346 IJ. S. BUEEAU OF FISHERIES 



Cooperative nurseries and rearing ponds estah'ished hy the bureau in 192S — Coii. 



Cooperative fish-cultural projects, involving as they do the selec- 

 tion of sites, inspections from time to time while the ifish are being 

 fed, assistance in the distribution of fish, and general supervision, 

 have developed beyond the ability of the present staff to care for 

 them properly. No additional personnel has been available, and 

 all the necessary details have been attended to by the field force 

 and the staff of the Washington office in addition to their regular 

 duties. Proper administration of this work would require the exclu- 

 sive attention of several new employees. 



While the bureau has exacted the provision, in all agreements for 

 the establishment of nurseries, that 50 per cent of the output may be 

 claimed by the Government for filling its applications, there has 

 been no need to insist upon strict compliance with this ruling to 

 date. The number of fish taken from cooperative nurseries for dis- 

 tribution to other than local waters has been negligible, and the 

 sponsors of the various projects have received almost 100 per cent 

 benefit from the output. There has been a tendency to increase the 

 number of nursery projects in a single locality unduly, the success 

 of a pioneer project inducing the formation of new ones in the near 



