﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  CXVII 
  

  

  the 
  shipment 
  of 
  quinnat«iilmon 
  in 
  a 
  fresh 
  oondilion, 
  whifh 
  may 
  sooner 
  or 
  hiter 
  come 
  

   to 
  exceed 
  the 
  supply, 
  wo 
  venture 
  to 
  suggest 
  the 
  possilily 
  greater 
  advantages 
  to 
  be 
  

   gained 
  by 
  the 
  artihcial 
  hatching 
  of 
  that 
  species. 
  

  

  (13) 
  We 
  are 
  convinced 
  that 
  the 
  remedial 
  measures 
  which 
  have 
  heretofore 
  been 
  

   adopted, 
  altliough 
  not 
  enforced, 
  for 
  disposing 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  offal 
  from 
  the 
  canneries 
  ou 
  

   the 
  Fraser 
  River 
  are 
  inadequate 
  to 
  accomplish 
  the 
  results 
  intended, 
  and 
  are 
  also 
  to 
  

   a 
  largo 
  extent 
  impracticable. 
  The 
  practice 
  of 
  throwing 
  this 
  waste 
  material 
  into 
  the 
  

   river 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  deprecated- 
  on 
  general 
  principles; 
  but, 
  except 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  local- 
  

   ities, 
  no 
  specilic 
  evidence 
  has 
  been 
  presented 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  he 
  detrimental 
  

   either 
  to 
  the 
  health 
  of 
  the 
  community 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  salmon, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  

   no 
  proof 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  have 
  sufl'ered 
  Irom 
  this 
  cause. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  us 
  that 
  as 
  much, 
  

   if 
  not 
  greater, 
  harm 
  would 
  result 
  from 
  dumping 
  the 
  offal 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  waters 
  off 
  the 
  

   entrance 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  as 
  from 
  its 
  disposition 
  in 
  the 
  customary 
  manner 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  

   of 
  the 
  canneries, 
  providing 
  the 
  necossavy 
  precautions 
  are 
  taken. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  W(^ 
  have 
  

   been 
  able 
  to 
  ascertain, 
  when 
  thrown 
  iuto 
  the 
  current 
  of 
  th(^ 
  river 
  in 
  a 
  fresh 
  condi- 
  

   tion 
  it 
  is 
  practically 
  always 
  dissipated, 
  and 
  produces 
  a 
  nuisance 
  only 
  when 
  placed 
  in 
  

   quiet, 
  shallow 
  water, 
  or 
  in 
  eddies, 
  which 
  tend 
  to 
  retain 
  it 
  along 
  the 
  shores 
  or 
  to 
  

   carry 
  it 
  into 
  the 
  adjacent 
  sloughs. 
  Factories 
  established 
  for 
  con\erting 
  it 
  into 
  

   oil 
  and 
  fertilizer 
  have 
  failed 
  of 
  success, 
  nor 
  is 
  there 
  any 
  ajjparent 
  prospect 
  of 
  its 
  

   extensive 
  utilization 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  future. 
  

  

  While 
  suggesting 
  renewed 
  inquiries 
  for 
  reaching 
  a 
  more 
  satisfactory 
  solution 
  of 
  

   this 
  fiuestion, 
  we 
  are 
  constrained 
  to 
  recommend 
  that 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  the 
  current 
  prac- 
  

   tice 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  continue, 
  under 
  such 
  restrictions 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  for 
  to 
  prevent 
  

   the 
  accumulation 
  of 
  the 
  otfal 
  in 
  any 
  situations 
  where 
  its 
  effect 
  can 
  be 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  

   prejudicial. 
  The 
  fishery 
  ofdcer 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  should 
  be 
  empowered 
  to 
  designate 
  all 
  

   places 
  where 
  the 
  thi'owiug 
  in 
  of 
  this 
  waste 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  permitted. 
  

  

  No 
  complaints 
  respecting 
  tlie 
  offal 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  canneries 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  

   Washington 
  have 
  been 
  received 
  from 
  any 
  source, 
  nor 
  do 
  any 
  regulations 
  regarding 
  

   the 
  manner 
  of 
  its 
  disposition 
  in 
  that 
  region 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  called 
  for 
  at 
  present. 
  

  

  (11) 
  Waste 
  from 
  sawmills 
  and 
  other 
  substances 
  deleterious 
  to 
  the 
  salmon 
  should 
  

   not 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  pass 
  into 
  any 
  streams 
  which 
  they 
  frequent. 
  

  

  FUR-SEAL 
  INVESTIGATIONS. 
  

  

  The 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  steamer 
  AJhatross 
  was 
  detailed 
  by 
  the 
  Presi- 
  

   dent 
  for 
  duty 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  question 
  

   in 
  Bering 
  Sea. 
  The 
  inquiries, 
  which 
  were, 
  by 
  act 
  of 
  Congress, 
  placed 
  

   under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Treasury, 
  were 
  addressed 
  to 
  

   the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  seal 
  herds 
  on 
  the 
  Pribilof, 
  Commander, 
  and 
  Kuril 
  

   islands, 
  and 
  were 
  conducted 
  by 
  a 
  scientific 
  commission 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  

   President, 
  consisting 
  of 
  Dr. 
  D. 
  S. 
  Jordan, 
  in 
  charge; 
  Mr. 
  Leonhard 
  

   Stejneger 
  and 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  A. 
  Lucas, 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum; 
  Lieut. 
  

   Commander 
  Jeff. 
  F. 
  Moser, 
  U. 
  S. 
  IST., 
  commanding 
  steamer 
  Albatross 
  ; 
  Mr. 
  

   C.H. 
  Townsend, 
  naturalistof 
  the 
  A/ia^ross; 
  Col. 
  Joseph 
  Murray, 
  special 
  

   agent 
  of 
  the 
  Treasury 
  Department, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  A. 
  Clark, 
  secretary. 
  A 
  

   similar 
  commission 
  was 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  British 
  Government, 
  the 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  being 
  Prof. 
  D'Arcy 
  W. 
  Thompson 
  of 
  University 
  College, 
  ])undee, 
  

   Scotland; 
  Mr. 
  James 
  M. 
  Macoun, 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  Canada; 
  

   Mr. 
  G. 
  E. 
  H. 
  Barrett-Hamilton, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Marett, 
  photographer. 
  

  

  As 
  stated 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  report, 
  the 
  Albatross 
  left 
  Seattle 
  on 
  June 
  24, 
  

   1896, 
  having 
  on 
  board 
  all 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  representatives 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  

   British 
  representatives 
  except 
  Mr. 
  Barrett-Hamilton. 
  The 
  party 
  was 
  

  

  