Relation of Wild Life to the Public 383 



for our parks. Some of the same persons who are very eager to 

 maintam a wilderness for certain purposes have nf\er recognize-l 

 that others are equally interested in an untouched aquatic wilderness. 



Attention has already been called to the need of trained park 

 officials to look after the fish, who are more than fish specialists, 

 and who can fully appreciate the ideals of the Parks, and as well 

 have an extensive knowledge of other Park animals. For example, 

 one of the latest publications of the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries 

 clearly shows this need. Dr. AA'. H. Rich. Assistant in Charge of 

 Scientific Inquiry, has recently pointed out (Progress in Biological 

 Inquiries, ip^j, pp. 8-9, 1024) the results of an investigation 

 made by the Bureau of the relation of the white pelican to the trout 

 in Yellowstone Lake, as follows : 



"The pelican colony on Yellowstone Lake in 1922 was found to 

 number between 500 and 600 birds, from which about 200 young 

 resulted. For the six weeks of their sojoiu'n on the lake they subsist 

 almost entirely upon the black-spotted trout, the toll taken by each 

 pelican during the season amounting" to about 350 fish, and involv- 

 ing, besides, a large loss in trotit eggs through the destruction of the 

 breeding fish. 



"The pelican represents a strange and interesting ancient type of 

 bird life and it is not desired to exterminate it in the Yellowstone 

 Park, where it is of much interest to tourists. Pleasures have been 

 recommended, however, for the regulation of its numbers through 

 the destruction, by proper avuhorities, of a percentage of the eggs 

 deposited on the breeding grounds in the park. The recommenda- 

 tions are now under consideration by the Bureau of Fisheries and the 

 National Park Service." 



Let us look into this sittiation a little further. The \J. S. Commis- 

 sion of Fish and Fisheries, the predecessor of the Bureau of Fish- 

 eries, established a trout egg collecting station on the shore of the 

 West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake, in 1901. and nine vears later 

 (see Report of Acting Supt. ^laj. H. C. Benson for 1909, pp. 

 8-9) the Acting Superintendent reported that over 33,000,000 eggs 

 had been taken. This was the most important egg collecting station 

 for these trout in the world, and the eggs were shipped throughout 

 the neighboring states so that by 1917 the depletion of the small 

 streams between the Thumb and the Lake Hotel was recorded. In 

 1918 the pelicans and gulls were condemned for serious injury to 

 the trout, and in 1919 it was suggested that a redtiction be made 

 in the number of pelicans. The Park Superintendent now recog- 

 nized the depletion of the waters and the need of increasing fish egg 



