BUREAU OF FISHERIES 99 



fact-findiiiff commission which doubtless will be instrumental in the 

 drafting of final regulations for the fisheries. At the same meeting 

 progress was made toward the adoption of uniform regulations among 

 the four States bordering on Lake Michigan. Congress subsequently 

 passed legislation which authorized an interstate compact among the 

 Great Lakes States for the preservation of their fisheries. 



FISHERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE 



The Fishery Advisory Committee, composed of leaders in the fish- 

 ing industry, organized for the purpose of advising the Secretary of 

 Commerce and the Commissioner of Fisheries concerning the devel- 

 opment, promotion, and regulation of the fisheries, continued the 

 studj' of fishery problems throughout the year. 



The lack of current information on market conditions has long been 

 apparent, and the actual establishment of a Market News Service by 

 the Bureau of Fisheries owes much to the recommendations and 

 interest of the committee which foresaw the advantages of this service 

 in the development of a more orderly marketing program for sea 

 foods. 



One of the major objectives of the Bureau of Fisheries' investiga- 

 tions is to discover the earliest signs of depletion of a commercial 

 sj^ecies, since thousands of people are dependent, either directly or 

 indirectly, upon the fishing industry for a livelihood. The problems 

 confronting this group are national and international in scope ; many 

 are not easily solved. An outstanding study concerns the difficult 

 problem of the wise exploitation of the pilchard or sardine fishery of 

 the Pacific coast. 



The committee has been formulating a long-range program with a 

 view to increasing the year-round consumption of fishery products. 

 A national fish week has been inaugurated and the committee has 

 planned to hold one meeting in a city outside of Washington, D. C, 

 each year. These conferences are resulting in the establishment of 

 closer relations between the industry and Federal agencies concerned, 

 and are affording a better understanding of the problems which the 

 industry is attempting to meet. 



DOMESTIC RELATIONS 

 COOPERATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES 



Some half-dozen Federal agencies are concerned with the manage- 

 ment of land and water areas where fisheries conservation may be a 

 problem. Outstanding among these are the National Park Service, 

 Forest Service, Tennessee Valley Authority, Farm Security Adminis- 

 tration, Bureau of Reclamation, and the Indian Service. The Bureau 

 has worked with each of these in the solution of their problems. 



The Forest Service has constructed during the year more than one- 

 half dozen rearing units which the Bureau operates for the protection 

 of fish to stock park waters. More are under construction and being 

 planned. The existing T, V. A. hatchery at Norris, Tenn., is of insuffi- 

 cient capacity and worlv has just been started on a large new unit on 

 the Elk River in Alabama. This will be operated by the Bureau and 

 the affiliations with this agency have been most beneficial. The Farm 



