6 REPOKT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



Bureau's executive functions in the near future. Each year brings 

 increasing demands from the several States for aid and advice in 

 respect to the drafting of laws and regulations, the establishment 

 of state fishery services, and the best measures for the conservation 

 and development of fishery resources, and the Bureau feels that, its 

 influence for good in matters relating to the fisheries is yearly becom- 

 ing more important. The salient features of the work during the 

 fiscal year are exhibited in the following pages. 



PROPAGATION OF FOOD FISHES. 



EXTENT OF WORK. 



It is gratifying to be able to record another successful j^ear in fish- 

 cultural work. Methods have not varied appreciably from those of 

 former years, and attention has been directed principally to enlarg- 

 ing the output. 



The widespread and increasing interest taken in the Bureau's 

 work by people in all sections of the country and the growing con- 

 ception of the benefits resulting from the stocking of public and 

 private waters are manifested 03^ the large number of applications for 

 fish received during the year, the number being 10,635, an increase of 

 523 over 1909. . 



Work was conducted at 35 permanent stations and 86 field and col- 

 lecting stations, located in 32 States. With reference to the fishes 

 propagated, the regular hatcheries may be classified as follows: 

 Marine species, 3 ; river fishes of the eastern seaboard, 5 ; fishes of the 

 Pacific coast, 5 ; fishes of the Great Lakes, 7 ; fishes of the interior, 15. 



The results of fish culture depend largely upon climatic conditions, 

 the most elaborate and carefully executed plans ending in success or 

 failure according to the state of the weather in the spawning season. 

 In 1910 these conditions were generally unfavorable, resulting in the 

 curtailment of egg collections of most of the important species, but 

 owing to the superior quality of the majority of the eggs obtained, 

 the Bureau was able to exceed its record year of 1909 by 126,800,000, 

 or 4 per cent, the total output of fish and eggs being in excess of 

 3,233,000,000. This was accomplished without increased funds, the 

 available appropriations being the same as in the preceding two 

 years, and was made possible largely through the faithful and effi- 

 cient service rendered by the Bureau's employees in their several 

 lines of work. 



The following is a table summarizing the distribution of fish and 

 fish eggs for the year. Of these, 443,177,000 eggs and 7,425 fish were 

 delivered to various state fish commissions, and 600.000 eggs of salmon 

 and trout were shipped to foreign countries. 



