﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  CIII 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  tljoiight 
  that 
  t^yo 
  or 
  three 
  years 
  will 
  be 
  required 
  to 
  complete 
  this 
  

   work, 
  which 
  was 
  in 
  active 
  progress 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  The 
  inquir- 
  

   ies 
  will 
  extend 
  to 
  each 
  stream 
  in 
  or 
  near 
  which 
  fishing 
  is 
  done 
  or 
  in 
  

   which 
  salmon 
  are 
  found, 
  and 
  will 
  relate 
  to 
  the 
  physical 
  characters 
  of 
  

   the 
  stream; 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  salmon 
  entering 
  it, 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  duration 
  of 
  

   their 
  run, 
  their 
  relative 
  abundance; 
  the 
  spawning 
  time, 
  habits, 
  and 
  

   grounds 
  of 
  each 
  species; 
  natural 
  and 
  artificial 
  obstructions 
  to 
  the 
  

   passage 
  of 
  fish 
  upstream; 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  fishing 
  in 
  their 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  

   maintenance 
  of 
  the 
  supply; 
  the 
  general 
  fish-fauna 
  in 
  each 
  stream 
  and 
  

   its 
  relations 
  to 
  salmon, 
  and 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  fishing, 
  canning, 
  and 
  

   salting 
  business. 
  

  

  INQUIRIES 
  AND 
  EXPERIMENTS 
  RELATIVE 
  TO 
  OYSTERS. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  questions 
  of 
  vital 
  interest 
  to 
  oyster-growers 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  are 
  the 
  following 
  : 
  (1) 
  Under 
  the 
  prevailing 
  economic 
  conditions, 
  

   is 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  profitably 
  fatten 
  oysters 
  in 
  artificial 
  ponds 
  or 
  claires? 
  

   (U) 
  Is 
  it 
  commercially 
  practicable 
  to 
  breed 
  oysters 
  in 
  ponds 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   furnish 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  seed 
  in 
  regions 
  where 
  it 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  raised 
  with 
  

   regularity 
  by 
  the 
  ordinary 
  means 
  now 
  employed! 
  These 
  subjects 
  the 
  

   Commission 
  had 
  under 
  consideration 
  during 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  

   not 
  possible 
  to 
  take 
  up 
  both, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  limited 
  force 
  available 
  for 
  

   such 
  inquiries. 
  The 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  'feasibility 
  of 
  breeding 
  oysters 
  in 
  

   inclosed 
  or 
  semi-inclosed 
  ponds 
  was 
  deferred 
  for 
  the 
  present, 
  and 
  the 
  

   matter 
  of 
  fattening 
  oysters 
  was 
  taken 
  up 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  more 
  widespread 
  

   and 
  immediate 
  importance. 
  

  

  Observation 
  and 
  inquiry 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  localities 
  

   planters 
  have 
  encountered 
  yearly 
  increasing 
  difficulty 
  in 
  bringing 
  

   their 
  oysters 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  condition 
  as 
  to 
  yield 
  the 
  best 
  financial 
  returns. 
  

   This 
  difiiculty 
  is 
  especially 
  manifested 
  in 
  regions 
  in 
  which 
  there 
  has 
  

   been 
  a 
  heavy 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  planted 
  beds, 
  and 
  is 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  inadequacy 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  luxuriant 
  

   micro- 
  vegetation 
  which 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  supply 
  oysters 
  with 
  food. 
  The 
  

   problem 
  for 
  the 
  oyster- 
  grower, 
  therefore, 
  is 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  oyster-food- 
  

   producing 
  powers 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  It 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  this 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  

   undertaken 
  to 
  advantage 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  waters 
  of 
  bays 
  and 
  bayous 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  grown, 
  and 
  the 
  question 
  resolves 
  itself 
  into 
  the 
  

   feasibility 
  of 
  some 
  method 
  of 
  pond 
  culture. 
  Recognizing 
  this, 
  exi^eri- 
  

   ments 
  were 
  begun 
  in 
  May, 
  1897, 
  in 
  Lynnhaven 
  River, 
  Virginia, 
  under 
  

   the 
  charge 
  of 
  Dr. 
  H. 
  F. 
  Moore. 
  A 
  cove 
  having 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  over 
  an 
  acre 
  

   was 
  inclosed 
  by 
  a 
  substantial 
  dam, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  exclude 
  the 
  tides, 
  and 
  three 
  

   small 
  ponds 
  were 
  constructed 
  for 
  the 
  conduct 
  of 
  check 
  experiments. 
  

   Tests 
  are 
  being 
  made, 
  by 
  varying 
  the 
  temperature, 
  density, 
  and 
  the 
  

   chemical 
  composition 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  

   conditions 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  microscopic 
  organisms 
  upon 
  

   which 
  the 
  oysters 
  feed. 
  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  the 
  actual 
  

   experiments 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  operation 
  but 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  can 
  

   not 
  yet 
  be 
  stated. 
  

  

  