A Historical Sketch of Fish-culture. 105 
proved a failure. It has succeeded in stocking the waters 
of the Mississippi Valley and those of California with shad. 
It studies exotic fish with a view to their economic intro¬ 
duction into this country, and determines in what region 
they will best thrive: thus, it introduced the German carp 
in 1877, the acclimatization of which has proved wonder¬ 
fully successful so that this fish may now be found in 
almost every State. In 1881 it introduced the saibling, an 
European trout, and in 1883 the brown trout of Europe; 
in 1886, it commenced at Wood’s Holl experiments in 
acclimatizing the English sole. Per contra , it has been the 
means of introducing from Baird Station the California 
salmon into Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia and 
other parts of Europe, and also into Australia, New Zea¬ 
land and the Sandwich Islands, and the steel-head trout into 
Japan. At the Paris Exposition of 1878 I remember seeing 
in the subterranean aquarium of the Trocad£ro several 
hundred young quinnat of about three inches in length. 
The public are always ready to show an interest in the 
work of the Commission and to aid it in every possible 
way. It has many friends and no enemies. When, several 
years ago, the Commission had an important station at 
Gloucester, Mass., it was the custom for the fishermen of 
Cape Ann to bring in for investigation every rare specimen, 
every “queer fish” that they might chance upon in their 
voyages, and at length it became customary for each ves¬ 
sel to carry a collecting-tank, and having such a tank on 
board was supposed to “bring good luck to the ship.” In 
this way specimens otherwise unattainable were secured, 
and some 30 new ones were added to the fauna of the 
North Atlantic. 
Among the important works of the Commission has 
been its investigation of the oyster-beds of Maryland. Now 
the oyster-fishery is the largest and most important one 
we have and has an annual valuation of from twelve to 
thirteen millions of dollars and affords employment for 
thousands of persons Our cod-fisherv. next in importance. 
