In 1893, McDonald warned Oregon governor Sylvester Pennoyer of "the disastrous outlook for the future of the salmon fisheries of the Columbia."[REF] .
Prior to his appointment as Fish Commissioner, McDonald was awarded gold medals and diplomas from international fishery exhibitions at Berlin and London and a silver medal from the Société d'Acclimation in Paris for his inventions and improvements in the field of fish farming [REF].