REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OP FISHERIES XXXIX 



Sound region is had by transplanting quantities of seed oysters grown 

 under favorable or controlled conditions. 



A survey of the oyster beds on the Texas coast was made from 

 December to March. Biological and hydrographical observations 

 were carried on from Galveston to Corpus Christi in the many bays 

 and sounds that indent the coast. These localities presented such a 

 variety of conditions that it was necessary to formulate detailed rec- 

 ommendations for the various situations. Oysters occur either on the 

 reefs, where they grow in great abundance, covering every available 

 space, or scattered on the bottom, where the mud is stiff enough to 

 support the weight of the shells. Due to the overcrowded condi- 

 tions, the reef oysters are of very poor quality, while those scattered 

 over large areas frequently are of very high quality but in many 

 places are seriously depleted from overfishing. The salinity of these 

 waters is subject to considerable fluctuation throughout the year, but 

 with the cooperation of the State authorities the series of observa- 

 tions initiated during the survey is being continued for an entire 

 year in order to determine the extreme variations under which oyster 

 culture can be conducted successfully. Preliminary recommenda- 

 tions for planting in suitable waters already have been prepared, 

 and additional recommendations will be submitted after a year's 

 complete records have been analyzed. 



Further experiments in transplanting seed oysters and collecting 

 spat, which were initiated in Georgia last year, were successful. 

 Unfortunately in this State experimental work in oyster culture is 

 hampered by lack of funds, but it is believed that oyster farming 

 can be developed as a profitable enterprise in Georgia. Brief sur- 

 veys of the oyster beds on the coasts of Louisiana and South Caro- 

 lina were completed during the year, and plans were made for more 

 thorough work. 



PACIFIC COAST FISHERIES 



One of the greatest tasks confronting the bureau, but which at 

 the same time is one of the greatest opportunities for public service, 

 is the conservation of the salmon fisheries of the Pacific coast. These 

 fisheries, which annuallv produce manufactured products valued at 

 from $40,000,000 to $50',000,000, have declined seriously in many lo- 

 calities due to long-continued overfishing. The entire administra- 

 tion of the fisheries of Alaska is vested in the Department of Com- 

 merce, acting through the Bureau of Fisheries, and the responsibility 

 of conserving them is fully recognized ; but the protection of the 

 salmon fisheries is dependent upon extensive biological investigations 

 of the life and habits of the fish, particularly is it necessary to de- 

 termine which streams contain the more important spawning beds 

 and the relation between these and the fishing centers. 



In cooperation with the International Pacific Salmon Investiga- 

 tion Federation, the bureau established a laboratory at Seattle, Wash., 

 and Dr. Willis H. Rich, the former chief of the division of scientific 

 inquiry, has been placed in charge of an extended program of study. 

 Much practical information has been obtained from tagging experi- 

 ments conducted during the last four years. A report on the earliest 

 of these was published in 1925, and one covering the results of the 

 tagging experiments of 1924 and 1925 at Port Moller, Alaska, and 

 in southeastern Alaska is in press. 



