REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. LVII 



Prof. Leslie A. Lee, of Bowdoin College ; Prof. Edwin Linton, of Wash- 

 ington and Jefferson College ; and Mr. Sanderson Smith, of New York. 



DIVISION OF FISHERIES. 



In reorganizing the work of the Commission I felt that the impor- 

 tance of the fisheries demanded the creation of a division which should 

 consider their commercial side in all its bearings. In 1885 the collec- 

 tion of fishery statistics was begun by Professor Baird, with Mr. R. E. 

 Earll in charge of the work. In 1887 Prof. G. Brown Goode, who was 

 appointed Commissioner after the death of Professor Baird, established 

 a division of statistics, with Mr. Earll at its head. This arrangement 

 continued until in May, 1888, when Mr. Earll tendered his resignation 

 from the Commission. I then decided to carry into effect my system 

 of reorganization, by creating aDi vision of Fisheries, and on May 24, 1888, 

 appointed Capt. J. W. Collins in charge, with instructions to organize 

 and carry on its work. The full accomplishment of this plan was de- 

 layed, however, by the necessity of detaching Captain Collins for the 

 preparation and management of the Commission's exhibit at the Centen- 

 nial Exposition of the Ohio Valley and Central States, held at Cincin- 

 nati, Ohio. A temporary organization of the division was effected and 

 the work of securing information concerning the fisheries begun. 



In the beginning of 1887 the office force engaged in collecting statistics 

 of the fisheries included R. Edward Earll, assistant in charge; Dr. H. 

 M. Smith, M. M. Snell, and W. H. Abbott, clerks. 



Mr. H. R. Center was added to this personnel in November, 1887. 

 During the interval between the resignation of Mr. Earll and the ap- 

 pointment of Captain Collins Dr. H. M. Smith assumed charge of the 

 office. 



Mr. W. A. Wilcox acted as a local agent of the Commission until 

 December, 1887, when he was directed to obtain special information in 

 Maine and Massachusetts, for the use of the International Fisheries 

 Commission. After completing this work he was assigned to office 

 duty in Washington until again detailed, in the latter part of June, 

 1888, for field work in Massachusetts. About the same time Mr. Luther 

 Maddocks was ordered to Maine for similar duty. 



The routine work has included the preparation of reports and refer- 

 ence files on the fisheries, based on materials received from the follow- 

 ing sources : 



Daily reports from the Boston Fish Bureau. 



Daily reports from the American Fish Bureau, Gloucester, Massachu- 

 setts. 



Weekjy reports from Capt. S. J. Martin, on the Gloucester fisheries. 



Reports from field agents of the Commission. 



Newspaper articles on the fisheries, fish culture, fish protection, etc. 



Correspondence with New England vessel owners and masters. 



Reports from and correspondence with collectors of customs. 



