REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 17 



Polloclc. — The pollock catch was much larger than usual, the quan- 

 tity landed being 26,560,620 pounds, valued at $962,085. 



Cuslc. — The output of cusk was small as compared with recent 

 years, amounting to only 2,658,260 pounds, valued at $103,031. 

 The catch of this species has usually been about three million to 

 upward of six million pounds. 



Halibut. — The catch of halibut was 1,781,004 pounds, valued at 

 $302,280, which was 14,940 pounds more than in the previous year, 

 with $83,048 greater value. 



Mackerel. — The total yield of fresh mackerel taken by the American 

 fleet in 1918 was 69,314 barrels, compared ^^'ith 111,932 barrels the 

 previous year, a decrease of 42,618 barrels. The catch of salted 

 mackerel was 13,030 barrels, as compared with 32,162 barrels the pre- 

 vious year, a decrease of 19,132 barrels. The aggregate quantity 

 of mackerel landed at Boston, Gloucester, and Portland by the fish- 

 ing fleet during the year was 10,158,467 pounds, valued at $1,188,924, 

 of which 7,582,414 pounds, valued at $853,639, were fresh, and 

 2,576,053 pounds, valued at $335,285, were salted. This quantity 

 includes 29,152 pounds of fresh mackerel, valued at $2,423, from the 

 Cape Shore, landed by Canadian vessels. 



In 1919 both the purse seiners and gill netters in the mackerel 

 fishery had a comparatively good season. The mackerel landed by 

 the southern fleet were mostly large and medium fish, and sold from 

 8 to 18 cents per pound, according to market conditions. The total 

 catch of mackerel up to July 1 was 38,787 barrels fresh and 6,452 

 barrels salted, compared with 29,259 barrels fresh and 8,079 barrels 

 salted the previous year. 



PACIFIC SALMON FISHERIES. 



Outside of Alaska the Bureau's connection with the salmon (and 

 other) fisheries of the Pacific seaboard consists of very extensive 

 cultural operations addressed to the salmons in all the coastal States, 

 biological and other investigations of the salmons and salmon waters, 

 and interest in the welfare of the vast industry dependent on the sal- 

 mon supply. 



The conduct of salmon culture is, by law, contingent on the enforce- 

 ment by the States of measures for the ade(|uato protection of the 

 salmons, so that the money and effort devoted to the work of artificial 



Propagation may not be wholly or partly vitiated. The question 

 as arisen as to whether certain practices of the salmon fishermen are 

 needlessly wasteful and destructive. If the answer is afiirmative, 

 remedial action by the States is clearly demanded if the Bureau is to 

 continue the operation of its hatcheries. 



A feature of the salmon fisheries which has attracted much atten- 

 tion in recent years and has been widely discussed is the taking of 

 salmon by lines and nets at sea, on the feeding grounds of the schools, 

 under conditions tliat necessarily involve the destruction of large 

 numbers of immature fish on which the future of the industry depends. 

 This practice which for years has been followed in Monterey Bay, 

 Calif., has more recently been taken up and very actively engaged in 

 off the Columbia River, off the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and to a less 

 extent in other sections. 



