74 EEPOET OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE 



junction with certain economic conditions have already had a most 

 salutary effect on the stock of halibut. The long continued decline in 

 abundance to the low level of 1930 has been halted, and on the more 

 severely depleted southern grounds the recovery in 1933 has been to 

 50 percent above that of 1930. It is essential that the ground gained 

 so far be maintained and the spawning reserve rehabilitated to the 

 ■end that the fishery may become a stable resource with permanent 

 yield. 



Collection of comprehensive statistical and biological data by the 

 fommission for the past 8 years has been continued, and its analysis 

 has revealed certain fundamental short-time. reactions of the supply 

 to the demands put upon it by the fishery. These reactions appear 

 adequate to explain what has happened during the last 8 years. 

 Hence it may now be possible to predict with a degree of accuracy 

 what the immediate effect of regulation may be upon the stock. 



The biological work has consisted chiefly in the analysis of data 

 previously collected, as field work was of necessity curtailed on ac- 

 count of reduced approjDriations. The preparation of reports upon 

 studies of the rate of growth, maturity, fecundity, migrations, and 

 biological statistics has engaged the scientific staff. 



The limited field work conducted resulted in definite progress 

 being made in the development of methods of determining the suc- 

 cess of spawning by means of quantitative net hauls during 2^/^ 

 months of charter of the United States halibut vessel Eagle in the 

 Gulf of Alaska. The study of the migration and rate of decimation 

 by the fishery of the few remaining spawning schools on the southern 

 grounds was begun by conducting a tagging experiment off Cape St. 

 James on the chartered Canadian halibut boat Capella I for 3 weeks, 

 along the lines of the experiments of 1925 and 1926, already reported 

 upon. A system of market measurements has been inaugurated to 

 supplement size composition data secured from trade sizes. 



The practicability of the commission's regulations involving di- 

 vision of the convention waters into areas, limiting the catch from 

 each area, licensing of vessels for the halibut fishery, collection of sta- 

 tistics of abundance and locality of capture, modification of the 

 closed season, and closing of nursery grounds has been satisfactorily 

 proved during the past year. After public hearings during Novem- 

 ber 1932 several changes resulting from suggestions by the industry 

 and findings of the scientific staff were made for the 1933 season, 

 including changes in the dates of the closed season and in the bound- 

 ary lines between regulatory areas. The well-known spawning 

 grounds off Yakutat Bay were closed to fishing from November 1 to 

 the end of February and provision was made for the prohibition of 

 the lase of dory gear in southern areas. The catches in the two prin- 

 cipal areas were fixed at the same amounts as in the previous year, 

 taking into consideration the change in boundary lines. These reg- 

 ulations were approved by the President of the United States and 

 the Governor General of Canada and be(?ame effective on January 

 9, 1933. 



JAPANESE VESSELS IN BERING SEA 



The canning of spider crabs in Bering Sea was carried on in 1932 

 by Japanese intei^sts as in the preceding 2 years. The floating 



