[7] FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 1161 



Appropriations for the work of the United States Fish Commission, 1871-'83. 



Fiscal year. 



Inquiry. 



Propaga- 

 tion. 



Hatcheries 

 and ponds. 



Steam 

 vessels. 



Miscella- 

 neous. 



Total. 



1871 '72 



$8, 500 

 5,000 

 5,000 

 5,000 

 5,000 

 5,000 









$8. 500 00 



1872 '73 



$25, 000 

 32, 500 

 17, 500 

 65, 000 

 30, 045 

 67, 500 

 70, 000 

 90, 000 

 85, 000 

 130, 000 

 115, 000 









$500 

 1,000 

 1,000 

 1,000 

 1,000 

 1,000 

 1,000 

 1,000 

 1,000 

 2,500 

 10, 500 



30, 500 00 



1873 '74 







38, 500 00 



1874-'75 







23,500 00 



1875 '76 







71, 000 00 



1876 '77 







36, 045 00 



1877 '78 



$2, 200 66 

 5,000 00 

 5, 000 00 

 17, 000 00 

 20,001 45 

 30, 000 00 





70,700 00 



1878 '79 









76, 000 00 



1879-80 



3,500 

 3,500 

 3,500 

 3,500 



$57, 500 

 15. 000 



172, 709 

 70, 000 



157, 000 00 



1880-81 - 



1881-82 



12 J, 500 00 

 328, 710 45 



1882-'83 



229, 000 00 







Total... 



47, 500 



727, 545 



79, 201 45 



315, 209 



21,500 



1, 190, 955 45 



An examination of these tables shows a total of $2,292,051.45 of pub- 

 lic money appropriated for fish-cultural work since 1865. This, by no 

 means, represents the entire amount of money expended in fish-cultu- 

 ral work, as private funds are invested in fish-culture in many localities 

 and large sums are expended annually in establishing and maintaining 

 hatcheries and in preparing poi,ds for the reception of carp and other 

 species, which are now being raised for sale in the markets. 



The work of the different commissions is by no means limited to the 

 artificial propagation of food-fishes, a wiser and broader policy having 

 been adopted, including a thorough investigation of the waters and their 

 inhabitants, together with kindred subjects that have a practical bear- 

 ing on the food and habits of fish life. The success of fish-culture in 

 the United States is largely due to the fact that it is under the direc- 

 tion of men of acknowledged scientific ability, who are not contented 

 with any superficial investigations, and will not be satisfied until they 

 have reached the bottom facts. 



As the United States Fish Commission has been the leader in the fish- 

 culture of America, a somewhat full description of its aims and meth- 

 ods seems desirable. No better statement of these can be found than 

 that given by Mr. G. Brown Goode, in his paper on the fishery indus- 

 tries of the United States, read before the conference of the London 

 Fisheries Exhibition.* 



"On the 9th of February, 1871, Congress passed a j oint resolution which 

 authorized the appointment of a Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries. 

 The duties of the Commissioner were thus defined : 'To prosecute inves- 

 tigations on the subject [of the diminution of valuable fishes] with the 

 view of ascertaining whether any and what diminution in the number 



* A Review | of the | Fishery Industries | of | the United States | and the Works of 

 the U. S. Fish Commission | by j G. Brown Goode, M. A. | Assistant Director of the 

 United States National Museum | and | Commissioner to the International Fisheries | 



Exhibition, London, 1883 | | Read at a conference of the International Fisheries | 



Exhibition, June 2"), 1883 | His Excellency James Eussell Lowell in the chair | | 



London | William Clowes and Sons, Limited | International Fisheries Exhibition | 

 and 13 Charing Cross, S. W. I 1883. 



