﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  89 
  

  

  and 
  to 
  land 
  on 
  Laysan 
  Island, 
  which 
  is 
  of 
  very 
  ^reat 
  interest 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  immense 
  numbers 
  of 
  birds 
  that 
  have 
  their 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  there. 
  

   The 
  amount 
  of 
  sea 
  food 
  which 
  this 
  vast 
  multitude 
  of 
  birds 
  takes 
  from 
  

   the 
  ocean 
  probabl}^ 
  exceeds 
  a 
  thousand 
  tons 
  daily. 
  As 
  this 
  food 
  

   doubtless 
  consists 
  wholly 
  of 
  either 
  tish 
  or 
  food 
  of 
  fish, 
  the 
  importance 
  

   of 
  aquatic 
  birds 
  in 
  their 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  fisheries 
  becomes 
  at 
  once 
  

   apparent. 
  

  

  The 
  large 
  collections 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  investigations 
  of 
  

   1901 
  and 
  1902 
  have 
  been 
  assigned 
  to 
  specialists 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  groups, 
  

   and 
  the 
  reports 
  are 
  now 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  preparation. 
  It 
  is 
  expected 
  that 
  

   the 
  report 
  by 
  Doctor 
  Gilbert 
  on 
  the 
  deep-water 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  

   Islands 
  will 
  soon 
  be 
  ready 
  for 
  publication, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  final 
  report 
  by 
  

   Doctor 
  Jordan 
  and 
  Doctor 
  Evermann, 
  containing 
  descriptions 
  and 
  

   illustrations 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  -species 
  of 
  fishes 
  known 
  from 
  those 
  islands, 
  will 
  

   soon 
  follow. 
  

  

  The 
  investigations 
  by 
  the 
  Commission 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  and 
  other 
  aquatic 
  

   life 
  of 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  Islands 
  naturally 
  led 
  to 
  a 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  

   origin 
  of 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  aquatic 
  fauna 
  and 
  its 
  relation 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   islands 
  to 
  the 
  southward. 
  It 
  was 
  therefore 
  arranged 
  that 
  Doctor 
  

   Jordan 
  should 
  spend 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1902 
  at 
  the 
  Samoan 
  Islands 
  mak- 
  

   ing 
  collections 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  of 
  that 
  group. 
  Doctor 
  Jordan 
  sailed 
  for 
  

   Apia 
  in 
  May, 
  1902, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Vernon 
  L. 
  Kellogg 
  and 
  

   Mr, 
  Michitaro 
  Sindo, 
  and 
  returned 
  in 
  August 
  following, 
  bringing 
  with 
  

   him 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  collection, 
  embracing 
  about 
  600 
  species 
  of 
  fishes, 
  many 
  

   of 
  which 
  are 
  new 
  to 
  science. 
  This 
  collection 
  is 
  now 
  being 
  studied 
  by 
  

   Doctor 
  Jordan, 
  and 
  the 
  report 
  will 
  be 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  Commission. 
  

  

  SPECIAL 
  INQUIRIES 
  IN 
  JAPAN. 
  

  

  The 
  Commission 
  having 
  decided 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  certain 
  bio- 
  

   logical 
  and 
  other 
  phases 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Japan 
  in 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  

   the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  Dr. 
  H. 
  M. 
  Smith 
  was 
  

   detailed 
  to 
  this 
  duty 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year. 
  Besides 
  

   making 
  a 
  general 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  Japanese 
  fisheries, 
  which 
  are 
  among 
  

   the 
  most 
  extensive 
  and 
  interesting 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  attention 
  was 
  directed 
  

   to 
  certain 
  special 
  branches 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Japanese 
  have 
  attained 
  prom- 
  

   inence 
  and 
  which 
  are 
  of 
  practical 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  

   among 
  them 
  being 
  the 
  cultivation 
  and 
  utilization 
  of 
  marine 
  alg^, 
  the 
  

   production 
  of 
  pearls 
  in 
  mollusks 
  by 
  artificial 
  means, 
  and 
  the 
  culture 
  

   of 
  terrapin. 
  Another 
  subject 
  of 
  special 
  study 
  was 
  the 
  dwarf 
  salmon 
  — 
  

   its 
  habits, 
  growth, 
  distribution, 
  food 
  value, 
  cultivation, 
  etc. 
  — 
  with 
  a 
  

   view 
  to 
  determining 
  the 
  feasibility 
  of 
  its 
  acclimatization 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States. 
  The 
  advisability 
  of 
  introducing 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  Japanese 
  fishing 
  

   and 
  curing 
  methods 
  into 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  and 
  the 
  opportunities 
  for 
  

   promoting 
  the 
  fishery 
  trade 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  countries, 
  were 
  also 
  considered. 
  

  

  