﻿80 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  FISHERY 
  MATTERS 
  BEFORE 
  CONGRESS. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  act 
  making 
  appropriations 
  for 
  the 
  support 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  

   for 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  1915, 
  a 
  very 
  important 
  hmitation 
  was 
  placed 
  on 
  

   the 
  lump 
  sum 
  of 
  money 
  provided 
  for 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  food 
  fishes. 
  

   The 
  limiting 
  clause, 
  which 
  will 
  conduce 
  to 
  economy 
  and 
  increased 
  

   efficiency 
  of 
  the 
  fish-cultural 
  work 
  and 
  will 
  greatly 
  strengthen 
  the 
  

   position 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  in 
  its 
  cooperative 
  relations 
  with 
  tlie 
  States, 
  

   IS 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  No 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  amount 
  shall 
  be 
  expended 
  for 
  hatching 
  or 
  planting 
  fish 
  or 
  

   eggs 
  in 
  any 
  State 
  in 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  judgment 
  of 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  Commerce, 
  there 
  are 
  

   nol, 
  adequate 
  laws 
  for 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  fishes, 
  nor 
  in 
  any 
  State 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  and 
  his 
  duly 
  authorized 
  agents 
  are 
  not 
  accorded 
  full 
  

   and 
  free 
  right 
  to 
  conduct 
  fish-cultural 
  operations, 
  and 
  all 
  fishing 
  and 
  other 
  operations 
  

   necessary 
  therefor, 
  in 
  such 
  manner 
  and 
  at 
  such 
  times 
  as 
  is 
  considered 
  necessary 
  and 
  

   proper 
  by 
  said 
  Commissioner 
  or 
  his 
  agents. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  82 
  bills 
  were 
  introduced 
  in 
  the 
  House 
  of 
  

   Representatives 
  providing' 
  for 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  fish-cultural 
  and 
  

   biological 
  stations 
  and 
  18 
  similar 
  bills 
  were 
  presented 
  in 
  the 
  Senate. 
  

   Of 
  the 
  latter 
  9 
  passed 
  that 
  body. 
  In 
  addition, 
  an 
  omnibus 
  bill 
  pro- 
  

   viding 
  for 
  the 
  estabUshment 
  of 
  15 
  fish-cultural 
  stations 
  in 
  different 
  

   States 
  and 
  carrying 
  amounts 
  aggregating 
  nearly 
  $800,000 
  was 
  favor- 
  

   ably 
  reported 
  by 
  the 
  Committee 
  on 
  the 
  Merchant 
  Marine 
  and 
  Fisher- 
  

   ies 
  and 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  House 
  calendar. 
  

  

  A 
  bill 
  providing 
  for 
  Federal 
  control 
  over 
  fishes 
  that 
  do 
  not 
  remain 
  

   within 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  any 
  State 
  or 
  Territory 
  was 
  introduced 
  in 
  the 
  

   House, 
  and 
  hearings 
  thereon 
  were 
  held 
  by 
  the 
  Committee 
  on 
  the 
  

   Merchant 
  Marine 
  and 
  Fisheries. 
  The 
  biU 
  affects 
  primarily 
  the 
  

   migratory 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  coastal, 
  Great 
  Lakes, 
  and 
  interstate 
  waters, 
  

   and 
  vests 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  regulate 
  their 
  capture 
  in 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  

   Commerce. 
  This 
  bill, 
  if 
  passed, 
  wiU 
  mark 
  a 
  new 
  departure 
  in 
  Federal 
  

   fishery 
  legislation. 
  

  

  A 
  bill 
  to 
  regulate 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  sponges 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   of 
  Mexico 
  and 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  Florida 
  outside 
  of 
  vState 
  jurisdiction 
  passed 
  

   the 
  Senate 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  come 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  House 
  during 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year. 
  

   It, 
  however, 
  passed 
  the 
  House 
  in 
  August, 
  and 
  was 
  signed 
  by 
  the 
  

   President 
  and 
  became 
  effective 
  August 
  15, 
  1914. 
  This 
  law 
  corrects 
  

   defects 
  in 
  previous 
  legislation 
  and 
  was 
  advocated 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau. 
  

  

  In 
  March, 
  1914, 
  the 
  Senate 
  passed 
  a 
  bill 
  to 
  give 
  effect 
  to 
  the 
  treaty 
  

   of 
  April 
  13, 
  1908, 
  providing 
  for 
  joint 
  international 
  regulations 
  for 
  the 
  

   fisheries 
  in 
  the 
  contiguous 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  Canada. 
  

   A 
  favorable 
  report 
  was 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  measure 
  by 
  the 
  Committee 
  on 
  

   Foreign 
  Affairs 
  of 
  the 
  House, 
  but 
  no 
  final 
  action 
  was 
  taken. 
  Inas- 
  

   much 
  as 
  Canada, 
  in 
  1910, 
  adopted 
  the 
  regulations 
  made 
  in 
  accordance 
  

   with 
  the 
  treaty, 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  to 
  comply 
  with 
  the 
  

   treaty 
  stipulations 
  has 
  caused 
  much 
  embarrassment, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   possibility 
  that 
  Canada 
  will 
  take 
  steps 
  to 
  abrogate 
  the 
  treaty. 
  Should 
  

   this 
  be 
  done, 
  certain 
  fisheries 
  that 
  can 
  not 
  get 
  adequate 
  protection 
  

   except 
  through 
  international 
  agreement 
  will 
  suffer. 
  

  

  A 
  bill 
  authorizing 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  Commerce, 
  through 
  the 
  Coast 
  

   and 
  Geodetic 
  Survey 
  and 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  survey 
  

   of 
  oyster 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Florida, 
  passed 
  the 
  Senate, 
  and 
  an 
  item 
  

   for 
  this 
  work, 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  was 
  

   incorporated 
  m 
  the 
  sundry 
  civil 
  appropriation 
  act 
  for 
  1915. 
  

  

  