Conservation Commission 11 



I. THINGS ACHIEVED 



Conservationists may congratulate themselves that some things 

 are settled, and settled right. 



Everybody to-day believes that the State's remaining wild life 

 should be conserved, through the establishment of close seasons 

 and the employment of an adequate protective force. Some may 

 hold that there should be a longer open season for this species or 

 a shorter open season for that, but upon the broad general prin- 

 ciple of thorough and efficient protection of fish and game public 

 sentiment is a unit and the policy of the State is not subject to 

 change. 



Propagation of Fish and Game 



So too as to propagation of fish and* game. The State is com- 

 mitted to the policy of establishing and operating sufficient fish 

 hatcheries to restock its waters. In this line of endeavor New 

 York is far ahead of any of the sister states ; and within the past 

 two years the Legislature has made appropriation for the exten- 

 sion thereof through the purchase and equipment of two new 

 hatcheries. This Commission since its creation in 1911 has made 

 every effort to increase the number and species of aquatic animals 

 propagated from the various State hatcheries, and has on the aver- 

 age made a much greater distribution than ever before, reaching 

 the maximum in 1913, when the total number distributed was 

 1,287,255,120. During the last fiscal year, with materially re- 

 duced funds for maintenance, but with additional hatchery 

 activities imperatively required, we were able to propagate and 

 distribute 566,543,016 fish. 



Of the 1,287,255,120 hatchery output for 1913, 520,000,000 

 were edible blue crab fry. The year in question (1913) is the 

 only one in which this species has been at all extensively propa- 

 gated. In 1908 there was an output of 4,500,000 blue crab fry 

 and 6,000 adults; in 1910, 56,000,000 fry and 7,500 adults; in 

 1912, 2,000 adults. The hatchery output for 1914 (566,543,016) 

 was about five or six-sevenths of the normal output for the past 

 four years. 



The run of blue crabs is extremely variable; in 1913 it was 

 phenomenal, while in 1914 it was not as great as usual. 



