"0 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
FISHERIES OF CHESAPEAKE BAY AND TRIBUTARIES. 
The condition of the shad and alewife fisheries of Chesapeake Bay 
and its tributary streams has become more precarious, and the season 
of 1915 was the poorest of which there is any record. There is no 
evidence that the States vitally interested in the perpetuation of these 
valuable fisheries have taken any means to alleviate the flagrant over- 
fishing to which the salt, brackish, and fresh waters have been sub- 
jected, and the only practical measure of protection which has been 
afforded the schools of spawning shad and alewives has come through 
the action of the War Department in requiring the stationary fishing 
apparatus to be set so that open channels in the bay and rivers may 
be left for navigation. 
In April, 1915, as soon as the expected failure became evident, the 
Bureau instituted a very comprehensive canvass of the shad and 
alewife fisheries of the Chesapeake basin. In addition to furnishing 
detailed statistics, this canvass will show the location of fixed and 
floating apparatus and will enable the Bureau to make an authentic 
and forceful presentation of the situation. 
STURGEON FISHERY IN FLORIDA. 
After completing the field work of the survey of oyster beds in 
Apalachicola Bay, Fla., an assistant of the Bureau made inquiries 
in regard to the sturgeon fishery of the Apalachicola River. Prin- 
cipally because of inadequate transportation facilities the sturgeon 
fishery was not pursued actively prior to 1895. For a number 
of years the industry grew rapidly until the effects of depletion 
became manifest, and in quite recent years the decline of the fishery 
has been very marked. The period of fishery embraces about two 
and one-half months, from the middle of April to the end of June. 
The locality of the fishery is principally in the immediate vicinity 
of Apalachicola at the mouth of the river.and extending upstream a 
distance of 30 miles. The sturgeon are known to ascend the river 
for a distance of 200 miles or more. 
The sturgeon are usually captured by means of drift nets of 6-inch 
mesh. The body of the fish is cut into sections and packed in ice for 
shipment to northern markets. The preservation and sale of the 
caviar forms an important phase of the fishery. The catch varies 
from year to year; and, while no accurate statistics were taken, it 
was estimated that 20,000 to 60,000 pounds are marketed each season 
with a value of from $2,000 to $6,000. A single specimen has yielded 
a return of $90 from caviar alone. The average size of fish taken 
is becoming much smaller, while the value of the catch as a whole 
is declining. 
The preservation of this important fish, now so nearly extermi- 
nated, should command the thoughtful attention of the State au- 
thorities. 
ALASKA FISHERIES SERVICE. 
A full report on the fishing industry of Alaska during the calendar 
year 1914 and on the activities of the Bureau in connection therewith 
has been published as an appendix of the annual report of the Com- 
missioner for 1914. A special report on Alaska fishery investigations 
