REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES XXIX 



The prevalence of adverse weather in some of the principal fields 

 in the Great Lakes region made it impossible for the fishermen to 

 attend their nets regularly during the spawning season, and as the 

 hatcheries engaged in the propagation of the commercial fishes of 

 these waters are wholly dependent for their egg supplies upon the 

 fishermen's catch, the output of these stations was materially 

 reduced. 



The propagation of the marine species of the New England coast 

 was prosecuted under varying natural conditions. The principal 

 difficulty encountered was the partial or entire failure of the run 

 of cod in some of the fields ordinarily frequented. Taken as a 

 whole, the results in this branch of the work may be considered 

 gratifying, both the egg collections and the output exceeding in 

 the aggregate those of the preceding year by a substantial margin. 



A very successful season was experienced in the collection of 

 eggs of the black-spotted trout in the Yellowstone Park. Weather 

 and water conditions were generally favorable and the fish ap- 

 peared to be plentiful in all the streams entering Yellowstone Lake. 

 A large collection of Loch Leven trout eggs was secured at the 

 bureau's field station in the Madison Valley, Mont. 



As the Mississippi River failed to attain its usual high stages 

 the spawning grounds of the river fishes were greatly restricted 

 and they were found in comparatively few pools. Rescue opera- 

 tions were conducted from early July to the latter part of Novem- 

 ber, and more than 62,000,000 'fish were collected and returned to 

 the open waters of the river, as compared with 150,000,000 fish 

 rescued in the preceding year. In connection with this work the 

 rescue crews inoculated the salvaged fishes with the glochidia of the 

 fresh-water mussels. Judging from the reports received from the 

 pearl-button manufacturing industry and the local fishermen, this 

 work is considered a very important factor in the maintenance of 

 the fresh-water mussels. 



RELATIONS WITH STATES AND FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS 



There is a well-developed and growing movement in many States 

 toward the improvement of the interior fisheries through the exten- 

 sion of fish propagation and distribution and by the establishment 

 of more effective measures for the protection and development of 

 fish life. The increased interest shown by the States in developing 

 their resources is prompting them to seek closer cooperation with the 

 Bureau of Fisheries, and is having a most wholesome effect in in- 

 creasing the bureau's fish-cultural activities. One of the most bene- 

 ficial results of this harmonious relation has been the elimination, 

 to a large extent, of heretofore wasteful duplication of effort on the 

 part of the States and Federal Government in the distribution of 

 fish, but the most valuable outgTowth of this cooperation has been a 

 more effective stocking of waters with fish adapted to them and the 

 discontinuance of the introduction of nonindigenous or harmful 

 species. The results of stream investigations made by many of the 

 States have been placed at the bureau's disposal, which has made 

 possible a more intelligent stocking of waters. 



