New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-09


pect Of affairs. It is certainly to be hoped that
they may. But it rests entirely with them'
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IN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY THREATEHED
1t is not trivial matter which the Legisla-
tuIe is in danger of neglecting too long when II
fails 10 provide for the maintenance OF the
New York Fishery Commission. The work this
Commission has in hand is now OF several
years duration, and is near elimination, which
there is every reason to hope will be success
full. 1t ought not to be discontinued. The
State Commission is one of the auxiliaries OF
the United States Commission. 1t is mistake
to suppose that the larger does the work of the
smaller body. On the contrary, the New York
Commission was one of only three State Com
missions which existed in 1870; since then its
success has led to the establishment not only
of Commissions in thirteen other States, but of
the United States Commission also. At the
time our State Commission began operations
our trout streams and the shad supply were
nearly exhausted, and our native oyster beds
were entirely gone. Much has been accom-
plished in restoring the former more remains
to be done to insure full success; while the
work of restoring the oyster beds is one wholly
to be accomplished, and one which has al
ready become pressing.
There is no reason why the State Commits
sions, under the intelligent direction of that of
the General Government and the cooperation it
secures, should not fully restore our trout, shad
and salmon fisheries. In France, Switzerland,
Scotland, England and Germany, streams which
were wholly exhausted thirty years ago are now
alive with the finest of fish Matched and pro-
tected by artificial means, and these streams
produce large returns in sales and rentals. The
French and German Governments maintain
breeding-ponds at heavy cost, in order that the
people may have fish food at fair prices. In
England and Scotland the success has been
owing chiefly to individual efforts supplemented
by legislation and strict game laws. In this
country the success is only partial. because the
work is incomplete but the results thus far are
so encouraging that the work ought not to stop
now.
The restoration Of our oyster beds is also OF
the utmost Importance. Twenty years after the
introduction of railways in England, France
and Germany the hitherto apparently mex
haustible beds of oysters of those countries
were found to be wholly inadequate. The
railways had so greatly extended the area Of
demand that competition resulted In overdredg-
ing and finally in the too early dredging of
beds, 80 that deterioration in quality followed,
and ultimately the supply was exhausted. The
beds have since been restored by the artificial
means suggested by leading French piscicul-
turists, until now the supply of those countries
is equal to the demand, but the oyster pro-
duced is inferior to that which they once pos
sessed, or to that we now have, but may not
have long.
Since the introduction of railways in this
country the Northern oyster beds have been
wholly exhausted, and the entire country is
practically dependent upon the Chesapeake
waters for its oysters We of New-York only
transport from that region and transplant in
fattening beds here the oysters which we call
by the favorite names Of "ROckaways,"G Blue
Points, ShrewsbuIys," etc. The native
oysters of these beds were lost long ago; what
we have are only Chesapeakes fattened and re-
named And if the present system OF over
dredging in the Chesapeake, careless planting in
our own bays and rivers, and subsequent over
dredging of these fattening beds, IS continued,
the extension of the railways will increase the
demand to such extent as to exhaust every bed
in the country. 1t is danger which only the
scientific culture of the oyster, under the pro-
lection of the law, can prevents and it shows
culpable ignorance of the condition of our in
land fishery interests when we find legislators
blind and dull to the value and necessity of
the Fish Commission
We commend to them the example of Con-
eress in the wise and liberal provision it has
made for the extension of the usefulness of the
United States Fish Commission. Our Wash
ington dispatches give an important state
ment by Professor Baird of the work
which it is proposed to accomplish with
the exploration steamer, the construction
Of which Congress has authorized, and
also of the work which has been already
accomplished with the facilities at the COM
mand of the Commission. The usefulness of
the results it has achieved can hardly be over
estimated. Two examples from the array of
interesting information in this report will
suffice. One is that the conspicuous success
of the United States exhibit in the
Fishery Exhibition in Berlin has already
led to commercial engagements between
European and American business men likely
Tn amount soon to millions of dollars. The
other. that the introduction among American
fishermen, through the efforts of the Commits
sion, of the Norwegian gill-net. will remove
much of the occasion for those disputes
between Canadian and American fishermen
which have vexed diplomacy for so many
wears. The development of the fishery interest
in all parts Of the country is of vast material
Importance, and the Legislature should not
forget that fact.
In the most sheltered and sunny spots, like the