PURPOSE AND DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY 



This publication reports information gathered from the principal agencies 

 and institutions engaged in sport-fish research and management activities in the 

 United States. As such, it is probably the first organized attempt to bring together 

 the current programs in these fields of fish conservation. The objective of the sur- 

 vey is to provide a catalog which will encompass work in progress to provide fishery 

 administrators, technicians, and any others who might be interested, means for 

 keeping abreast of modern developments in fish conservation practices. It is be- 

 lieved that the publication will stimulate greater exchange of ideas between those en- 

 gaged in projects of a similar nature, will aid in preventing needless duplication of 

 effort, and will for the first time furnish a comprehensive picture of the status of 

 our fisheries progranns. 



In planning the Survey, it was necessary to establish a suitable limitation on 

 types of projects which would be covered. The principal criteria, that the Survey 

 should include projects relating only to sport fishes and features of their habitat, 

 was established in an effort to scale down the field covered by the report in its first 

 year. To maintain interest in the publication, it was found desirable to exclude re- 

 porting on routine management operations, such as law enforcement, public relations, 

 fish stocking, et cetera. Finally, the Survey deals exclusively with work in progress. 

 Neither past accomplishments nor future plans have been included unless these are 

 related directly to the current work. 



Reports on individual projects are necessarily brief, and the space assigned 

 does not reflect the importance of the project. In the case of some of the Federal 

 projects, the sphere of operations may include several States. Projects are listed 

 under the State where headquarters are established. The subject index will assist 

 in locating the description of any project. Insofar as possible the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service has limited its editing of completed questionnaires to the bare essentials 

 necessary for standardization of format and attainment of clarity. Readers are urged 

 to direct inquiries to the responsible agency as given under each project description 

 rather than to the Fish and Wildlife Service, except where the project is listed as an 

 undertaking of the Service. 



As there is no single comprehensive directory of agencies and institutions 

 engaged in projects covered by the Survey, it is doubtless possible that some have 

 been overlooked in this first publication. It is hoped that more complete coverage 

 can be obtained with next year's edition of the Survey. Questionnaires will be circu- 

 lated to correspondents in January of each year with the expectation that publication 

 will take place near the first of March. The issuance of the first report was un- 

 •avcidably delayed. 



All State Fish and Game Departments provided reports except California and 

 Texas. Federal Aid in Fish Restoration projects currently approved were included 

 by the Fish and Wildlife Service for California. Inasmuch as Texas had no Dingell- 

 Johnson projects in operation prior to April 15, 1953, no report of the Game and 

 Fish Commission projects could be made. 



