BUREAU OF FISHERIES VII 



On March 31, 1932, the American Minister to Switzerland signed 

 the convention on behalf of the United States, and on June 10, 1932, 

 the United States Senate gave its advice and consent to the ratifica- 

 tion by the President, who ratified the convention on June 17, 1932. 



NORTH AMERICAN COUNCIL ON FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS 



The eighteenth meeting of the council was held in Ottawa, Ontario, 

 on September 29 and 30, 1931, with representatives from Canada, 

 Newfoundland, and tlie United States present. The council approved 

 the following resolution : 



The North American Council desires to express its appreciation of the invita- 

 tion from the International Council, conveyed by its president, that the NortJti 

 American Council should be regularly represented at its annual meetings. 

 The North American Council resolves that hereafter, when possible, a repre- 

 sentative will attend the meetings of the International Council in alternate 

 years and hopes that representatives of that body may similarly attend the 

 meetings of the North American Council. Many important problems are com- 

 mon to the two organizations and call for conjoint discussion and cooperation 

 which may be facilitated by such an interchange of representatives. 



The council also resolved that in view of the primary influence of 

 water conditions upon the course of the various fisheries, it is desir- 

 able that all information relating to temperature or other conditions 

 be communicated immediately to some center for purposes of colla- 

 tion and prompt reissue in such bulletin form as may be decided 

 upon, the Woods Hole Oceanographical Institute being suggested 

 as the best available clearing house for such data ; and the chairman, 

 as director of that institution, being requested to consider the matter 

 of provision of the requisite facilities. 



Views were exchanged on the progress of investigations as follows : 

 Fishery statistics; cod, haddock, and mackerel investigations; drift 

 bottle and water temperature experiments; and bait investigations. 

 The council has issued a publication summarizing its history and 

 developments. 



JAPANESE ^TESSELS IN BERING SEA 



Crab-canning operations of a more or less experimental nature 

 have been carried on by Japanese vessels in Bering Sea since 1930. 

 In 1931 the floating cannery Nagato Mai^ spent approximately three 

 months in the district, operating chiefly in the vicinity of Amak Is- 

 land. This ship, with two auxiliary motor vessels, the Kasuga Matrix 

 and Ise Maru^ returned in 1932 to engage in the packing of crabs in 

 Bering Sea waters to the north of the Alaska Peninsula. In addition 

 to the Nagato Marto^ the trawler Kohusai Maru was in the Bering 

 Sea region for several weeks in 1931 and made stops at a number of 

 places in the Aleutian Islands, primarily in connection with a pro- 

 posed good-will flight of Japanese aviators to this country. 



DOMESTIC RELATIONS 



FISHERIES OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO 



The Commissioner's report for last year referred to the investiga- 

 tions of the fisheries of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, begun 

 in May, 1931, which were completed in November. The islands are 



139072—32 2 



