﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XIII 
  

  

  connection 
  with 
  the 
  special 
  commission 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  President 
  in 
  

   accordance 
  with 
  the 
  joint 
  resokitiou 
  of 
  Congress 
  approved 
  June 
  8, 
  

   1896, 
  to 
  investigate 
  into 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  herd. 
  The 
  Fish 
  

   Commission 
  representatives 
  on 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  commission 
  were 
  Lieut. 
  

   Commander 
  J. 
  F. 
  Moser, 
  U. 
  S. 
  N., 
  and 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  H. 
  Towuseud. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1896, 
  the 
  steamer 
  Albatross 
  was 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   Alaskan 
  waters, 
  having 
  been 
  detailed 
  by 
  the 
  President 
  to 
  the 
  Treasury 
  

   Department 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  special 
  commission. 
  The 
  vessel 
  returned 
  

   via 
  Japan 
  and 
  Honolulu, 
  arriving 
  at 
  Sausalito, 
  Cal., 
  December 
  11. 
  

   On 
  the 
  15th 
  she 
  was 
  relieved 
  from 
  further 
  duty 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  

   Treasury 
  Dei^artment, 
  and, 
  after 
  pressing 
  repairs 
  had 
  been 
  completed, 
  

   sailed 
  for 
  San 
  Diego 
  December 
  30. 
  

  

  The 
  recent 
  very 
  marked 
  develox)ment 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  oft" 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  

   southern 
  California 
  makes 
  it 
  desirable 
  that 
  the 
  extent, 
  resources, 
  and 
  

   location 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  fishing 
  banks 
  be 
  ascertained, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  

   early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  1897 
  the 
  Albatross 
  was 
  engaged 
  in 
  provisional 
  

   examinations 
  of 
  the 
  fishing-grounds 
  oft' 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Los 
  Angeles 
  County, 
  

   Monterey, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Farallone 
  Islands, 
  to 
  discover 
  the 
  

   possibilities 
  of 
  a 
  further 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  oft'-shore 
  fisheries. 
  For 
  the 
  

   first 
  time 
  in 
  many 
  years 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  available 
  for 
  exclusive 
  fishery 
  

   work, 
  and 
  accordingly 
  preparations 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  a 
  systematic 
  study 
  

   of 
  the 
  streams 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska, 
  to 
  determine 
  their 
  resources 
  and 
  

   the 
  abundance, 
  movements, 
  and 
  habits 
  of 
  their 
  fishes. 
  

  

  The 
  active 
  prosecution 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  in 
  certain 
  streams 
  threatens 
  to 
  

   seriously 
  reduce 
  the 
  supply 
  unless 
  effective 
  measures 
  are 
  taken 
  to 
  offset 
  

   the 
  destruction. 
  The 
  conditions 
  are 
  so 
  different 
  along 
  the 
  3,000 
  miles 
  

   of 
  Alaskan 
  coast 
  that 
  no 
  general 
  law 
  is 
  applicable 
  to 
  all 
  i)arts 
  of 
  the 
  

   Territory. 
  The 
  Albatross 
  was 
  prepared 
  for 
  this 
  cruise 
  at 
  Sausalito, 
  Cal., 
  

   and 
  on 
  May 
  8 
  set 
  sail 
  for 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  Fuca. 
  Observations 
  and 
  dredg- 
  

   ings 
  were 
  made 
  oft' 
  Cape 
  Flattery 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  region, 
  and 
  

   on 
  May 
  29 
  the 
  vessel, 
  having 
  been 
  docked, 
  started 
  on 
  a 
  northern 
  cruise. 
  

   Inquiries 
  were 
  begun 
  at 
  Mary 
  Island, 
  southeast 
  Alaska, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  

   of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  were 
  being 
  systematically 
  carried 
  on 
  along 
  the 
  coast. 
  

  

  Ill 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  Congress 
  approved 
  December 
  22, 
  1896, 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  took 
  j)art 
  in 
  the 
  Tennessee 
  Centen- 
  

   nial 
  Exposition, 
  which 
  opened 
  at 
  Nashville 
  May 
  1, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  progress, 
  

   Mr. 
  VV. 
  de 
  C. 
  Kaveiiel 
  was 
  appointed 
  representative 
  on 
  the 
  board 
  of 
  man- 
  

   agement 
  having 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  exhibit. 
  Fifteen 
  thousand 
  

   five 
  hundred 
  dollars 
  and 
  5,000 
  square 
  feet 
  of 
  space 
  were 
  allotted 
  for 
  the 
  

   exhibit 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  which 
  was 
  arranged 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  performed 
  by 
  each 
  of 
  its 
  divisions, 
  the 
  methods 
  and 
  

   apparatus 
  employed, 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  attained. 
  The 
  material 
  was 
  col- 
  

   lected 
  and 
  installed 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  building 
  

   May 
  17, 
  1897. 
  

  

  An 
  aquarium 
  120 
  feet 
  long, 
  containing 
  22 
  tanks, 
  has 
  been 
  provided, 
  

   with 
  an 
  equal 
  number 
  of 
  tanks 
  for 
  salt 
  and 
  fresh 
  water, 
  respectively, 
  

   arranged 
  in 
  an 
  ornamental 
  manner 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  grotto. 
  The 
  

  

  