1160 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



[6] 



banks. These reports were widely circulated and caused general public 

 interest in the matter, Congress being called upon to investigate the 

 subject. As a result, the United States Fish Commission was estab- 

 lished in 1871, with Prof. Spencer F. Baird, then Assistant Secretary of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, at its head, with instructions to investigate 

 the question of the alleged decrease and report whether any protect- 

 ive measures were advisable. The establishment of this Commission 

 marks a new era in the fish-culture of the country, and its operations, 

 which have been increasing from year to year, are more extensive than 

 those of any other similar organization in the world. 



The same year Alabama and Utah established fish commissions, and 

 in 1873 commissions Avere formed in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. In 

 1874, the legislatures of Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, and Virginia were 

 induced to create commissions in their respective States. Illinois fol- 

 lowed their example in 1875, and Arkansas, Georgia, and Kentucky a 

 year later. The year 1877 was a remarkable one in the history of State 

 fish commissions, as it witnessed the organization of eight new ones, 

 namely, those of Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, Forth Carolina, 

 Tennessee, Washington Territory, and West Virginia. In 1878 a State 

 commission of fisheries was organized in South Carolina, and similar 

 ones were formed in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Texas in 1879, in Oregon, 

 in 1880, and in Arizona, Delaware, and Indiana in 1881. 



The present public interest in the subject is indicated by the fact 



that only seven States and Territories of our entire number are now 



without commissions. A better test of public confidence is found in 



the annually increasing appropriations which are made for fish-cultural 



work by the General Government and by the governments of the several 



States. Below are tables showing the annual appropriations for the 



several State commissions and for the United States Commission : 



Appropriations for the ivork of the State fish commissions from their origin down to, and 



including, the year 1882. 



State. 



Alabama 



Arizona , 



Arkansas 



California 



Colorado 



Connecticut 



Delaware 



Georgia 



Illinois 



Indiana 



Iowa 



Kansas 



Kentucky 



Maine 



Maryland 



Massachusetts 



Michigan 



Minnesota 



Missouri 



Nebraska 



Nevada 



Tears 

 for which ap- 

 propriations 

 were made. 



1881,1882 



Amount 



appropriated 



to 1882, 



inclusive. 



$500 



1870-1882 



1877-1882 



1868-1882 



1881-1882 



1876-1882 



1880-1882 



1881-1882 



1874-1882 



1877-1882*! 



1876-1882 | 



1867-1882* 



1874-1882 



1866-1882 



1873-1882 



1874-1882 



1877-1882 



1879-1882 



1877-1882 



52, 000 

 11, 650 



53, 300 

 300 



3,500 

 5,500 

 2,000 

 32, 450 

 3,000 



13, 500 

 46, 975 

 96, 500 

 95, 500 

 68, 500 

 32, 500 



14, 000 

 8,400 

 7,000 



State. 



New Hampshire. 



New Jersey 



New York 



North Carolina.. 



Ohio 



Oregon . ., 



Pennsylvania . . . 



Rhode Island 



South Carolina . . 



Tennessee 



Texas 



Utah 



Vermont 



Virginia 



Washington 



West Virginia - . 



Wisconsin 



Wyoming 



Total 



Tears 

 for which ap- 

 propriations 

 were made. 



1S66-1S82 

 1872-1881 

 1868-1882 

 1881-1882 

 1873-1882t 



Amount 



appropriated 



to 1882, 



inclusive. 



$26, 463 

 33, 500 



210, 000 

 11, 226 

 39, 000 



1873-18S2 



1870-1882+1 



1879-1882§ 



114, 630 

 11, 500 

 6,242 



1867-1882 

 1875-1882 



5,000 



850 



10, 800 



21,500 



1877-1882 

 1873-1882 

 1880-1882 



8,100 

 52, 860 

 2,350 



1, 101, 096 



* Except 1881. t Except 1879. 



: Except 1877, 1878, 1879, and 1882. § Except 1880. 



