342 
Part III — Tenth Annual Report 
of a very elaborate Fisheries Bill, repealing all existing legislation, reserv- 
ing to the Commission larger and more effective powers of regulation, 
and providing for the artificial propagation of fish and oysters. This 
Bill is drawn strictly upon the principle of interference and restriction. 
It provides for the lengths and dimensions of nets, the size of mesh, &c, 
for various fisheries in ' inland waters ; and legal modes of fishing are 
in several cases rigorously defined. Immature fish are to be prohibited — 
not according to a standard of length, as in some countries in Europe, 
but according to a standard of weight, and a schedule is appended giving 
the weights for 28 species, and which vary from 2 oz. to 4 lb. Lobsters 
and salt-water crayfish have not to be sold under 4 inches in length, and 
fresh-water crayfish under 3 inches. Fishermen in tidal or inland waters 
have to take out licenses for themselves and boats, and such waters may 
be closed for periods against line or net-fishing. It is provided that 
Crown lands below high-water mark may be leased for fishery purposes, 
and especially for oyster culture. A number of statistical tables accompany 
the report. 
V. UNITED STATES. 
In the Eeport of the United States Fish Commissiou for 1887* is con- 
tained a fund of information in regard to the fisheries of the States, and 
the operations of the Fish Commission in their furtherance. This Report 
covers the work done during the fiscal year, that is, for the eighteen 
months between January 1, 1887, and June 30, 1888, in order to include 
an account of the operations in fish-culture during the winter 1887-88. 
Colonel Marshall M'Donald, previously Assistant Commissioner, was 
appointed Commissioner in January 1888, and in the present Report an 
interesting review of the development of the Commission, since its estab- 
lishment in 1871, is given. The labours of the Commission are too well- 
known to require recapitulation here, but it may be said they have fallen 
into four divisions — administration, scientific inquiry, fisheries, and fish- 
culture. In April 1888, a Bill was introduced into the House of Repre- 
sentatives providing for the reorganisation of the Commission of Fish and 
Fisheries, and defining its duties. Although this Bill did not become law, 
it is stated that the organisation proposed has been adopted, and, as given 
in the Bill, may be briefly summarised as follows : — (1) Continuation of 
scientific investigations on a broad and comprehensive plan into all 
matters connected with fish-life ; (2) continuation of the investigation into 
the history of the methods and apparatus of the fisheries, and for the pre- 
servation and utilisation of fishery products, the study of new methods 
and apparatus, and the furnishing of information upon which to frame 
intelligent legislation regulating the conduct of the fisheries and improving 
their methods and apparatus ; (3) to provide for tbe collection of fishery 
statistics, especially those of international importance, which may become 
the subject of treaty stipulations ; (4) continuation of fish-culture. The 
new duty of collecting statistics cannot fail to be of very great service. 
The United States, so progressive in all that pertains to fishery inquiry 
and fish-culture, and, indeed, the pioneer in these departments, is at pre- 
sent almost the only great fishery State which does not collect systematic 
statistics annually relating to its fisheries. 
In the division of fish-culture, it is stated that the total production for 
the fiscal year 1887-88 of the 13 stations and the steamer 'Fish Hawk' 
* United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, part xv., Report of the Commis- 
sioner for 1887, Washington, 1891. 
