376 



OEDERS OF FISHES— INTRODUCTION 



THE NAMES OF THE FINS OF A TYPICAL FISH. 



The species shown is the Black Grunt (Haetnulon plumieri), and it represents the large and comniercially 

 important Family of Grunts {H aemulidae) , represented in our warm waters by about 55 species. 



upon the Fishes as a Class has eliosen either to 

 alter or ignore jjrevious classifications, and 

 adopt the arrangement which to him has seemed 

 mo.st logical and reasonable. In order to con- 

 form to this time-honored custom, I have elected 

 to do hkewise! 



With the subdivisions of the Orders, we are 

 not at present .seriously concerned, our main 

 object being to block out the larger groups, only. 

 The arrangement of Orders set forth on jjages 

 378-9 is called a "practical arrangement" 

 because it can be understood, and is available 

 for practical, every-day use. 



THE FISHERY INDUSTRIES, AND FISH 

 PROPAGATION. 



Says Mr. Charles H. Townsend, late Chief of 

 the Division of Statistics, United States Bureau 

 of Fisheries, "The commercial fisheries of the 

 United States em])loy about 200,000 persons, 

 the amount of capital invested is $60,000,000, 

 and the annual value of the i^roducts to the fish- 

 ermen is approximately S.50,000,000." 



As a source of supply of cheap and whole- 

 some flesh food, the fishes of our waters are 

 almost as vitally important as coal. The best 

 fish rarely costs more than one-half the price 

 of the best beef and mutton, and often only 

 one-third as much. 



In 1S71, Professor Spencer F. Baird, Secre- 

 tary of the Smithsonian Institution, induced 

 Congress- to create and perpetuate the United 

 States Bureau of Fisheries, for the propagation 

 of food fishes, and the preservation of the fish- 

 eries. The appropriation for 1902 was $.543,120. 



To-day the United States Bureau of Fisheries, 

 as the propagator and preserver of food fishes, 

 is engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle with the 

 200,000 destroyers. There are comparati^'ely 

 few laws which are intended to limit the catch 

 of commercial fishes; but the sportsmen have 

 provided many .statutes for the preservation of 

 the high-class "game" fishes. Nearly every 

 state maintains a state fish commission, for the 

 special benefit of its own citizens, and some of 

 these are doing ^'ery important work. 



