﻿KEPOET 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISHERIES. 
  69 
  

  

  The 
  edible 
  crab 
  supply 
  is 
  apparently 
  becoming 
  depleted, 
  but 
  its 
  

   habits 
  are 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  propose 
  

   conservative 
  measures 
  without 
  danger 
  of 
  unnecessarily 
  injuring 
  the 
  

   fishery. 
  To 
  endeavor 
  to 
  supply 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  needed 
  information, 
  a 
  

   temporary 
  assistant 
  began 
  studies 
  and 
  experiments 
  during 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  For 
  several 
  summers 
  tests 
  have 
  been 
  conducted 
  at 
  the 
  laboratory 
  

   to 
  determine 
  the 
  feasibility 
  of 
  protecting 
  wood 
  from 
  marme 
  borers 
  

   by 
  unpregnating 
  it 
  with 
  solutions 
  of 
  metals 
  and 
  other 
  substances. 
  At 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  cooperative 
  arrangements 
  were 
  established 
  

   with 
  the 
  Forest 
  Service 
  for 
  the 
  further 
  prosecution 
  of 
  the 
  work. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  delay 
  in 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  annual 
  appropriation 
  bill, 
  the 
  

   operations 
  of 
  the 
  laboratory 
  near 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  were 
  

   seriously 
  mterfered 
  with 
  by 
  uncertainty 
  as 
  to 
  funds 
  for 
  the 
  continu- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  such 
  work 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  begun. 
  

  

  Fairi^ort, 
  Iowa. 
  — 
  This 
  station, 
  which 
  combines 
  the 
  facilities 
  of 
  a 
  

   laboratory 
  for 
  research 
  and 
  experiment 
  with 
  the 
  equipment, 
  of 
  a 
  

   station 
  for 
  extensive 
  practical 
  work 
  in 
  fish 
  and 
  mussel 
  culture, 
  is 
  now 
  

   complete 
  in 
  all 
  its 
  essential 
  features, 
  and 
  its 
  further 
  development 
  will 
  

   consist 
  mainly 
  m 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  its 
  equipment 
  and 
  activities. 
  The 
  

   fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Valley 
  have 
  never 
  reached 
  the 
  development 
  

   of 
  which 
  they 
  appear 
  susceptible, 
  nor 
  have 
  they 
  received 
  at 
  the 
  hands 
  

   of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  the 
  study, 
  experiment, 
  and 
  close 
  attention 
  wliich 
  must 
  

   be 
  antecedent 
  to 
  their 
  rational 
  conservation 
  and 
  legitimate 
  increase. 
  

   In 
  large 
  measure 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  close 
  continuous 
  

   contact 
  between 
  this 
  office 
  and 
  t]ie 
  fishery 
  interests, 
  and 
  the 
  conse- 
  

   quent 
  lack 
  of 
  a 
  full 
  understanding 
  of 
  the 
  conditions 
  and 
  require- 
  

   ments. 
  This 
  deficiency 
  the 
  Fairport 
  station 
  now 
  corrects 
  and 
  the 
  

   effect 
  is 
  already 
  apparent 
  in 
  the 
  confidence 
  and 
  interest 
  which 
  the 
  

   people 
  are 
  exhibiting 
  in 
  the 
  work, 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  direct 
  and 
  economical 
  

   application 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau's 
  activities 
  to 
  the 
  regional 
  requirements. 
  

   It 
  is 
  the 
  purpose 
  to 
  extend 
  the 
  benefits 
  of 
  the 
  station 
  to 
  the 
  entire 
  

   Mississippi 
  Valley 
  by 
  making 
  it 
  the 
  center 
  for 
  all 
  activities 
  not 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  with 
  the 
  regular 
  fish-cultural 
  operations. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  fisheries 
  work, 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  Bureau 
  is 
  directly 
  

   concerned, 
  it 
  is 
  proposed 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  laboratory 
  of 
  general 
  scientific 
  

   and 
  educational 
  value 
  by 
  extending 
  its 
  facilities, 
  under 
  proper 
  regu- 
  

   lation, 
  to 
  qualified 
  hivestigators 
  in 
  the 
  realm 
  of 
  fresh-water 
  biology. 
  

  

  The 
  station, 
  which 
  occupies 
  a 
  reservation 
  of 
  about 
  60 
  acres, 
  is 
  

   equipped 
  with 
  good 
  laboratory 
  facilities 
  for 
  biological 
  and 
  chemical 
  

   research, 
  ponds 
  and 
  tanks 
  for 
  experimental 
  and 
  practical 
  fish 
  and 
  

   mussel 
  culture, 
  an 
  efficient 
  pumping 
  plant, 
  and 
  copious 
  supply 
  of 
  

   crude 
  and 
  filtered 
  water, 
  a 
  practical 
  shell- 
  testmg 
  plant 
  and 
  machine 
  

   shop, 
  launches, 
  boats, 
  and 
  fishing 
  gear, 
  and 
  the 
  living 
  accommoda- 
  

   tions 
  for 
  employees, 
  made 
  necessary 
  by 
  the 
  madequate 
  accommoda- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  adjacent 
  community. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  mussel 
  culture 
  on 
  a 
  

   large 
  scale, 
  mvestigations 
  of 
  mussel 
  resources 
  of 
  various 
  streams, 
  a 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  eft"ects 
  on 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Keokuk 
  Dam 
  and 
  the 
  possibili- 
  

   ties 
  created 
  by 
  its 
  backwater 
  m 
  Lake 
  Cooper, 
  and 
  a 
  canvass 
  of 
  the 
  

   extent 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  mussel 
  industry, 
  various 
  scientific 
  researches 
  

   were 
  conducted 
  at 
  the 
  laboratory. 
  The 
  general 
  conditions 
  under 
  

   which 
  three 
  important 
  species 
  of 
  mussels 
  may 
  be 
  propagated 
  were 
  

   practically 
  established, 
  and 
  some 
  progress 
  was 
  made 
  m 
  rearing 
  

   young 
  mussels 
  beyond 
  the 
  parasitic 
  state 
  and 
  in 
  determining 
  the 
  

  

  