40 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
starve from want of food, contrasted with zones of plenty. There are 
currents and counter currents and blendings of different waters. 
In one geographic locality, waters flowing from tropical regions and 
laden with characteristic animals and plants may overlie waters 
emanating from arctic domains and carrying their peculiar types 
of living things. If we do not have knowledge of such conditions, 
we can not determine whether a condition of extreme paucity of fish 
life such as was conspicuous on our eastern shores in the summer of 1916 
is an indication of exhaustion of the fisheries or is an inevitable con- 
sequence of observable oceanographic abnormalities that can not be 
affected by man’s operations; we will not be able to understand 
what general movements of fishes or variations in local abundance 
of fishes are attributable to unwise human operations and what are 
properly to be expected as a reflection of normal phenomena of nature. 
Oceanographic studies are not new in this or other countries; and 
extensive data have been gained by the Bureau at various times 
during many years, but within the past few years the Bureau has 
planned for better coordination of such studies as could be conducted 
within its means. Operations have been pursued intensively in re- 
stricted regions, so that a completed exploration might be made and 
relations established with a degree of definiteness that would make it 
possible to deduce some practical conclusions. 
The investigation of waters off the Atlantic coast, primarily in 
the Gulf of Maine and southward to the Grand Banks, has been 
continued in connection with studies of the life history and habits of 
the herring and other fishes. The schooner Grampus was detailed 
to this work with an assistant from the office in active charge of the 
observations, while the investigation was under the fortunate direc- 
tion of a skilled oceanographer whose services were available to the 
Bureau. The results gained during preceding years have been made 
public from time to time and a final report may be expected within a 
short while. 
Near as the Chesapeake Bay is to the center of administration and 
important as its fisheries are, we have been without systematic and 
detailed knowledge of the physical and biological features of its 
waters and of the effect of such conditions upon the constant move- 
ments and varying abundance of important fishes. Beginning in 
October, 1915, the steamer ish Hawk was detailed to a general in- 
_ vestigation of the Chesapeake Bay under the direction of a well- 
equipped assistant. At intervals of a month or six weeks there have 
been cruises over the bay, while observations of various sorts were 
made and material collected for later careful study. The investiga- 
tion Was by no means confined to technically oceanographic subjects, 
but a number of useful Inquiries were embraced in the general scope 
of work and many valuable services rendered. The existence of 
resources in hydroids, or ‘‘sea moss,” the basis of a possible new 
industry was demonstrated; the spawning habits and the life his- 
tories of fishes were studied; experiments were made with the propa- 
gation of certain species; crab fishermen were induced to experiment 
successfully with use of pickled dogfish and shark meat as bait, 
and a probable use established for a fishery product that had hitherto 
been wasted. The United States National Museum, upon invitation 
from this Bureau, also took advantage of an unusual opportunity 
to add to its natural history collections. The survey must be ex- 
