PROGRESS IN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES 6 



of our universities will take notice of this demand and train men 

 qualified to undertake work of this kind. 



Two important general conferences dealing with the scientific in- 

 vestigation of fishery resources were held during the year. The first 

 of these was called by the Commissioner of Fisheries on January 9, 

 at the solicitation of State authorities and private persons interested 

 in the welfare of the oyster industry, for the purpose of considering 

 the various problems confronting that industry. Producers and dis- 

 tributers of oysters and the various State shellfish commissioners 

 were represented, more than 50 persons being in attendance. 



The second conference was called by the Secretary of Commerce 

 on Ma} T 22 to consider plans for saving certain of the important At- 

 lantic-coast fishery resources from further depletion and ultimate 

 commercial destruction. It was attended by representatives of the 

 various fish commissions of the Atlantic and Gulf States. Among 

 the subjects discussed were the fisheries ' for shad, sturgeon, and 

 lobsters, the control of fisheries in boundary waters, and the destruc- 

 tion of undersized or immature fish. The conference requested the 

 Secretary of Commerce to appoint, with the approval of the gover- 

 nors of the interested States, a commission to work out the various 

 problems pertaining to the rehabilitation of the lobster, shad, 

 sturgeon, and other fisheries of our coastal waters, and agreed as to 

 the necessity for concerted action to prevent their further depletion. 



The following progress reports, covering the more important in- 

 vestigations conducted by the division during the calender year 1925, 

 were prepared, in the main, by the investigators in charge. 



INVESTIGATIONS OF FISH AND FISHERIES 

 ATLANTIC COAST 



LIFE HISTORIES AND MIGRATIONS OF COD, POLLOCK, AND HADDOCK 



This investigation, which was begun in April, 1923, was continued 

 during 1925, when 15,260 cod, pollock, and haddock were tagged in 

 localities ranging from Petit Manan, Me., to southern Massachusetts. 

 Many of these fish, as well as fish tagged in 1923 and 1924, were recap- 

 tured during the year, and data relating to migrations, rate of growth, 

 and age with respect to size were collected. A statistical summary 

 of the results gained from the tagging experiments is given in the 

 following tables: 



Table 1. — -X umber of cod, pollock, and haddock caught, and rate of capture per liour, 



during the years 1923-1925 



