﻿18 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  introduced 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast; 
  the 
  slender 
  colonies 
  became 
  established, 
  

   flourished, 
  extended 
  themselves 
  widely, 
  and 
  multiplied 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  

   extent 
  that 
  these 
  two 
  species 
  now 
  rank 
  among 
  the 
  leading 
  food 
  fishes 
  

   of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  States, 
  and 
  in 
  certain 
  localities 
  exist 
  perhaps 
  in 
  greater 
  

   abundance 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  waters 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast. 
  The 
  economic 
  

   results 
  of 
  what 
  was 
  at 
  first 
  only 
  an 
  experiment 
  may 
  be 
  thus 
  stated: 
  

  

  Total 
  cost 
  of 
  planting 
  shad 
  and 
  striped 
  bass 
  on 
  Pacific 
  coast, 
  nnder 
  $5, 
  000 
  

  

  Average 
  annual 
  catch 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  at 
  present 
  time 
  pounds. 
  . 
  2, 
  500, 
  000 
  

  

  Yearly 
  market 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  $100,000 
  

  

  Aggregate 
  catch 
  to 
  end 
  of 
  1902 
  pounds.. 
  18,900,000 
  

  

  Total 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  to 
  end 
  of 
  1902 
  $670,000 
  

  

  BIOLOGICAL 
  INVESTIGATIONS. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  of 
  that 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  charged 
  with 
  the 
  inquiry 
  

   respecting 
  food-fishes 
  and 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  has 
  for 
  its 
  immediate 
  

   object 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  the 
  principles 
  of 
  biological 
  science 
  to 
  the 
  

   practical 
  problems 
  which 
  arise 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  commercial 
  fish- 
  

   eries 
  and 
  fish 
  culture. 
  The 
  operations 
  of 
  this 
  division, 
  as 
  outlined 
  

   in 
  the 
  special 
  report 
  appended 
  hereto, 
  cover 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  and 
  are 
  

   addressed 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  valuable 
  economic 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   and 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  vital 
  matters 
  aflfecting 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  

   and 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  fish. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  has 
  deservedly 
  received 
  a 
  great 
  amount 
  of 
  attention. 
  

   Further 
  progress 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  interesting 
  experiments 
  haA 
  ing 
  for 
  

   their 
  object 
  the 
  fattening 
  of 
  oysters 
  by 
  increasing 
  their 
  natural 
  food. 
  

   Oyster 
  culture 
  in 
  Japan 
  is 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  a 
  timely 
  special 
  report 
  issued 
  

   during 
  the 
  year, 
  for 
  which 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  large 
  demand 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  

   the 
  proposed 
  cultivation 
  of 
  Japanese 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific 
  States. 
  

   The 
  lobster, 
  the 
  blue 
  crab, 
  the 
  diamond-back 
  terrapin, 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  and 
  

   Pacific 
  salmons, 
  the 
  carp, 
  the 
  catfishes, 
  the 
  tile-fish, 
  and 
  the 
  commer- 
  

   cial 
  sponges 
  of 
  Florida 
  have 
  been 
  objects 
  of 
  special 
  investigation. 
  In 
  

   the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  named, 
  the 
  sponge 
  grounds 
  lying 
  off 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  

   of 
  Florida 
  have 
  been 
  surveyed 
  and 
  plotted, 
  and 
  very 
  important 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  in 
  the 
  growing 
  of 
  sponges 
  from 
  cuttings 
  have 
  been 
  conducted. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  President, 
  a 
  special 
  commission 
  was 
  formed 
  

   for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  making 
  an 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  industry 
  of 
  

   Alaska, 
  the 
  main 
  objects 
  being 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  actual 
  fisheiy 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  in 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  territory 
  and 
  to 
  make 
  such 
  recommen- 
  

   dations 
  as 
  seem 
  necessary 
  to 
  regulate 
  the 
  fishery 
  and 
  preserve 
  the 
  sup- 
  

   ply 
  of 
  salmon. 
  The 
  extraordinaril}^ 
  large 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  salmon 
  catch 
  

   in 
  recent 
  j^ears 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  serious 
  deple- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  streams 
  unless 
  more 
  effective 
  restrictions 
  were 
  im- 
  

   posed. 
  Dr. 
  David 
  S. 
  Jordan 
  was 
  selected 
  as 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  commission, 
  

   and 
  plans 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  a 
  very 
  thorough 
  canvass 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  subject. 
  

  

  