IV PREFACE. 



It is believed that by planting yearling and older trout of some species, rainbow 

 and brown trout particularly, that they may be established or re-established in waters 

 that are thought to have become unfitted for them because of the presence of predacious 

 fish. This experiment will be thoroughly tried in some of the lakes in the State until 

 it is successful or found to be impracticable. 



There are laws providing close seasons for the different trout and regulating the 

 size of trout and salmon that may be killed when caught with hook and line, but it is 

 equally important that there should be a law regulating the number of trout to be 

 taken. Other States have laws restricting the catch of an angler in one day to about 

 ten pounds of brook trout and about twenty-five pounds of lake trout. Now that a 

 beginning has been made in limiting the number of black bass to be taken in one day, 

 it is to be hoped that trout may receive attention in this respect and some limit 

 placed by law upon the number to be taken. 



The construction of fishways in the streams of the State has been referred to else- 

 where. That this is most important is recognized by all familiar with the fishing 

 industry. A Canadian report uses this language: " The construction and maintaining 

 of proper fishways is absolutely necessary, and this can be done so cheaply that there 

 is no excuse for neglecting it when a dam is built." Owing to the indiscriminate 

 manner in which predacious fish have been transplanted in the waters of the State, 

 care must be exercised in the building of fishways, that the territory of the predacious 

 fishes may not be extended to the injury of other fish ; but there can be but one opinion 

 in regard to the necessity for fishways in our streams to permit the free passage ot 

 anadromous and other fish to and from their natural spawning grounds, if the supply 

 is to be kept up even with the aid of artificial propagation. 



The various important recommendations of the forestry department of this Com- 

 mission will be found in the text of the main report, and will need no further reference 

 here. 



The Game Law of the State, with the latest amendments thereto, has been added 

 as an appendix, with a complete index. 



Finally, the thanks of the Commission are extended to Mr. Robert B. Marston, Dr. 

 Tarleton H. Bean, Mr. E. T D. Chambers, Judge S. H. Greene, and Mr. Granville 

 Hills for the original papers contributed to this report. 



THE COMMISSIONERS. 



