﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  63 
  

  

  of 
  $238, 
  f. 
  o. 
  b. 
  Beaufort, 
  as 
  the 
  proceeds 
  of 
  a 
  week's 
  work. 
  They 
  

   have 
  just 
  built 
  and 
  launched 
  a 
  seagoing 
  gasoline 
  boat, 
  with 
  auxiliary 
  

   sails, 
  which 
  will 
  enable 
  them 
  to 
  remam 
  on 
  the 
  fishuig 
  gromids 
  over- 
  

   night 
  and 
  much 
  increase 
  the 
  efficiency 
  and 
  profit 
  of 
  their 
  operations. 
  

  

  The 
  outlook 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  favorable 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  a 
  

   remunerative 
  sea-bass 
  fishery, 
  and 
  the 
  steamer 
  Fish 
  Hawk 
  was 
  

   detailed 
  for 
  further 
  examuiations. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  banks 
  were 
  

   found 
  and 
  reported 
  on, 
  and 
  a 
  circular 
  was 
  issued 
  furnishuig 
  uiforma- 
  

   tion 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  location 
  and 
  productiveness. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   fiscal 
  year 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  place 
  a 
  buoy 
  on 
  the 
  principal 
  

   bank 
  to 
  assist 
  the 
  fishermen 
  in 
  locating 
  the 
  most 
  productive 
  grounds. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  wmter 
  and 
  sprmg 
  of 
  1914 
  the 
  Fish 
  Hawk 
  carried 
  on 
  a 
  

   series 
  of 
  biological 
  and 
  physical 
  mvestigations 
  of 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  in 
  

   com 
  ection 
  with 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  habits 
  and 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  

   of 
  the 
  region. 
  Some 
  significant 
  and 
  unexpected 
  facts 
  concernmg 
  

   the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  salinities 
  and 
  temperatures 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  were 
  

   developed, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  strong 
  mdication 
  that 
  the 
  contmuance 
  of 
  

   the 
  work 
  will 
  show 
  the 
  causes 
  for 
  a 
  heavy 
  whiter 
  death 
  rate 
  among 
  

   the 
  young 
  fishes 
  and 
  the 
  reasons 
  for 
  irregularities 
  and 
  deficiencies 
  m. 
  the 
  

   annual 
  runs 
  of 
  the 
  shad 
  and 
  other 
  anadromous 
  fishes. 
  In 
  connection 
  

   with 
  this 
  work, 
  facilities 
  were 
  furnished 
  on 
  the 
  Fish 
  Hawk 
  to 
  the 
  

   Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  for 
  a 
  sanitary 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds, 
  

   a 
  subject 
  of 
  much 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  and 
  the 
  oystermen. 
  

  

  The 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  hahbut 
  oft" 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Oregon 
  and 
  Washington 
  

   having 
  become 
  known, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  those 
  States 
  requested 
  an 
  

   mvestigation 
  to 
  determme 
  whether 
  the 
  supply 
  was 
  sufficiently 
  

   abundant 
  and 
  regular 
  to 
  warrant 
  equipment 
  for 
  a 
  large 
  fishery. 
  

   Accordingly, 
  m 
  the 
  spruig 
  of 
  1914, 
  the 
  repairs 
  to 
  the 
  Albatross 
  havmg 
  

   been 
  completed, 
  that 
  vessel, 
  with 
  her 
  regular 
  personnel 
  and 
  a 
  party 
  

   of 
  experienced 
  hahbut 
  fishermen, 
  was 
  ordered 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  survey, 
  

   employing 
  both 
  her 
  regular 
  equipment 
  and 
  the 
  practical 
  gear 
  of 
  the 
  

   commercial 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  work 
  was 
  mterrupted 
  in 
  June, 
  but 
  resumed 
  

   lator 
  m 
  the 
  summer 
  and 
  prosecuted 
  until 
  the 
  weather 
  forbade. 
  The 
  

   results 
  so 
  far 
  attained 
  do 
  not 
  indicate 
  the 
  contmuous 
  occurrence 
  of 
  

   large 
  bodies 
  of 
  halibut 
  oft' 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  coast, 
  but 
  the 
  determmation 
  

   of 
  even 
  this 
  negative 
  fact 
  will 
  be 
  valuable 
  by 
  preventmg 
  unwarranted 
  

   expansion 
  and 
  needless 
  expenditure 
  by 
  the 
  fishing 
  interests. 
  

  

  In 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  recently 
  developed 
  commercial 
  fishery 
  for 
  

   the 
  small 
  tuna, 
  or 
  long-ffimed 
  albacore, 
  in 
  southern 
  California, 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  and 
  canners 
  are 
  growing 
  concerned 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  volume 
  and 
  

   continuance 
  of 
  the 
  supply. 
  To 
  determine 
  the 
  facts 
  and, 
  if 
  possible, 
  

   to 
  discover 
  more 
  extensive 
  bodies 
  of 
  fish 
  oftshore, 
  the 
  Bureau, 
  at 
  the 
  

   urgent 
  recjuest 
  of 
  those 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  business, 
  has 
  undertaken 
  an 
  

   investigation. 
  It 
  was 
  commenced 
  near 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  

   by 
  an 
  assistant 
  operating 
  from 
  the 
  shore, 
  but 
  it 
  wifi 
  be 
  taken 
  up 
  by 
  

   the 
  Albatross 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  her 
  halibut 
  survey 
  and 
  wiU 
  be 
  contmued 
  

   -throughout 
  the 
  current 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  shrimp 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  and 
  South 
  Atlantic 
  coasts 
  supports 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  minor 
  marine 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  in 
  certain 
  

   regions 
  the 
  supply 
  shows 
  mdications 
  of 
  depletion. 
  Nothing 
  is 
  laiown 
  

   of 
  the 
  spawning 
  and 
  very 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  crustacean, 
  

   and 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  a 
  basis 
  for 
  regulative 
  legislation 
  and 
  other 
  possible 
  

   measures 
  of 
  conservation 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  

   was 
  commenced 
  near 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year. 
  

  

  