﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  CV 
  

  

  this 
  investigation 
  was 
  in 
  progress. 
  In 
  November, 
  189G, 
  25 
  barrels 
  of 
  

   eastern 
  oysters 
  were 
  planted 
  in 
  Humboldt 
  Bay, 
  California, 
  and 
  au 
  

   equal 
  quantity 
  in 
  Yaquina 
  Bay, 
  Oregon. 
  Both 
  lots 
  were 
  planted, 
  

   under 
  the 
  immediate 
  supervision 
  of 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  H. 
  Townsend. 
  Specimens 
  

   of 
  those 
  planted 
  at 
  Yaquina 
  Bay 
  were 
  received 
  at 
  this 
  office 
  during 
  

   the 
  summer 
  and 
  exhibit 
  au 
  encouraging 
  growth, 
  and 
  those 
  at 
  Hum- 
  

   boldt 
  Bay 
  are 
  also 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  doing 
  well. 
  It 
  is 
  still 
  too 
  soon 
  to 
  say 
  

   whether 
  self-perpetuating 
  beds 
  can 
  be 
  established 
  at 
  these 
  places. 
  No 
  

   spat 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  either 
  place, 
  but 
  Professor 
  Washburn 
  

   reports 
  copious 
  spawning 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  summer. 
  

  

  INVESTIGATION 
  OF 
  CONTIGUOUS 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  

  

  AND 
  CANADA. 
  

  

  Under 
  the 
  provisions 
  of 
  an 
  agreement, 
  dated 
  December 
  0, 
  1892, 
  

   between 
  the 
  Governments 
  of 
  Great 
  Britain 
  and 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  

   having 
  for 
  its 
  object 
  the 
  investigation 
  of 
  tlie 
  fisheries 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  

   adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  American-Canadian 
  boundary, 
  jMr. 
  Richard 
  Kathbun, 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  William 
  Wakeham, 
  of 
  the 
  

   Canadian 
  Department 
  of 
  Marine 
  and 
  Fisheries, 
  conducted 
  extensive 
  

   inquiries 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1893, 
  1894, 
  1895, 
  and 
  189G, 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  

   assistants 
  from 
  the 
  respective 
  departments. 
  On 
  December 
  31, 
  1896, 
  

   the 
  commissioners 
  submitted 
  their 
  report, 
  which 
  was 
  transmitted 
  by 
  the 
  

   President 
  to 
  Congress 
  on 
  February 
  24, 
  1897, 
  and 
  printed 
  as 
  House 
  

   Document 
  No, 
  315, 
  Fifty-foiirth 
  Congress, 
  second 
  session. 
  

  

  The 
  rei)ort 
  deals 
  fally 
  with 
  the 
  conditions 
  prevailing 
  in 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  

   international 
  waters 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  agreement; 
  considers 
  the 
  pliysical 
  

   and 
  ichthyological 
  features; 
  discusses 
  the 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  of 
  

   obstructions, 
  and 
  of 
  pollutions 
  to 
  the 
  fish 
  supply; 
  and 
  makes 
  numerous 
  

   recommendations 
  concerning 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  

   mackerel 
  fishery, 
  to 
  which 
  much 
  attention 
  was 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  commis- 
  

   sioners 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  four 
  seasons, 
  was 
  not 
  considered 
  in 
  the 
  report. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  investiga- 
  

   tions, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  imi^ortance 
  to 
  the 
  fishing 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  conclusions 
  

   reached 
  by 
  the 
  commissioners, 
  their 
  general 
  recommendations, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  those 
  for 
  the 
  different 
  waters, 
  are 
  here 
  given 
  in 
  full 
  : 
  

  

  Ou 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  diversified 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  investigated, 
  the 
  

   variety 
  of 
  thoir 
  products, 
  and 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  industries 
  to 
  whicli 
  the 
  latter 
  

   give 
  riso, 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  it 
  impossible 
  to 
  consider 
  fully 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  questions 
  which 
  the 
  

   subject 
  presents, 
  and 
  have 
  therefore 
  been 
  unable 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  to 
  reach 
  more 
  than 
  

   general 
  conclusions, 
  leaving 
  the 
  matter 
  of 
  details 
  to 
  be 
  settled 
  bj^ 
  further 
  and 
  more 
  

   complete 
  inquiries. 
  Our 
  observations, 
  moreover, 
  have 
  clearly 
  demonstrated 
  the 
  

   inexpediency 
  of 
  attempting 
  to 
  regulate 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  herein 
  discussed 
  by 
  a 
  rigid 
  

   code 
  of 
  enactments, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  constantly 
  changing 
  character 
  and 
  conditions, 
  

   and 
  we 
  would 
  therefore 
  urge, 
  in 
  the 
  event 
  of 
  joint 
  action 
  by 
  the 
  two 
  Governments, 
  

   that 
  a 
  permanent 
  joint 
  commission, 
  to 
  be 
  composed 
  of 
  competent 
  experts, 
  be 
  

   provided 
  for, 
  which 
  shall 
  be 
  charged 
  with 
  the 
  direct 
  supervision 
  of 
  these 
  fisheries, 
  

   and 
  shall 
  be 
  empowered 
  to 
  conduct 
  the 
  necessary 
  investigations 
  and 
  to 
  institute 
  

   such 
  modifications 
  in 
  the 
  regulations 
  as 
  the 
  circumstances 
  may 
  call 
  for 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  

   time. 
  

  

  