﻿REPORT 
  

  

  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  UNITED 
  STATES 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES 
  

  

  FOR 
  THE 
  

  

  FISCAL 
  YEAR 
  ENDING 
  JUNE 
  30, 
  1897. 
  * 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  to 
  submit 
  a 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  Commission 
  of 
  Fish 
  and 
  Fisheries 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  ending 
  June 
  30, 
  

   1897, 
  with 
  reports 
  from 
  the 
  assistants 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  its 
  different 
  divisions, 
  

   showing 
  the 
  work 
  in 
  detail, 
  together 
  with 
  an 
  appendix 
  describing 
  the 
  

   methods 
  of 
  fish-culture 
  pursued 
  by 
  the 
  Commission. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  Division 
  of 
  Fish-Culture 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  satisfactory, 
  

   showing 
  a 
  gratifying 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  propagation 
  and 
  distribution 
  of 
  

   the 
  important 
  food-fishes. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  stations 
  mentioned 
  last 
  

   year, 
  those 
  at 
  San 
  Marcos, 
  Tex., 
  Manchester, 
  Iowa, 
  and 
  Bozemau,Mont., 
  

   ha"\e 
  been 
  completed 
  and 
  are 
  now 
  in 
  operation. 
  

  

  Attention 
  has 
  been 
  paid 
  to 
  carrying 
  out 
  the 
  policy 
  outlined 
  in 
  my 
  

   former 
  report, 
  of 
  increasing 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  the 
  commercial 
  sj)ecies 
  

   propagated 
  by 
  the 
  Commission 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  and 
  Pacific 
  coasts 
  and 
  

   the 
  Great 
  Lakes, 
  by 
  establishing 
  auxiliary 
  hatcheries 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  

   the 
  permanent 
  stations, 
  for 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  for 
  the 
  collection 
  

   of 
  eggs. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  Battle 
  Creek 
  Station, 
  Shasta 
  County, 
  Cal., 
  obtained 
  

   through 
  the 
  cooperation 
  of 
  the 
  California 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  resulted 
  in 
  

   the 
  collection 
  of 
  over 
  25,000,000 
  salmon 
  eggs 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  5,000,000 
  

   collected 
  at 
  Baird 
  Station. 
  In 
  the 
  Columbia 
  Eiver 
  Basin 
  the 
  plants 
  

   of 
  fry 
  were 
  increased 
  by 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  temporary 
  stations 
  on 
  

   the 
  Salmon 
  Eiver 
  in 
  Oregon 
  and 
  the 
  Little 
  White 
  Salmon 
  Eiver 
  in 
  

   Washington, 
  the 
  two 
  stations 
  yielding 
  over 
  4,700,000 
  eggs. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  collection 
  at 
  the 
  Pacific 
  stations, 
  amounting 
  to 
  37,000,000, 
  

   was 
  over 
  three 
  times 
  greater 
  than 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  any 
  previous 
  season. 
  

   5,000,000 
  quinnat-salmon 
  eggs 
  were 
  transferred 
  to 
  eastern 
  stations, 
  and 
  

   the 
  fry 
  resulting 
  from 
  them 
  were 
  i)lanted 
  in 
  the 
  Hudson, 
  Delaware, 
  and 
  

   St. 
  Lawrence 
  rivers, 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  the 
  Penobscot 
  and 
  Union 
  rivers, 
  

   Maine. 
  Additional 
  assignments 
  of 
  steelhead 
  eggs 
  were 
  also 
  sent 
  east, 
  

   and 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  fry 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  Penobscot 
  and 
  Hudson 
  rivers 
  

   and 
  tributaries 
  of 
  Lakes 
  Michigan 
  and 
  Superior. 
  

  

  The 
  cod 
  work 
  at 
  the 
  Massachusetts 
  stations 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  extensive 
  

   ever 
  accomplished 
  by 
  the 
  Commission, 
  over 
  178,000,000 
  eggs 
  being 
  

   collected. 
  97,419,000 
  fry 
  were 
  hatched 
  and 
  liberated 
  on 
  the 
  natural 
  

   s])awning-grounds 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  steamer 
  Fish 
  Hawl- 
  and 
  sailing 
  

   vessels 
  chartered 
  for 
  the 
  purj^ose. 
  

  

  