PROGRESS IN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, 1937 3 



forms a significant proportion of the total poundage taken. Con- 

 tinued studies of scup, squeteague, and other fishes which migrate 

 widely along the Atlantic coast, as well as of such anadromous species 

 as shad and striped bass, are expected to provide basic knowledge for 

 the application of fishery management practices which are critically 

 needed in this area. 



In the shrimp fishery of the South Atlantic coast the picture is 

 one of continued increase in number of boats and amount of gear 

 fished and of a catch which fails to increase in spite of augmented 

 fishing effort. Fishing operations are consequently growing less 

 profitable and the need of better protection for the young shrimp 

 is clearly indicated. The tagging program, continued through 1937, 

 gave additional information on the coastwise movements of shrimp 

 and demonstrated that protection of the supply is an interstate prob- 

 lem. Investigations on both South Atlantic and Gulf coasts were 

 pursued jointly with the conservation departments of several southern 

 states for the purpose of devising a system of rational management 

 for the fishery. 



To provide a continuous fund of information for their proper 

 regulation, studies of the salmon fisheries of Alaska were continued 

 without interruption or material change. In the Karluk area, where 

 effort is being concentrated on the causes of fresh water mortality 

 among young red salmon, marked progress was made in studies of 

 predatory species. Further light on the factors which affect the 

 returns from escapements of pink salmon was gained, and tagging 

 experiments on sockeye, coho, and chinook salmon were continued 

 in the Puget Sound area and on the Columbia River, Progress may 

 also be reported on the investigation of the entire Columbia River 

 Basin to determine what protective and restorative measures are 

 necessary for the protection of the salmon runs of that river. Ap- 

 proxinifitely 2,300 miles of stream have now been surveyed in the 

 Columbia watershed for the purpose of discovering additional spawn- 

 ing grounds that may be restored for use by salmon and of locating 

 obstructions to migrating fish and hazards to downstream migrants 

 in the form of unscreened irrigation ditches. 



During the latter part of the year headquarters were established in 

 California for the investigation of the pilchard fishery. Greatly 

 increased exploitation of the Pacific sardine or pilchard within recent 

 years has given rise to fears for the safety of the resource. The 

 investigation is planned to determine whether overfishing exists and 

 to prescribe proper measures for regulation of the fishery, should 

 regulation be found necessary. 



Important advances in State administration of the fisheries have 

 been made during the year in the Great Lakes area with the adoption 

 of the flexible rule method of measuring gill net meshes by Wisconsin, 

 Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio, and the passage of a discretionary 

 power act by the Wisconsin legislature, giving wider legislative pow- 

 ers to State conservation officials. Continuing its cooperation with 

 State officials and the fishing industry, the Great Lakes staff has 

 acted in a fact-finding and advisory capacity in several important 

 conserA-ation problems during the year. Life history studies of im- 

 portant commercial species have been continued and statistical analy- 

 ses of commercial fishing records have provided additional evidence 

 of the severe depletion existing in the Great Lakes fisheries. 



