Conservation - Commission. 17 



government's fifty hatcheries. New York propagated twice as 

 many fingerling and yearling trout in proportion as the United 

 States Fisheries Bureau. Of the 8,000,000' of trout distributed 

 during the year over 45 per cent, were fingerlings. The State's 

 fish output was 165,000,000 more this year than last, and the State 

 Fish Culturist expects a production of 1,000,000,000 fish for the 

 waters of the State in 1912. Upon a basis of one-half the price 

 charged by commercial hatcheries, the State hatcheries' production 

 in 1911 was worth over $200,000, and the cost of the work was 

 only about $75,000. 



The inventoried value of the hatcheries properties, located at 

 Upper Saranac, Bath, Mumford, Bemus Point, Cold Spring Har- 

 bor, Margaretville, Old Forge, Linlithgo and Constantia, totals 

 $144,251.77. 



The Commission respectfully recommends the establishment of 

 a fish hatchery in St. Lawrence county. The State Fish Culturist 

 urges this additional hatchery on the ground that the distribution 

 of bass, pike-perch, maskalonge, yellow perch and the various 

 kinds of trout and whitefish for the St. Lawrence region should 

 represent hundreds of millions of fish every year, instead of the 

 few millions which the Commission is now able to send to the 

 county. He is convinced that "All of the fish mentioned could be 

 propagated more advantageously in St. Lawrence county, and the 

 waters of the St. Lawrence and of other counties within reasonable 

 distances from the proposed hatchery could be more effectively 

 and economically supplied with good fish than at present. Not 

 only is it expensive to transport live fish over long distances, but 

 the risk of loss in transportation is very great, especially in hot 

 weather." 



Bureau of Marine Fisheries. 



The growing importance of the Bureau of Marine Fisheries 

 may be illustrated to a degree by directing attention to the fact 

 that the revenue derived from its operations in 1907 was $4,846.18 

 and for the year just closed $23,694.02. This result was made 

 possible by legislation regulating the leasing of lands under water 

 for shell fish cultivation. It marked the beginning of a new policy 

 looking to the development of this important resource in contrast 

 with the old practice through which the State had granted to mdi- 



