﻿COMMUNICATION 
  FROM 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES 
  TO 
  THE 
  

   SECRETARY 
  OF 
  COMMERCE. 
  TRANSMITTING 
  A 
  REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  

   OTTER-TRAWL 
  FISHERY 
  AND 
  MAKING 
  RECOMMENDATIONS 
  REGARD- 
  

   ING 
  THAT 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  Department 
  of 
  Commerce, 
  

  

  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  

   Washington, 
  January 
  20, 
  1915. 
  

   The 
  Secretary 
  of 
  Commerce 
  : 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  forwarded 
  herewith, 
  for 
  transmission 
  to 
  Congress, 
  a 
  re- 
  

   port 
  embodying 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  an 
  investigation 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  

   Fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  Imown 
  as 
  otter 
  trawling. 
  The 
  

   investigation 
  was 
  undertaken, 
  and 
  this 
  report 
  thereon 
  is 
  submitted, 
  

   pursuant 
  to 
  the 
  authority 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  approved 
  August 
  24, 
  

   1912, 
  making 
  appropriations 
  for 
  sundry-civil 
  expenses 
  of 
  the 
  Gov- 
  

   ernment 
  for 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  ending 
  June 
  30, 
  1913, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  To 
  enable 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  to 
  investigate 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  fish- 
  

   ing 
  Ijnown 
  as 
  beam 
  or 
  otter 
  trawling 
  and 
  to 
  report 
  to 
  Congress 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  

   this 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  is 
  destructive 
  to 
  the 
  fish 
  species 
  or 
  is 
  otherwise 
  harm- 
  

   ful 
  or 
  undesirable, 
  $5,000, 
  or 
  so 
  much 
  thereof 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  necessary. 
  

  

  A 
  similar 
  provision 
  was 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  sundry 
  civil 
  appropria- 
  

   tion 
  act 
  for 
  the 
  following 
  year, 
  the 
  sum 
  voted 
  being 
  for 
  the 
  comple- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  investigation. 
  

  

  In 
  anticipation 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  action 
  by 
  Congress, 
  preliminary 
  

   inquiries 
  were 
  begun 
  on 
  otter 
  trawlers 
  operating 
  out 
  of 
  Boston 
  in 
  

   June, 
  1912. 
  On 
  September 
  30, 
  1912, 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Alexander, 
  assistant 
  

   in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  statistics 
  and 
  methods 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  

   was 
  ordered 
  to 
  proceed 
  to 
  Boston 
  and 
  other 
  places 
  to 
  determine 
  on 
  

   methods 
  for 
  prosecuting 
  the 
  inquiry, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  December 
  

   28, 
  1912, 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  given 
  definite 
  authority 
  to 
  proceed 
  with 
  the 
  

   work. 
  Mr. 
  Alexander 
  had 
  exclusive 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  investiga- 
  

   tions, 
  with 
  headquarters 
  in 
  Boston, 
  and, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  insig- 
  

   nificant 
  intervals, 
  was 
  continuously 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  during 
  the 
  calendar 
  

   year. 
  1913; 
  and 
  he 
  is 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  methods 
  followed 
  and 
  the 
  

   data 
  collected. 
  

  

  Under 
  the 
  plan 
  of 
  investigation 
  adopted, 
  men 
  in 
  the 
  employ 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bureau 
  were 
  placed 
  on 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  vessels, 
  both 
  otter 
  trawlers 
  

   and 
  trawl 
  liners, 
  to 
  make 
  personal 
  observations 
  and 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  

   practices 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  and 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  catch. 
  To 
  each 
  

  

  5 
  

  

  