REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 29 



$10,000 was made available, and the work of construction is in 

 progress. 



At the Key West (Fla.) biological station further progress in con- 

 struction has been made, and the station is rendering a useful, if as 

 yet somewhat limited, service. The inadequacy of the appropria- 

 tions granted for the construction and equipment of this laboratory, 

 as well as for its personnel, are matters which will be presented to 

 the Congress in connection with the estimates for the fiscal year 1921. 

 The activities of the station at present have to do with the spiny 

 lobster, with results as indicated on a preceding page, and with the 

 habits, distribution, and propagation oi marine fishes. 



The Bureau maintains no biological laboratory on the west coast, 

 although it enjoys at times the courtesies of other laboratories existing 

 on that coast. It has also several assistants engaged actively in in- 

 vestigations localized in Pacific Coast States. Since a local head- 

 quarters has been found desirable in addition to the office main- 

 tained at Seattle, the Bureau has reopened an office in San Francisco. 

 With one resident officer in charge, this office serves a very useful 

 purpose, not only as a headquarters and base of supplies for inves- 

 tigators and other employees, but as an agency for the transaction 

 of local business of the Bureau and for the dissemination of informa- 

 tion to the public. Appreciation of the service of this office is at- 

 tested by the increasing number of persons who call to consult the 

 Bureau's publications, to secure its economic circulars and memo- 

 randa, or to solicit information on diverse subjects relating to fish 

 and fisheries. 



PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES. 



RESUME OF THE OPERATIONS. 



The artificial propagation and distribution of food fishes, together 

 with the various collateral activities closely associated therewith, 

 were attended by serious drawbacks in 1919. Difficulty in obtain- 

 ing and retaining the services of qualified men at the compensation 

 allowed by Congress; the increasing cost of labor, materials, and 

 supplies ; and increased charges for the movement of fish-distributing 

 cars, amounting. to more than 50 per cent since January 1, 1919, were 

 among the circumstances that combined to retard operations and 

 that compelled most careful planning, efficient execution, and sus- 

 tained interest and zeal in order to maintain the mamitude and 

 quality of the work without exceeding the funds available. 



Nevertheless, the year's output of food and game fishes was larger 

 than ever before. The total number of fishes and fish eggs distrib- 

 uted was about 5,876,985,000, an increase of 718,000,000 over 1917, 

 and about 1,778,000,000 over 1918. Nearly 733,000,000 of fertilized 

 eggs were sent out from the Federal hatcheries; most of these were 

 from the commercial species of the Great Lakes and from Pacific 

 salmons, and nearly all were consigned to State hatcheries, where 

 incubation was completed, the young being planted in local waters. 

 Upward of 440,000,000 eggs of marine fishes were obtained from 

 commercial fishermen of New England, fertilized and planted on the 

 spawning grounds, in addition to the large numbers handled at the 

 hatcheries. Over 4,500,000,000 of young fish were distributed as 



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