﻿66 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  ried 
  for 
  several 
  weeks 
  by 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  strong-swimming 
  and 
  nomadic 
  

   fishes 
  assures 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  given 
  more 
  general 
  distribution 
  than 
  

   a 
  mere 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  places 
  of 
  deposit 
  would 
  mdicate. 
  

  

  The 
  scientific 
  investigations 
  conducted 
  at 
  the 
  Fairport 
  laboratory, 
  

   elsewhere 
  reported, 
  are 
  gradually 
  improving 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  mussel 
  

   culture 
  and 
  making 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  propagate 
  valuable 
  species 
  which 
  

   for 
  lack 
  of 
  knowledge 
  presented 
  difficulties 
  when 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  initi- 
  

   ated. 
  The 
  experiments 
  have 
  in 
  fact 
  reached 
  a 
  stage 
  where 
  the 
  prac- 
  

   tical 
  cultivation 
  of 
  certain 
  valuable 
  mussels 
  can 
  now 
  be 
  instituted, 
  

   and 
  special 
  financial 
  support 
  for 
  this 
  work 
  is 
  provided 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  ap- 
  

   propriations 
  for 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  1915. 
  

  

  POLLUTION 
  OF 
  WATERS. 
  

  

  The 
  matter 
  of 
  the 
  pollution 
  of 
  lakes 
  and 
  streams 
  each 
  year 
  is 
  at- 
  

   tracting 
  more 
  attention 
  from 
  both 
  sanitary 
  and 
  industrial 
  viewpoints, 
  

   and 
  the 
  demands 
  for 
  investigation 
  and 
  relief 
  which 
  the 
  Bureau 
  re- 
  

   ceives 
  from 
  fishermen, 
  sp.ortsmen, 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  public 
  yearly 
  be- 
  

   come 
  more 
  numerous 
  and 
  insistent. 
  While 
  the 
  Bureau 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  

   provided 
  with 
  the 
  necessary 
  means 
  for 
  properly 
  performmg 
  its 
  duty 
  

   m 
  this 
  respect, 
  it 
  has 
  made 
  every 
  effort 
  to 
  do 
  what 
  is 
  possible 
  and 
  

   has 
  carried 
  on 
  several 
  mvestigations 
  durmg 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  research 
  conducted 
  in 
  the 
  Illinois 
  River 
  in 
  cooperation 
  with 
  

   the 
  Illmois 
  Natural 
  History 
  Survey, 
  with 
  particular 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  

   effects 
  of 
  the 
  discharge 
  from 
  the 
  Chicago 
  Drainage 
  Canal, 
  was 
  brought 
  

   to 
  a 
  successful 
  conclusion 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  by 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  a 
  

   valuable 
  report 
  at 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  This 
  renders 
  available 
  

   much 
  new 
  data 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  sewage 
  pollution 
  of 
  streams, 
  

   and 
  the 
  results 
  to 
  the 
  fisheries 
  and 
  its 
  findings 
  are 
  in 
  general 
  appli- 
  

   cable 
  to 
  other 
  streams 
  carrying 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  domestic 
  and 
  mu- 
  

   nicipal 
  sewage. 
  

  

  Complaint 
  having 
  reached 
  the 
  Bureau 
  that 
  oil 
  refineries 
  and 
  tank 
  

   steamers 
  were 
  polluting 
  the 
  Delaware 
  River 
  to 
  the 
  detriment 
  of 
  the 
  

   fisheries, 
  a 
  brief 
  inquiry 
  was 
  made 
  mto 
  the 
  facts. 
  It 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  refineries 
  discharged 
  but 
  little 
  oil 
  into 
  the 
  stream, 
  but 
  

   that 
  the 
  "separators" 
  of 
  others 
  were 
  inadequate 
  or 
  mefficiently 
  op- 
  

   erated, 
  with 
  considerable 
  resultant 
  contamination 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  No 
  

   oil 
  steamers 
  entered 
  the 
  river 
  during 
  the 
  mquiry, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  but 
  little 
  

   doubt 
  that 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  oil 
  is 
  discharged 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  ballast 
  is 
  

   pumped 
  from 
  the 
  tanks 
  after 
  they 
  pass 
  the 
  breakwater 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  

   of 
  the 
  bay. 
  As 
  no 
  fishery 
  of 
  importance 
  was 
  being 
  conducted 
  at 
  the 
  

   time, 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  oil, 
  which 
  was 
  spread 
  on 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  films 
  of 
  

   considerable 
  area, 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  ascertained. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  it 
  

   affects 
  the 
  salability 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  rather 
  more 
  than 
  their 
  movements 
  

   and 
  distribution. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  spring 
  an 
  investigation 
  was 
  made 
  mto 
  the 
  newspaper 
  

   and 
  personal 
  allegations 
  that 
  the 
  Government 
  powder 
  factory 
  at 
  In- 
  

   dian 
  Head, 
  Md., 
  was 
  discharging 
  substances 
  which 
  have 
  killed 
  large 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  fishes 
  in 
  Mattawoman 
  Creek 
  and 
  the 
  adjacent 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   Potomac 
  River. 
  It 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  while 
  the 
  materials 
  complained 
  

   of 
  were 
  toxic 
  to 
  fishes 
  in 
  solutions 
  of 
  considerable 
  attenuation, 
  no 
  

   -fish 
  were 
  bemg 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  normal 
  quantities 
  bemg 
  discharged 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  exammation, 
  and 
  that 
  sunfishes 
  were 
  spawnmg 
  on 
  the 
  

   creek 
  at 
  a 
  place 
  opposite 
  the 
  pomt 
  of 
  discharge. 
  It 
  appeared 
  that 
  

  

  