﻿CII 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  INVESTIGATIONS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ALBATROSS. 
  

   COASTS 
  OF 
  CALIFORNIA 
  AND 
  WASHINGTON. 
  

  

  The 
  receut 
  marked 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  southern 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia, 
  more 
  especially 
  those 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  lines 
  for 
  bottom 
  fish 
  like 
  

   the 
  rock-cods, 
  made 
  it 
  desirable 
  that 
  the 
  location, 
  extent, 
  and 
  resources 
  

   of 
  the 
  principal 
  fishino-bauks 
  should 
  be 
  determined, 
  and 
  the 
  Albatross 
  

   was 
  assigned 
  to 
  the 
  work. 
  About 
  eight 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  vessel 
  spent 
  a 
  

   few 
  months 
  on 
  a 
  preliminary 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  fishing-grounds 
  ofi" 
  the 
  

   southern 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  but 
  has 
  done 
  practically 
  nothing 
  of 
  a 
  like 
  

   nature 
  since 
  that 
  time. 
  The 
  grounds 
  then 
  surveyed 
  were 
  principally 
  

   off 
  Santa 
  Barbara, 
  Ventura, 
  and 
  San 
  Diego 
  counties. 
  The 
  territory 
  

   selected 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  inquiry 
  comprised 
  grounds 
  off 
  Los 
  Angeles 
  and 
  

   Orange 
  counties, 
  particularly 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Santa 
  Oatalina 
  Island. 
  

   The 
  investigation, 
  which 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  daring 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  

   April, 
  was 
  curtailed 
  by 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  preparing 
  the 
  vessel 
  for 
  the 
  

   inauguration 
  of 
  inquiries 
  in 
  Alaska 
  about 
  June 
  1. 
  A 
  renewal 
  of 
  this 
  

   work 
  is 
  contemplated. 
  The 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  consisted 
  of 
  the 
  

   usual 
  hydrographic 
  work 
  and 
  the 
  setting 
  of 
  various 
  appliances 
  to 
  show 
  

   the 
  abundance 
  and 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  life. 
  Trials 
  for 
  fish 
  were 
  made 
  

   with 
  trawl 
  lines, 
  hand 
  lines, 
  deep-water 
  gill 
  nets, 
  beam 
  trawls, 
  seines, 
  

   and 
  dip 
  nets 
  in 
  combination 
  with 
  electric 
  light- 
  

   On 
  the 
  way 
  to 
  San 
  Francisco 
  after 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  

   work 
  the 
  vessel 
  spent 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  in 
  setting 
  deep-sea 
  gill 
  nets 
  and 
  

   beam 
  trawls 
  off 
  Monterey 
  Bay 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Farallone 
  

   Islands, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  salmon 
  or 
  other 
  

   anadromous 
  fishes. 
  Similar 
  experimental 
  trials 
  for 
  salmon 
  were 
  made 
  

   oft' 
  Cape 
  Flattery 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  Fuca 
  as 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  

   voyage 
  to 
  Alaska. 
  

  

  A 
  detailed 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  work 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  Lieut. 
  

   Commander 
  Moser's 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  Albatross. 
  

  

  SOUTHEASTERN 
  ALASKA. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1897 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  Albatross 
  

   visit 
  southeastern 
  Alaska 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  conducting 
  fishery 
  inves- 
  

   tigations. 
  The 
  vessel 
  started 
  north 
  from 
  San 
  Francisco 
  on 
  May 
  8, 
  

   arrived 
  in 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  on 
  June 
  6, 
  and 
  immediately 
  began 
  inquiries. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  subjects 
  determined 
  on 
  for 
  investigation 
  were 
  the 
  

   salmon 
  industry 
  and 
  the 
  halibut 
  fishery. 
  The 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  

   fishery 
  in 
  Alaska 
  and 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  accurate 
  information 
  concerning 
  

   the 
  various 
  streams 
  made 
  it 
  very 
  desirable 
  that 
  the 
  Commission 
  should 
  

   begin 
  a 
  systematic 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  salmon. 
  

   This 
  fishery 
  is 
  prosecuted 
  along 
  3,000 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  Alaska 
  coast. 
  Inas- 
  

   much 
  as 
  the 
  regulation 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Territory 
  is 
  vested 
  in 
  the 
  

   general 
  government, 
  an 
  important 
  object 
  of 
  the 
  investigation 
  is 
  to 
  

   ascertain 
  the 
  conditions 
  prevailing 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  sections, 
  in 
  order 
  

   that 
  suitable 
  protective 
  laws 
  may 
  be 
  provided, 
  since 
  no 
  general 
  law 
  

   will 
  meet 
  all 
  the 
  conditions 
  or 
  be 
  applicable 
  to 
  all 
  regions. 
  

  

  