BUREAU OF FISHERIES QO] 
at all times. Through the latter prohibition, which has been in effect 
since 1910, the sea otters have been saved from threatened extinction 
on the Alaska coast and are slowly becoming reestablished, although 
it will undoubtedly be many years before the numbers will increase 
sufficiently to permit an open season for the hunting of these animals. 
Meantime the protection of the herd from illegal killmg requires 
increased vigilance, and plans are being made to expand the patrol 
in the Aleutian Islands region. 
PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD AND GAME FISHES 
The yield of fish and eggs derived from the Federal hatcheries 
showed a slight recession in comparison with that of last year. The 
1937 output comprised 7,919,100,000, in comparison with 8,120,000,000 
recorded for the previous year. The 1937 output, however, surpasses 
all previous years with the exception of 1936. There was a noticeable 
recession in the number of Jarger fish produced. Fish listed as finger- 
lings to adults in size totaled 136,000,000, in comparison with the 
157,000,000 of the previous year. An analysis of the production of 
individual species reveals that there was a drop in the output of 
Pacific salmon with the exception of the chum salmon and the steel- 
head. The only species of game trout produced in greater numbers 
was the brook trout. There was a material increase in the production 
of black bass, this being confined to the largemouth variety. Special 
attention was given to extending the propagation of shad with a con- 
sequent increase in the number distributed. A more satisfactory 
season was experienced with the commercial whitefish of the Great 
Lakes. In the marine-fish cultural work, much of which is confined 
to the fertilization and planting of eggs of commercial species, an 
imcreased number of haddock and pollock eggs and fry was handled 
by the Division’s hatchery forces. The artificial propagation of 
lobsters was also resumed in the New England States with a hatch of 
3144 million fry. Much of the Bureaw’s fish cultural work is affected 
by weather conditions, and the fluctuations in the output of the dif- 
ferent species are to be expected from year to year. It should be 
pointed out that the production of larger size game fish for distribu- 
tion requires tremendous quantities of fish food, and steadily increas- 
ing costs for this item are partly responsible for inability to release 
all of the game fish as a “finished product” of large size. 
PROPAGATION OF COMMERCIAL SPECIES 
Marine species, Atlantic coast—Largely because of low unit cost of 
production and the fact that the salvaging of eggs from the commer- 
cial fishing boats represents a byproduct recovery, greater attention 
has been given to the propagation of strictly marine species. The 
cod, haddock, pollock, and flounders handled at the New England 
hatcheries frequent inshore waters and are the basis of a more or less 
local fishery. Consequently, it is felt that the distribution of approx- 
imately 614 billion of the eggs and fry of these species from the 
Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and Gloucester and Woods Hole, Mass., sta- 
tions has real economic significance, although it makes no direct con- 
tribution to the great offshore fisheries. Recent developments in the 
artificial feeding of lobster fry have warranted a resumption of the 
33858—37——2 
