PROGRESS IN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, 193 3 349 



liniiK)I()o-y, (.•licniistrv, bac'tcriolo*:!;}^ ])hvt()])liinkt()ii, zooijlankton, 

 bottom or<riiiiisins, and pollution in its relation to the fisheries. After 

 a detailed consideration of these various teehuical subjects it \vas 

 concluded that i)ollntion in the western part of Lake Erie was not 

 the primary or controlling factor in the depletion of the fishery in 

 this lake. Dr. "Wright also studied a series of plankton collections 

 taken by the lUireau's investigators from certain lakes in xVlaska. 

 Owing to curtailed appropriations Dr. Wright left the Government 

 service on June 3 and was inunediately engaged by the Government 

 of Brazil to conduct limnological surveys in the northeastern part of 

 that country. 



Progress has also boon made in the further analj^ses and com- 

 pilation of the data secured during the chub-net investigation of 

 Lake Michigan and the deep trap-net investigation of Lake Huron 

 and Lake Michigan (for details see report for 1932). It is gratify- 

 ing to report that on the basis of the data secured during the deep 

 trap-net survey, important regulations were passed by the Legisla- 

 ture of the State of Michigan that will safeguard to a large extent 

 the seriously threatened depletion of the valuable whitefish, especially 

 in Lake Huron. 



During 1933 the Bureau continued its cordial relations with the 

 various Great Lakes States and provided them with considerable 

 information and scientific data concerning the commercial fisheries. 

 Many memoranda on various fisheries ])roblems were requested by 

 and prepared for officials of several conservation departments; and 

 considerable assistance was also rendered them in preparing outlines 

 for field investigations, in drawing up fishery regulations, and in 

 furnishing expert testimony at public hearings called by legislative 

 committees. In fact, the Bureau's office at Ann Arbor, Mich., served 

 more or less as a clearance house in supplying the States with 

 scientific information on the Great Lakes fisheries. 



One important Great Lakes interstate conference should be re- 

 ferred to here. It was called at Chicago by the Director of the 

 Conservation Department of Wisconsin on January 5, 1933, for the 

 purpose of considering uniform regulations of the commercial fish- 

 eries of Lake Michigan. The meeting was attended by officials of 

 the four States fronting Lake Michigan and of the Bureau. Excel- 

 lent conservation measures were agreed upon at the conference, but 

 these later failed of passage in the several States. In addition to 

 this Chicago meeting. Dr. Van Oosten attended some 17 other con- 

 ferences during 1933 largely in connection with fisheries legislation. 

 He has also represented the Bureau at various meetings called for 

 the purpose of drawing u}) a Great Lakes fishery code and has pro- 

 vided the basic conservation measures that are being considered for 

 inclusion in this code. 



FISHERY STATISTICS 



In July 1933 the Bureau began an intensive statistical study of 

 the connnercial fisheries of the Great Lakes waters of the State of 

 ]\richigan under the immediate .supervision of Dr. Ralph Hile. 

 Data in the form of monthly reports submitted by each licensed 

 fisherman to the deijartment of conservation furnished the material 

 for the investigation. Each report contained a daily record of the 



