﻿88 
  EEPOET 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHEKIES. 
  

  

  ordinary 
  marlin 
  with 
  a 
  lead 
  covering 
  one 
  thirty-second 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  thick 
  

   was 
  employed, 
  with 
  results 
  that 
  were 
  satisfactory 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  trial 
  

   of 
  eight 
  months. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  marlin 
  may 
  rot 
  in 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  

   time 
  shorter 
  than 
  that 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  maturing 
  of 
  the 
  sponges, 
  in 
  

   which 
  event 
  the 
  material 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  abandoned. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  whole, 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  has 
  been 
  encouraging. 
  

   Cuttings 
  which 
  originally 
  measured 
  1 
  by 
  1 
  by 
  2 
  inches 
  have 
  in 
  eighteen 
  

   months 
  grown 
  into 
  spheroids 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  4 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  or 
  

   twenty-five 
  times 
  the 
  original 
  weight. 
  These 
  sponges 
  are 
  larger 
  and 
  

   heavier 
  than 
  the 
  minimum 
  size 
  marketed 
  from 
  the 
  natural 
  beds. 
  The 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  survivals 
  after 
  sixteen 
  to 
  eighteen 
  months 
  varies 
  with 
  

   the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  experiment 
  between 
  45 
  and 
  95 
  per 
  cent. 
  Though 
  

   the 
  experiments 
  have 
  not 
  reached 
  a 
  conclusive 
  stage, 
  the 
  results 
  so 
  

   far 
  attained 
  are 
  such 
  that 
  a 
  firm 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  sponge 
  business 
  has 
  

   begun 
  operations 
  on 
  a 
  commercial 
  scale, 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  which 
  will 
  1)6 
  

   available 
  for 
  the 
  information 
  of 
  the 
  Commission. 
  

  

  AQUATIC 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  HAWAII 
  AND 
  SAMOA, 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  1902 
  the 
  steamer 
  Albatross 
  was 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  an 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  and 
  other 
  aquatic 
  resources 
  

   of 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  Islands. 
  These 
  investigations 
  were 
  under 
  the 
  general 
  

   direction 
  of 
  Dr. 
  David 
  S. 
  Jordan, 
  president 
  of 
  Stanford 
  Universitj^, 
  

   and 
  Dr. 
  Barton 
  W. 
  Evermann, 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission. 
  The 
  investi- 
  

   gators 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  Albatross 
  were 
  Dr. 
  Charles 
  H. 
  Gilbert, 
  Prof. 
  John 
  

   O. 
  Snyder, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Walter 
  K. 
  Fisher, 
  of 
  Stanford 
  University; 
  

   Dr. 
  Charles 
  C. 
  Nutting, 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Iowa, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  B. 
  

   Alexander 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Fred 
  M. 
  Chamberlain, 
  of 
  the 
  permanent 
  staff 
  of 
  

   the 
  Albatross. 
  The 
  work 
  continued 
  until 
  August 
  30, 
  when 
  the 
  ship 
  

   returned 
  to 
  San 
  Francisco. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  conduct 
  of 
  this 
  survey 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  

   Hawaiian 
  group 
  were 
  visited. 
  Dredging 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  chan- 
  

   nels 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  among 
  the 
  islands, 
  shore 
  collecting 
  was 
  done 
  

   whenever 
  practicable, 
  and 
  the 
  abundance 
  and 
  values 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  

   commercial 
  fishes 
  as 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  markets 
  at 
  Honolulu 
  and 
  elsewhere 
  

   received 
  attention. 
  Knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  fishes 
  was 
  greatly 
  

   increased, 
  many 
  species 
  not 
  previously 
  known 
  having 
  been 
  found. 
  

   Deep-water 
  dredging 
  about 
  the 
  islands 
  proved 
  exceedingly 
  difficult, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  roughness 
  of 
  the 
  lava 
  and 
  coral 
  bottom; 
  the 
  trawls 
  were 
  

   frequently 
  torn 
  and 
  sometimes 
  entirely 
  carried 
  awa}^. 
  Nevertheless, 
  

   large 
  and 
  valuable 
  collections 
  were 
  obtained, 
  including 
  many 
  species 
  

   of 
  fishes, 
  mollusks, 
  crustaceans, 
  and 
  other 
  invertebrates, 
  either 
  

   previously 
  unknown 
  or 
  very 
  rare. 
  

  

  A 
  visit 
  was 
  also 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Albatross 
  to 
  the 
  Leeward 
  Islands, 
  

   some 
  800 
  miles 
  northwest 
  of 
  Honolulu, 
  giving 
  an 
  opportunity 
  to 
  deter- 
  

   mine 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  shallow- 
  water 
  fauna 
  in 
  that 
  direction 
  

  

  