PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES. 1922. 5 



by the Federal Government the commercial fishes ' have received 

 first consideration, and for many years more than 90 per cent of 

 the output of the Federal hatcheries has consisted of such species 

 as are prominent in the great commercial industry, and a large 

 percentage of the funds available for fish culture has been devoted 

 to this part of the work. The wisdom of this policy is not ques- 

 tioned, and there are many opportunities for the continued extension 

 of the bureau's usefulness in this direction. Nevertheless, the time 

 is at hand when the importance of maintaining the fish supply in 

 our minor interior waters can not be overlooked, and any plans 

 for the future extension of our fish-cultural activities must be com- 

 prehensive enough to include them. 



COOPERATION WITH STATES, OTHER FEDERAL 

 AGENCIES, AND FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS. 



Each year there is to be noted an increasing amount of worji 

 along fish-cultural lines accomplished in cooperation with the various 

 States. It has long been the policy of the bureau to foster and en- 

 courage such cooperation, and the results attained are gratifying. 

 The fiscal year 1922 has found the bureau working in close harmony 

 with 31 States that have thus far taken an active interest in prac- 

 tical fish culture. Such cooperative work has been varied in its 

 nature, involving in some instances joint operations at egg-collecting 

 stations and frequent exchange of eggs of various species for the 

 convenient distribution of the resulting fish.^ In other cases the 

 bureau has loaned its distribution cars to enable the States quickly 

 and economically to distribute the fish from their hatcheries, the 

 State paying all transportation costs. In still other instances the 

 bureau has been able to incubate in its hatcheries fish eggs pur- 

 chased or otherwise acquired by States not operating hatcheries, 

 the resulting fry or fingerlings being placed at the disposal of the 

 State officers. 



It sometimes happens that the bureau is unable to honor appli- 

 cations received, because it lacks funds for transporting fish to places 

 remote from the points of production. Several States are now pay- 

 ing transportation charges for the bureau's cars to and from the 

 point of production while engaged in distributing fish within their 

 boundaries. In still another instance an agreement has been reached 

 with the fishery authorities of a State whereby the State, as concerns 

 the distribution of fish, has been divided into two parts. Under 

 this agreement all applications for fish emanating north of the di- 

 viding line are to be honored by the State, while those from the 

 southern portion are to be taken care of by the bureau. In theory 

 at least this arrangement should result in greater economy and ob- 

 viate the present duplication of effort. 



It is desired to express special appreciation of the courtesies ex- 

 tended by the States of Washington and Oregon, whereby several 

 items of work in which the bureau was interested were carried to 



^ A statement of the numbers and species of fish and fish eg»?s furnished to States and 

 insular possessions of the United States during the fiscal year 192:2 is contained on p. 84. 



