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  fisheries 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  artificial 
  culture 
  of 
  fishes 
  has 
  been 
  

   performed 
  by 
  men 
  eminent 
  as 
  zoologists. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  activity 
  of 
  the 
  Commissioner, 
  however, 
  

   has 
  been 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  wholesale 
  replenishment 
  of 
  our 
  

   depleted 
  waters. 
  The 
  success 
  of 
  fish 
  culture 
  is 
  well 
  re- 
  

   cognised 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  especially 
  

   gratifying 
  to 
  its 
  advocates 
  that 
  in 
  1880 
  the 
  Grand 
  Prize 
  

   of 
  the 
  International 
  Fisheries 
  Exhibition 
  at 
  Berlin 
  was 
  

   awarded 
  to 
  Professor 
  Baird 
  as 
  " 
  the 
  first 
  fish-culturist 
  in 
  the 
  

   world." 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  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 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   mission 
  are 
  based 
  upon 
  a 
  liberal 
  and 
  philosophical 
  in- 
  

   terpretation 
  of 
  the 
  law. 
  In 
  making 
  his 
  original 
  plans 
  the 
  

   Commissioner 
  insisted 
  that 
  to 
  study 
  only 
  the 
  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 
  is 
  it 
  to 
  know 
  the 
  histories 
  of 
  the 
  

   animals 
  and 
  plants 
  upon 
  which 
  they 
  feed 
  or 
  upon 
  which 
  

   their 
  food 
  is 
  nourished 
  ; 
  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 
  relation 
  to 
  migration, 
  

   reproduction 
  and 
  growth. 
  A 
  necessary 
  accompaniment 
  

   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 
  

  

  