May 14, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



433 



2. A thoroughly detailed and accurate knowl- 

 edge of the food, habits, and movements of each 

 of the important kinds of food-fishes (of which 

 about five and twenty, together with six shell-fish 

 important either as food or bait, maybe reckoned). 

 The relation of each of these kinds of fish to its 

 fishing-ground must be separately ascertained ; its 

 time and mode of reproduction ; the mode of fer- 

 tilization of its eggs ; the growth of the embryo ; 

 the food and habits of the fry ; the enemies of 

 the young and of the adult ; the relation of both 

 young and adult to temperature, to influx of 

 fresh water, to sewage contamination, to disturb- 

 ing agencies, such as trawling and ordinary 

 traffic. 



3. An inquiry as to whether, over a long period 

 of years, there has been an increase or decrease 

 in the abundance of each kind of food-fish on the 

 chief fishing-grounds as a matter of fact, together 

 with an inquiry as to the actual take of each kind 

 of fish in successive years, and, further, an in- 

 quiry as to any accompanying variation in (a) the 

 number of fishing-boats, (b) the methods of fish- 

 ing, (c) the climatic conditions, or other such pos- 

 sibly influential conditions as previous inquiry 

 may have suggested. 



4. An inquiry for the purpose of ascertaining 

 experimentally whether the decrease in the yield 

 of fishing-grounds, in regard to several species of 

 food-fish, can be remedied (a) by artificial breed- 

 ing of the fish ; (b) by protecting the young ; (c) 

 by increasing its natural food ; (d) by destruction 

 of its enemies ; (e) by restrictive legislation as to 

 time or place of fishing, and as to size of fish 

 which may be taken, and character of fishing- 

 apparatus which may be used. 



5. An inquiry to ascertain whether, if periodic, 

 natural causes are at work in determining the 

 fluctuations of the yield of fishing-grounds, their 

 effect can be foretold, and whether this effect can 

 in any cases be counteracted ; similarly to ascer- 

 tain, in the case of migratory shoal-fish, whether 

 any simple and trustworthy means can be brought 

 into operation for the purpose of foretelling the 

 places and times of their migrations, so as to 

 enable both fishermen and fish-dealers to be ready 

 for their arrival. 



6. An inquiry into the diseases of fish, especial- 

 ly in relation to salmon and other fresh-water 

 fish. 



B. Practical administration. — The chief heads 

 under which this presents itself as distinct from 

 the antecedent search for reliable data are — 



1. The management of an efficient ' intelligence 

 department,' giving weekly statistics of the fish- 

 ing-industry, the appearance and disappearance 

 of certain fish at particular spots, the number of 



fishing-boats employed, the methods of fishing 

 employed, the meteorological conditions. 



2. The advising and enforcing of restrictions by 

 the legislature as to time, place, and method of 

 capture of fish. 



3. The artificial breeding and rearing of fish to 

 stock-impoverished fishing-grounds. 



4. The leasing and management of the foreshore 

 and sea-bottom in particular spots, for the pur- 

 poses of oyster-culture and mussel-culture, and 

 of marsh-lands near the sea for the formation of 

 tanks and fish-ponds. 



5. The opening-up of new fishing-grounds and 

 of new fish-industries (curing and treatment of 

 fish for commercial purposes). 



6. The introduction of new species of food-fish 

 and shell-fish. 



It is a matter of fundamental importance to 

 determine, first of all, whether it is desirable that 

 these matters should be dealt with by a permanent 

 staff, or, on the other hand, by the occasional 

 employment of a scientific man — not habitually 

 occupied in these inquiries — to attempt the solu- 

 tion of any particular problem which an unskilled 

 official may present to him. Clearly there must 

 be economy in employing permanently certain 

 naturalists who will familiarize themselves with 

 this special class of questions, and become ex- 

 perts in all that relates to fishery problems. 



Further, is it desirable that the matters which 

 are to be inquired into should be determined by 

 an official unskilled in natural history? or, on 

 the other hand, that the selection of inquiries 

 likely to lead to a satisfactory result should be 

 made by a man of science, specially conversant 

 with the nature of the things to be dealt with ? 



The organization required consists, so far as 

 persons are concerned, of, 1°, a chief scientific 

 authority ; 2°, a staff of working naturalist-in- 

 spectors ; 3°, a staff of clerks ; and, so far as 

 material is concerned, of, 4°, a London office, 

 with collection of fishes, apparatus used in fish- 

 ing, maps, survey-records, statistical returns, and 

 library ; 5°, a surveying-ship, under the orders of 

 the department, to be manned and maintained by 

 the admiralty ; 6°, a chief laboratory fitted for 

 carrying on investigations such as those named 

 above, and also two smaller movable laboratories, 

 together with steam-yacht fitted for dredging and 

 sounding ; 7°, hatching-stations and fish-ponds. 



With regard to the foregoing headings, it is a 

 matter for consideration whether the ' chief scien- 

 tific authority 5 should be an individual, or a com- 

 mittee af five. The position assigned to this post 

 should be equal to that of the director of the 

 geological survey, or the director of the Royal 

 gardens, Kew ; or, if the ' authority ' takes the 



