326 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



priA-il^e, especially when by a stud}- of conditions, enlightenment of 

 public opinion concerning the exact situation might become possible, 

 and thereb}- abuse of the nsliing privileges might be reduced. 



The present comparatively ineffective efforts to save the game fish 

 IS a matter of concern to many, but there are many more who have 

 no interest in those fish or any otlier fish, as game fish. Their 

 interest is in the fish as a source of profit or food. Some of them, 

 perhaps many of them, in no way, so far as they can see, share in 

 the " millions " which anglers spend for their sport. There is 

 therefore a conflict of views between them and the angler which 

 has given rise to the present vexed questions. Bean ('11) said: 

 " It is unfortunate but true, that the Hf e of the inland lakes of 

 New York, numerous and important though they are, is as Httle 

 known as that of some of our remote possessions. New York 

 ranks among the greatest of the states in the value of its fisheries 

 and its waters contain undeveloped resources of unusual importance. 

 We know httle more than the names and spawning seasons of our 

 common fishes. The interrelation of species in their effects one 

 upon the other is almost a sealed book to us. In fish culture the 

 State is occupied with only about thirt}- species [including marine] 

 and these are under observation for the most part at the spawning 

 season only. What is going on in the open waters of our streams 

 and on the bottoms of our lakes is littie understood, and )^et it is of 

 vital importance to the success of our work. The State ought to 

 devote more time and money to the study of its natural aquatic 

 resources. Such investigations would yield unexpected and most 

 gratifying returns. It is time that the importance of the fisheries 

 to the general public as well as the angler was fuily recognized and 

 acknowledged . ' ' 



It is a recognized fact that the general public bears the expense 

 of fish culture and the burden of protection of the game fishes. It 

 is true that the anglers are a minority- of the general public, and 

 being a part of a whole, there should be no conflict of interests as 

 concerns pubhc welfare. The anglers have undisputed rights, but 

 the majorit}' have certain rights cJso, so far as the management of 

 the public resources is concerned. One of its particular rights is 

 that of deriving some benefit from the expenditure of pubHc money. 

 This is an important fact which appears to have often been over- 

 looked, disregarded, or underestimated, ^^'hile this ma}- not be the 

 proper place to say so, it is high time that it be said, that this just 

 relation of the whole of the people to a part of the people, is an 

 imminent economic problem of which the State will have to take 

 cognizance in connection with the interior fishing waters. 



The benefit to be derived In- the fish-eating but non-fishing popu- 

 lation from public money well spent in development of the resources 

 of the interior waters lies in the products of that development. 

 !Many of the largest lakes of the interior once contained an abundant 

 supply of whitefishes of several kinds and some of them perhaps do 

 even today. Those that do not might be capable of such develop- 

 ment through intelligent management. While the State has 



