PROGRESS IN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, 1926 591 
a fairly consistent rate. It is undoubtedly a common conviction, which may 
have been fostered deliberately in some quarters, that the investigations of the 
Bureau of Fisheries have suffered serious curtailment for lack of support. By 
comparing the rate of increase in appropriations for fishery research with that 
of all other civil expenditures of the Government, it will be seen that prior to 
the great war the fisheries received proportionately greater support from year 
to year than did other governmental activities; but if it be assumed that it is 
proper to spend a definite proportion of the Nation’s wealth upon the conserva- 
tion of the fishery resources, then it would appear that investigation of the 
fisheries has suffered to some extent for the curve of total wealth of the Nation 
rises somewhat more rapidly. Of course, the activities of the Bureau of Fish- 
eries are but a part of the total effort expended in the whole country upon 
fishery conservation, but inasmuch as the field of endeavor is still so vast, it is 
not unreasonable to look for a parallel development of total wealth and of 
Federal conservation effort. As a tremendous setback occurred following the 
150 



140 























“THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS 

















\920 22 I 26 28 
Fic. 15.—Expenditures for scientific inquiry of the bureaus, 1894 to 1926. Curve 1, 
appropriations for salaries of the scientific staff; 2, miscellaneous expenses; 3, oper- 
ating expenses of the steamers Albatross and Albatross II, which are chargeable 
largely to scientific work. Total curves appear above and the upper one includes 
some eAiilene) expenditures made by the Alaska service in the interest of salmon 
researc 
war it is but natural to expect a proportionate increase in activity in the coming 
years, and if the trend is to be maintained the appropriations for scientific 
inquiry should reach approximately $275,000 by 1930. 
In 1924, by an act of Congress of far-reaching importance, the salaries of the 
employees of the division of scientific inquiry, through the reclassification act, 
were increased approximately 60 per cent. By thus placing the standard of 
compensation at a level comparable to that in State universities, the employ- 
ment of specialists adequately trained to produce worth-while contributions to 
the knowledge of fisheries conservation now is possible. Whether or not we are 
successful in carrying out this program of expansion depends upon the success 
of the scientific staff in producing results of the highest scientific standing and 
the utmost practical value. The promise of the future is rich, indeed. 
Before reviewing the modern tendency in fishery investigations, particularly 
since 1920, consider the state of the fisheries of the country and the outstanding 
problems that they present. The total yield has continued to increase since 
the earliest survey in 1880, until the annual yield, including that of Alaska, 
