desired, many mem- 
bers of Congress became interested, and a 
bill which was drawn up by Senator 
George F. Edmonds and Professor Baird 
was passed by Congress in 1871. 
The resolution which established the 
office of commissioner of fisheries required 
that the person to be appointed should be a 
civil officer of the government, of proved 
scientific and practical acquaintance with 
the fishes of the coast, to serve without 
additional salary. 
The choice of the commissioner of fisher- 
ies was by the terms of the bill practically 
limited to a single man, Spencer F’. Baird, 
assistant secretary of the Smithsonian In- 
stitution. 
It is a fact worth noting that the primary 
conditions which made possible such pub- 
lic philanthropic work as that exemplified 
in the life of Professor Baird were secured 
by the gift to the people of the United 
States of the foundation whose purpose is 
“the increase and diffusion of knowledge 
among men,’’ and which bears the name of 
the donor—the Englishman, James Smith- 
son. 
The scope of the Fish Commission’s ac- 
tivities rapidly expanded, as may be seen 
from the following summary made by Pro- 
SCIENCE 
[N. 8. Vou. XLVIII. No. 1228 
fessor Goode. It gives in brief form a 
synopsis of what the Fish Commission had 
become at the time of the death of its 
founder, Professor Baird. 
The Fish Commission now fills a place ten fold 
more extensive and useful than at first. Its work 
is naturally divided into three sections: 
1. The systematic investigation of the waters of 
the United States and the biological and physical 
problems which they present. The scientific stud- 
ies of the commission are based upon a liberal and 
philosophical interpretation of the law. In ma- 
king his original plans the commissioner insisted 
that to study only food fishes would be of little 
importance, and that useful conclusions must needs 
rest upon a broad foundation of investigations 
purely scientific in character. The life history of 
species of economic value should be understood 
from beginning to end, but no less requisite to 
know the histories of the animals and plants upon 
which they feed or upon which their food is nour- 
ished; the histories of their enemies and friends, 
and the friends and foes of their enemies and 
friends, as well as the currents, temperatures and 
other physical phenomena of the waters in rela- 
tion to migration, reproduction and growth. A 
necessary accomplishment to this division is the 
amassing of material for research to be stored in 
the national and other museums for future use. 
2. The investigation of the methods of fisheries, 
past and present, and the statistics of production 
and commerce of fishery products. Man being one 
of the chief destroyers of fish, his influence upon 
their abundance must be studied. Fishery meth- 
ods and apparatus must be examined and com- 
pared with those of other lands, that the use of 
those which threaten the destruction of useful 
fishes may be discouraged, and that those that are 
inefficient may be replaced by others more service- 
able. Statistics of industry and trade must be se- 
cured for the use of Congress in making treaties 
or imposing tariffs, to show to producers the best 
markets, and to consumers where and with what 
their needs may be supplied. 
3. The introduction and multiplication of useful 
food fishes throughout the country, especially in 
waters under the jurisdiction of the general goy- 
ernment, or those common to several states, none 
of which might feel willing to make expenditures 
for the benefit of the others. This work, which 
was not contemplated when the commission was es- 
tablished, Was first undertaken at the instance of 
the American Fish Cultural Association, whose rep- 
