﻿o 
  OTTEE-TRAWL 
  FISHERT. 
  

  

  In 
  addition, 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  C. 
  Kendall, 
  assistant. 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  

   made 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  flounder 
  otter-trawl 
  fishery 
  of 
  Cape 
  Cod 
  

   in 
  November 
  and 
  December, 
  1912 
  ; 
  and 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  C. 
  Johnston, 
  assistant, 
  

   Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  investigated 
  the 
  paranzella-net 
  fishery 
  of 
  San 
  

   Francisco 
  in 
  September 
  and 
  October, 
  1912. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Terry, 
  who 
  made 
  but 
  one 
  trip, 
  all 
  of 
  

   these 
  observers 
  had 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  although, 
  with 
  the 
  

   exception 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Burrows, 
  who 
  had 
  fished 
  on 
  a 
  line 
  trawler 
  out 
  of 
  

   Gloucester 
  15 
  years 
  or 
  more 
  previously, 
  none 
  was 
  or 
  had 
  been 
  en- 
  

   gaged 
  in 
  either 
  the 
  trawl-line 
  or 
  otter-trawl 
  fisheries. 
  An 
  effort 
  was 
  

   made 
  to 
  obtain 
  men 
  capable 
  of 
  understanding 
  and 
  reporting 
  on 
  the 
  

   matters 
  which 
  came 
  under 
  observation 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  fis 
  free 
  

   as 
  possible 
  from 
  prejudice 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  their 
  vocations 
  and 
  previous 
  

   associations. 
  

  

  During 
  June, 
  1912, 
  the 
  observers 
  made 
  three 
  trips 
  on 
  otter-trawl 
  

   vessels 
  and 
  recorded 
  the 
  data 
  of 
  101 
  hauls 
  of 
  the 
  nets. 
  From 
  Janu- 
  

   ary 
  to 
  December, 
  1913, 
  61 
  trips 
  were 
  made 
  and 
  1,532 
  hauls 
  were 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  on 
  otter 
  trawlers; 
  and 
  from. 
  June 
  to 
  December, 
  1913, 
  17 
  trips 
  

   and 
  96 
  sets 
  of 
  trawl 
  lines 
  were 
  observed 
  on 
  schooners. 
  

  

  The 
  field 
  investigations 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  a 
  close 
  in 
  December, 
  1913, 
  

   and 
  on 
  February 
  5, 
  1914, 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  named 
  for 
  

   the 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  data 
  and 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  a 
  report 
  a 
  com- 
  

   mittee 
  of 
  three, 
  of 
  which 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Alexander 
  was 
  chairman 
  and 
  

   Messrs. 
  H. 
  F. 
  Moore, 
  assistant 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  scientific 
  inquiry, 
  and 
  

   W. 
  C. 
  Kendall, 
  scientific 
  assistant, 
  were 
  members. 
  The 
  orders 
  under 
  

   which 
  this 
  committee 
  proceeded 
  were 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Tou 
  are 
  hereby 
  designated 
  a 
  committee 
  charged 
  witli 
  the 
  duties 
  hereinafter 
  

   indicated 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  trawlnet 
  fishery, 
  

   as 
  directed 
  by 
  Congress 
  in 
  the 
  sundry 
  civil 
  appropriation 
  act 
  for 
  1913, 
  as 
  fol- 
  

   lows: 
  

  

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

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

   this 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  is 
  destructive 
  to 
  the 
  species 
  or 
  is 
  otherwise 
  harmful 
  or 
  

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

  

  Your 
  inquiries 
  will 
  involve, 
  first, 
  a 
  thorough 
  consideration 
  and 
  interpretation 
  

   of 
  the 
  data 
  collected 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  regarding 
  the 
  steam 
  trawlnet 
  

   fishery 
  of 
  Boston 
  and 
  New 
  York, 
  the 
  boat 
  trawlnet 
  fishery 
  of 
  New 
  England, 
  

   the 
  paranzella 
  fishery 
  of 
  California, 
  and 
  other 
  similar 
  fisheries 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  special 
  attention 
  being 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  detailed 
  records 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  by 
  agents 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  while 
  stationed 
  continuously 
  on 
  trawling 
  vessels 
  

   during 
  the 
  years 
  1912 
  and 
  1913. 
  

  

  For 
  comparative 
  purposes, 
  you 
  will 
  naturally 
  give 
  consideration 
  to 
  the 
  avail- 
  

   able 
  data 
  showing 
  the 
  present 
  extent 
  and 
  general 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  trawl 
  fishery 
  

   in 
  Europe, 
  and 
  the 
  steps 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  various 
  European 
  coun- 
  

   tries 
  to 
  regulate, 
  restrict, 
  or 
  abolish 
  the 
  fishery 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  recent 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  

   fishery 
  in 
  Japan 
  and 
  Canada, 
  and 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  those 
  countries 
  in 
  regulating 
  

   or 
  abolishing 
  the 
  trawlnet 
  fishery. 
  

  

  