<3 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



Among the fisheries whose products are not used for food but for 

 industrial purposes, the most important are the whale, menhaden, 

 and sponge. The first of these, carried on from Massachusetts and 

 California ports, has reached such a low ebb that there is little profit 

 in it even under the most favorable conditions, and it is destined 

 to decline still further and eventually die unless, by international 

 agreement, prompt and radical protection is afforded to the various 

 species of whales on the high seas. Meanwhile, there has been an 

 increase in shore whaling in Alaska and elsewhere for whales that 

 formerly were largely neglected. 



The menhaden fishery is one of the leading fisheries of the Atlantic 

 coast, giving employment to a large number of men on vessels and 

 on shore. In the last two years the run of menhaden has been very 

 large, the number of vessels employed has greatly increased, and the 

 number of establishments for the manufacture of menhaden oil and 

 fertilizer is said to be greater than ever before. The fishery is carried 

 on from North Carolina to Massachusetts. The chief method of 

 capture is with purse seines, although other forms of apparatus are 

 used, such as drag seines, weirs, and gill nets. Menhaden, like 

 mackerel, are very irregular in their movements, and in consequence 

 the quantity caught varies greatly from year to year. The average 

 yield, however, in recent years does not indicate any decline in the 

 fishery. The steam vessels engaged in the menhaden fishery are 

 equipped with many modern improvements, being fitted with electric 

 and search lights, and it is stated that several are equipped with wire- 

 less apparatus, by which means they are able to communicate with 

 one another regarding the abundance or scarcity of fish on certain 

 grounds. 



The sponge fishery, confined to the coast of Florida, was during the 

 season of 1911-12 subjected to much interference by inclement and 

 stormy weather, with the result that the crop was smaller and the 

 prices were much higher than normal. As these conditions are likely 

 to recur, the Bureau has proposed legislation which would curtail 

 -the close season and permit operations during less inclement months 

 than is now legitimate. This relaxation in the regulations can be 

 made with safety to the fisheries, owing to the discovery of new beds 

 beyond the limits previously exploited. 



Among recent noteworthy changes in methods or apparatus 

 that may have a far-reaching effect are the increasmg use of gill nets 

 in the shore fisheries of New England, the augmenting of the fleet of 

 trawl-net vessels operating out of Boston, and the wholesale capture 

 of salmon by means of purse seines on the grounds off Cape Flattery. 



In considering the general prosperity of the fisheries, cognizance 

 must be taken of the part played by fish culture and acclimatization 

 in maintaining and increasing the supply of valuable food animals 

 in all sections of the comitry. Not the least important feature of 



