﻿68 
  EEPOET 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  ths 
  toxicity 
  of 
  various 
  mineral 
  matters 
  likely 
  to 
  find 
  their 
  way 
  into 
  

   streams, 
  and 
  as 
  opportunity 
  offjrs 
  the 
  studies 
  will 
  bs 
  extended 
  to 
  

   other 
  common 
  water 
  contaminations. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  growing 
  pubUc 
  

   demand 
  for 
  specific 
  information 
  of 
  this 
  character. 
  

  

  Correlated 
  with 
  this 
  subject 
  was 
  a 
  research 
  into 
  the 
  oxygen 
  require- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  fishes. 
  Sewage 
  and 
  other 
  decaying 
  organic 
  matter 
  by 
  its 
  

   oxidation 
  reduces 
  the 
  free 
  oxygen 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  in 
  that 
  way 
  may 
  

   either 
  kill 
  fishes 
  or 
  drive 
  them 
  away. 
  The 
  subject 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  of 
  

   importance 
  in 
  preventing 
  the 
  wasteful 
  use 
  of 
  water 
  at 
  hatcheries. 
  

  

  Beaufort, 
  N. 
  C. 
  — 
  During 
  the 
  year 
  this 
  station 
  was 
  given 
  some 
  

   much-needed 
  repairs, 
  the 
  buildings 
  were 
  repainted, 
  a 
  new 
  gasohne- 
  

   motor 
  launch, 
  with 
  accommodations 
  for 
  extended 
  trips, 
  was 
  provided, 
  

   and 
  the 
  general 
  equipment 
  was 
  increased 
  and 
  improved 
  in 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  ways 
  conducive 
  to 
  efficiency. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  preceding 
  year 
  a 
  considerable 
  accretion 
  from 
  harbor- 
  

   dredging 
  operations 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  Fivers 
  Island, 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  

   laboratory 
  stands, 
  and 
  this 
  material 
  was 
  regraded 
  and 
  fixed 
  by 
  

  

  Slanting 
  grass 
  and 
  constructing 
  windbreaks, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  the 
  

   'ureau's 
  property 
  available 
  for 
  buildings 
  and 
  general 
  purposes 
  has 
  

   been 
  very 
  materially 
  increased. 
  

  

  The 
  experiments 
  in 
  diamond-back 
  terrapin 
  culture, 
  and 
  the 
  

   exploitation 
  and 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  by 
  the 
  steamer 
  Fish 
  

   HmvJc 
  while 
  detailed 
  to 
  the 
  station, 
  have 
  been 
  mentioned 
  elsewhere, 
  

   with 
  their 
  attendant 
  commercial 
  results. 
  

  

  The 
  southern 
  flounder, 
  an 
  excellent 
  food 
  fish, 
  having 
  been 
  discovered 
  

   in 
  spawning 
  condition, 
  an 
  experimental 
  hatching 
  apparatus 
  was 
  set 
  

   up 
  for 
  use 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1914, 
  but 
  no 
  ripe 
  fish 
  could 
  be 
  obtained. 
  

   It 
  is 
  purposed 
  to 
  continue 
  the 
  experiments 
  with 
  th^ 
  flounder 
  and 
  

   other 
  commercial 
  fishes, 
  and, 
  if 
  possible, 
  to 
  utifize 
  the 
  plant 
  as 
  a 
  fish 
  

   hatchery, 
  particularly 
  when 
  its 
  oth^r 
  activities 
  are 
  at 
  a 
  minimum. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1913 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  the 
  scientific 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  

   station 
  were 
  partially 
  reorganized 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  bring 
  them 
  into 
  closer 
  

   accord 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau. 
  The 
  researches 
  have 
  

   been 
  more 
  closely 
  coordinated, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  attack 
  the 
  several 
  problems 
  

   from 
  various 
  sides 
  simultaneously, 
  and 
  utiUze 
  more 
  advantageously 
  

   and 
  with 
  less 
  effort 
  the 
  facilities 
  and 
  material 
  available. 
  

  

  Special 
  attention 
  was 
  paid 
  to 
  the 
  collection 
  and 
  classification 
  of 
  

   data 
  relatmg 
  to 
  fishes, 
  their 
  distribution 
  in 
  the 
  region, 
  their 
  move- 
  

   ments, 
  food, 
  enemies, 
  spawning, 
  and 
  growth. 
  Complete 
  records 
  

   were 
  obtained 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  spawning 
  and 
  the 
  embryological 
  and 
  

   larval 
  growth 
  of 
  two 
  species, 
  and 
  incomplete 
  histories 
  of 
  six 
  others. 
  

   To 
  secure 
  data 
  for 
  legislative 
  purposes, 
  critical 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  

   growth 
  of 
  fishes 
  and 
  the 
  relations 
  of 
  weight 
  to 
  size 
  at 
  difl^erent 
  

   ages 
  were 
  undertaken, 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  ages 
  

   and 
  other 
  facts 
  of 
  the 
  life 
  histories 
  of 
  fishes, 
  as 
  revealed 
  by 
  the 
  scale 
  

   markings, 
  was 
  continued 
  from 
  the 
  preceding 
  year. 
  These 
  latter 
  re- 
  

   searches 
  ofter 
  a 
  most 
  promising 
  means 
  for 
  revealing 
  facts, 
  a 
  knowl- 
  

   edge 
  of 
  whicli 
  is 
  necessarily 
  antecedent 
  to 
  eftective 
  measures 
  for 
  fish- 
  

   eries 
  conservation. 
  The 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  and 
  feeding 
  of 
  fishes 
  was 
  

   undertaken 
  by 
  several 
  investigators, 
  each 
  studying 
  a 
  special 
  group 
  

   of 
  organisms. 
  Interesting 
  results 
  were 
  obtained 
  from 
  experiments 
  

   to 
  determine 
  the 
  extent 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  flounder's 
  adaptation 
  of 
  

   its 
  color 
  to 
  its 
  environment, 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  will 
  be 
  continued 
  to 
  estab- 
  

   lish 
  to 
  what 
  extent 
  the 
  color 
  modifications 
  serve 
  as 
  a 
  protection 
  to 
  

   the 
  fish. 
  

  

  