PROGRESS IN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, 1934 337 



Nesbit, R. a. 



A convonicut method for proi);irin{:^ coUuloitl impression of fish scales. Jour- 

 nal du Conseil, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 373-370. 



The tisiiery conservation problems of Long Island. Fishing Gazette, vol. 

 51, no. S, pp. 27 and 29, and Fisliing Gazette, vol. 51, no. 9, p. 41. 

 Pearson, John C. 



Marking fish. Louisiana Conservation Review, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 30-33, 

 April. 

 Pbythekch, IlEjaBEaiT F. 



The role of copper in the setting, metamorphosis, and distribution of the 

 American oyster, Ostrea virginica. Ecological Monographs, vol. 4, no. 1, 

 pp. 47-107. 



Scientific methods of oyster farming. Scientific Monthly, vol. 38, no. 2, 

 pp. 118-128; Atlantic Fisherman, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 17-18; Fish and 

 Oyster Reporter, vol. 15, no. 8, pp. 2-3, 10-11. 



Rehabilitation of public oyster beds in North Carolina. Atlantic Fisher- 

 man, vol. 15, no. 2, p. 14. 



Oyster parasite threatens production in Florida. Fishing Gazette, vol. 51, 

 no. 13, pp. 11 and 27. 

 TAJFT, A. C. 



California steelhead experiments. Transactions, American Fisheries 

 Society, vol. 64, pp. 248-251. 

 Van Oosten, John. 



On the deep trapnet in the State of Michigan. [A letter, Dec. 13, 1934.] 



Michigan Tradesman, no. 2674, p. 25, December. 

 The value of questionnaires in commercial fisheries regulations and sur- 

 veys. Transactions, American Fisheries Society, vol. 64. 

 Van Oosten, John, H. J, Deason, and Frank W. Jobes. 



A microprojection machine designed for the study of fish scales. Journal 

 du Conseil, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 241-248. 

 Wright, Stu^lman, and Wilbur M. Tidd. 



Summary of limnological investigations in western Lake Erie in 1929 and 

 1930. Transactions, American Fisheries Society, vol. 63, pp. 271-285. 



The following progress reports covering the more important in- 

 vestigations of the Division during the calendar year 1934 were pre- 

 pared in the main by the investigators in charge of the various 

 projects. 



NORTH AND MIDDLE ATLANTIC FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS 



The experience of the last several years of economic depression 

 has brought into focus an aspect of the economy of our marine 

 fisheries hitherto overlooked, but of great significance to the funda- 

 mentals of conservation of our marine resources. It is generally 

 agreed among fishery biologists that few^, if any, of our marine 

 species can be reduced to extinction by overfishing. Rather, the 

 effect of progressive depletion is to lower the level of abundance, to 

 reduce the return per unit of fishing effort, to raise the cost of produc- 

 tion, and to increase prices. Theoretically, this process might con- 

 tinue indefinitely so that the products become luxuries utilized only 

 by the more affluent consumer. But this means practical extinction 

 of the fishery as a commercial enterprise. Obviously, the industry 

 must depend on reasonable volume, which, in the fisheries, can be had 

 only while its products remain low enough in price to remain in the 

 staple class. The optimum condition, of course, is found where the 

 level of abundance is such as to provide a maximum continuing 

 volume of yield. However, the experience of New England's fish- 

 eries in the past several years has brought to light anotlier limitation; 

 that is, the level of abundance must be such that fish can be pro- 



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