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Annual Beport of the 
FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS 
OF FISHERIES OF THE STATE OF WISCONSIN. 
To His Excellency , Governor Wm. B. Taylor: 
The Commissioners of Fisheries, appointed by the Governor un¬ 
der chapter 253, of the session-laws of 1874, are not required to 
make a report of their action under such appointment, but the im¬ 
portance to the state of the interests committed to their supervision, 
is of such character that we feel it our duty to make a statement of 
what has been accomplished by us, and also to make certain sug¬ 
gestions and recommendations for the consideration of the state 
law-making power. 
By the provisions of chapter 211, of the session-laws of 1873, 
five hundred dollars were appropriated, to be expended under the di¬ 
rection of Professor Spencer F. Baird, United States Commissioner 
of Fisheries, in promoting the artificial propagation and the intro¬ 
duction into this state of the better kinds of fish. A statement of 
the expenditure of that money furnished us by Prof. Baird, shows 
that the entire sum was expended for that purpose, the details of 
which are in the hands of the State Treasurer. Of the fry of the 
spawn of that year, several thousand were placed in the lakes at 
Madison, and also several thousand in Geneva Lake. As near as we 
can estimate, 20,000 salmon were distributed in these waters. They 
were hatched at the private hatching-house of H. S. Dousman, Esq., 
at Waterville, in Waukesha county. 
Under the act authorizing the appointment of commissioners, 
the sum of $360 was appropriated for the purpose contemplated in 
the law, and was to be expended under the direction of the com¬ 
missioners thereafter to be appointed by the Governor. With the 
funds placed at our disposal, we have been able to do but little. 
We received, through Mr. Baird, 100,000 spawn of the California 
salmon. These were sent direct from San Francisco to Boscobel, 
in this state, and came unattended as express matter. Mr. Palmer, 
