REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 49 
During the fiscal year three cruises were undertaken by the steamer 
Haléyon—two for the purpose of oceanographic investigations in the 
Gulf of Maine and one at the request of Massachusetts fishing inter- 
ests in an endeavor to locate schools of mackerel. The latter cruise 
occurred in August and covered some 1,000 miles of fishing grounds 
in the Gulf of Maine and to the southwest and west of South Shoal 
Lightship. The results were almost entirely negative. The vessel 
was accompanied by practical mackerel fishermen who represented 
the Gloucester Board of Trade. The oceanographic cruises were 
made in December, January, and March, and were under the charge 
of Dr. Henry B. Bigelow. None of the trips was of long dura- 
tion, but 23 stations were occupied with the use of appropriate 
apparatus and 1,286 miles were steamed between Cape Cod and Nova 
Scotia. During July and August the vessel was overhauled and con- 
templated improvements were completed. She is now equipped with 
a single drum hoist for dredging purposes and a complete electric- 
light system. 
The auxiliary schooner “ider performed excellent service during 
the year as a tender for the Pribilof Islands, 10 round trips having 
been made between Unalaska and the islands for the transportation 
of cargo and passengers and one trip to King Cove. In November, 
1920, it was necesary for the vessel to go to Kodiak for repairs which 
could not be made at Unalaska. The vessel was at sea every month 
in the year and cruised about 7,800 miles. . 
The small fishery patrol boats Murre and Auklet were engaged the 
greater part of the year in their usual work in southeastern Alaska 
for the protection of the fisheries. Transportation was afforded to a 
number of employees of other Government bureaus. In May the two 
vessels maintained a patrol in the vicinity of Sitka for the protection 
of the migrating fur-seal herd. The Auklet made a trip to Prince 
Rupert during May for the purpose of procuring foodstuffs needed 
by merchants of Wrangell and Ketchikan to relieve the shortage re- 
sulting from the steamship strikes. In June the Auklet towed the 
Osprey from Wrangell to Seattle and on the return trip towed the 
Petrel from Seattle to Wrangell. Each of the two boats cruised 
about 4,400 miles. 
The Phalarope, Gannet, and Shearwater were occupied as usual 
in fish-cultural work, the first two on the New England coast, the last 
on Lake Erie. 
The motor boats obtained by transfer from the Navy have been 
renamed, and two, the Petrel (formerly the Cobra) and the Mergan- 
ser (formerly the Calypso), have been transported to Puget Sound 
on a naval collier and prepared for fishery patrol work in Alaska. 
A third, the Curlew (formerly the Polly), has been taken to Cape 
Vincent, N. Y., and is doing good service in connection with the fish- 
cultural operations on Lake Ontario. The Yulmar (formerly the 
Wachusetts) is being fitted out for similar duty on Lake Michigan. 
