REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 45 



was estimated that there were approximately 400 animals on the 

 islands at the end of the calendar year 1922, while 60 animals had 

 been used for food during the preceding 12 months — 38 on St. Paul 

 Island and 22 on St. George. 



COOPERATION WITH OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. 



The International Committee on Marine Fishery Investigations 

 met in Washington on November 10, 1922, and in Toronto on May 

 4, 1923. The first meeting was attended by three representatives 

 each of the United States and Canada, and the second by two 

 representatives of the United States and three of Canada. At the 

 Toronto meeting the committee had the satisfaction of welcoming 

 a representative of France, that country, by reason of its fisheries 

 in the western Atlantic, having officially expressed a desire to par- 

 ticipate in these conferences. The representative of Newfoundland 

 was unable to attend either meeting. Plans were laid for coordinat- 

 ing certain of the marine-fisheries investigations of the countries 

 represented. 



Helpful relations have been maintained with the Bureau of 

 Standards, Coast and Geodetic Survey, Bureau of the Census, and 

 Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. 



The National Park Service and the Forest Service have cooperated 

 in stocking streams with fish and in facilitating fish-cultural work 

 in other respects, and assistance to various branches of the bureau's 

 activities has been rendered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the 

 Eeclamation Service, and the Geological Survey. 



An assistant was again detailed to the Public Health Service for 

 investigations of mosquito control through the agency of fishes. 



The Navy Department furnished transportation for supplies and 

 personnel to the Pribilof Islands, and the Coast Guard Service as 

 usual extended valuable assistance on many occasions. 



The Consular Service has supplied important information con- 

 cerning the fisheries of foreign countries. 



VESSEL SERVICE NOTES, 1923. 



The steamer Fish Hawk has continued the hydrographic and bio- 

 logical survey of Long Island Sound, which was inaugurated at the 

 end of the last fiscal year. Eight round trips, aggregating 2,213 

 miles of steaming, have been made, from 30 to 56 stations being 

 covered on each trip. The Fish Hawk has not been extensively over- 

 hauled since 1916 and is in urgent need of repairs and new propellers, 

 for which a special appropriation has been asked. 



The steamer Halcyon has been engaged in carrying on a fishery in- 

 vestigation in the north Atlantic and in fish-cultural operations in 

 connection with the Gloucester and Woods Hole stations. In July 

 current observations were made on lines 150 miles each from Sandy 

 Hook and Chatham and 25 miles from Cape Elizabeth, and April, 

 May. and June were spent in tagging codfish in the vicinity of Nan- 

 tucket. During August and September the crew was occupied in 

 overhauling the gas boat Kittiwake preparatory to her transfer to 

 Seattle, and in February valuable service was performed by the 



