170 INTRODUCTION TO THE CLASS OF FISHES 



the methods of the Biological Survey. The following is from 

 the annual report of Commissioner Smith for the year 1913: 



"The most serious conditions with which the Bureau has 

 to contend, however, are of an artificial nature. The con- 

 struction of dams without efficient fishways; the operation of 

 nets in prohibited waters, or at the mouths of streams, thus 

 preventing the adult fish from reaching their spawning- 

 grounds; and the destruction of fishes and fish-food through 

 water-pollution, are some of the factors which nullify the 

 fish-cultural work of the Bureau in some sections of the coun- 

 try; while the failure of some of the states to enact or enforce 

 adequate protective laws, and the disposition of others to 

 appropriate to their own use fields which have been developed 

 and are already occupied by the Bureau, tend to hamper and 

 curtail its activities." 



The Value of Fish Statistics. — Many persons regard 

 figures and statistics as dry reading, and inventions of the 

 enemy. To the giddy mind they do not appeal. To the 

 wise reader they are — when properly chosen and set forth — 

 valuable means to a better understanding of the affairs and 

 the interlocking relations of men. 



To the angler who thinks only of Permachine belles and 

 silver doctors, figures relating to the annual output of black 

 bass and other game fishes may seem wearisome and unprofit- 

 able; but even in fishing, good figures have their uses. The 

 present cost of beef and mutton invests our food fishes with 

 new interest; and we hold that it is important to know how 

 well or how ill the supply is holding out in the various sec- 

 tions of our country. In the matter of geographical distribu- 



