﻿6 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Cortez 
  and 
  Tanner 
  banks. 
  She 
  returned 
  to 
  San 
  Francisco 
  April 
  28, 
  

   and 
  from 
  May 
  7 
  to 
  17 
  was 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Navy 
  Department 
  in 
  connection 
  

   with 
  the 
  speed 
  trials 
  of 
  the 
  Oregon. 
  On 
  completing 
  this 
  duty 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   observations 
  and 
  dredgiugs 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  San 
  Francisco 
  Bay, 
  in 
  

   connection 
  with 
  an 
  investigation 
  of 
  its 
  waters 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  

   cultivation 
  of 
  oysters. 
  Tables 
  showing 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  

   for 
  the 
  year 
  are 
  published 
  as 
  an 
  appendix 
  to 
  this 
  report. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1896 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  a 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  

   fishery 
  resources 
  of 
  southeastern 
  Alaska, 
  by 
  the 
  Albatross, 
  in 
  addition 
  

   to 
  the 
  regular 
  sealing 
  work, 
  but 
  the 
  detail 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   fur-seal 
  investigators 
  necessitated 
  the 
  postponement 
  of 
  these 
  plans. 
  

  

  May 
  19, 
  Lieut. 
  Commander 
  F. 
  J. 
  J)rake, 
  TJ. 
  S.N., 
  was 
  detached 
  from 
  

   the 
  command 
  of 
  the 
  Albatross, 
  and 
  Lieut. 
  Commander 
  Jeff. 
  F. 
  Moser, 
  

   U. 
  S. 
  N., 
  assumed 
  command, 
  in 
  obedience 
  to 
  orders 
  from 
  the 
  Secretary 
  

   of 
  the 
  Navy. 
  

  

  The 
  usual 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  mackerel 
  fisheries 
  were 
  made 
  by 
  agents 
  of 
  

   the 
  Commission, 
  along 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  and 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  schooner 
  

   Grampus, 
  which 
  accompanied 
  the 
  mackerel 
  fishermen 
  during 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  of 
  1805, 
  particular 
  attention 
  being 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  offshore 
  waters 
  of 
  

   New 
  England 
  and 
  tlie 
  conditions 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence. 
  

  

  A 
  resolution 
  was 
  adopted 
  by 
  the 
  Senate 
  February 
  15, 
  1895, 
  calling 
  

   for 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  fisheries 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  

   of 
  Florida, 
  and 
  investigations 
  were 
  begun 
  November 
  12 
  in 
  Apalachi- 
  

   cola 
  Bay 
  by 
  Lieut. 
  Franklin 
  Swift, 
  U. 
  S. 
  N., 
  with 
  the 
  steamer 
  Fish 
  

   Hairl-. 
  The 
  survey 
  covered 
  not 
  only 
  areas 
  where 
  oysters 
  are 
  now 
  

   found, 
  but 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  to 
  determine 
  its 
  suitability 
  for 
  

   oyster-planting, 
  and 
  necessarily 
  included 
  a 
  hydrographic 
  survey 
  and 
  

   the 
  taking 
  of 
  densities 
  and 
  temperatures. 
  Valuable 
  information 
  was 
  

   collected, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  Lieutenant 
  Swift, 
  published 
  as 
  an 
  

   appendix 
  to 
  this 
  report 
  (i^p. 
  187-221). 
  

  

  Various 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  were 
  found 
  favorable 
  for 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  of 
  an 
  excellent 
  quality, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  protective 
  laws 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  

   could 
  be 
  enfori.>.,". 
  yster-culture 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  an 
  important 
  industry. 
  

  

  In 
  accordance 
  with 
  an 
  item 
  in 
  the 
  sundry 
  civil 
  act 
  approved 
  March 
  

   2, 
  1895, 
  calling 
  on 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  special 
  

   investigation 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  extermination 
  of 
  migratory 
  fishes 
  in 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   River, 
  Florida, 
  an 
  investigation, 
  designed 
  to 
  embrace 
  both 
  the 
  natural- 
  

   history 
  and 
  commercial 
  aspects 
  of 
  the 
  subject, 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  January 
  

   and 
  February, 
  189G, 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  B. 
  W. 
  Evermann 
  

   and 
  W. 
  A. 
  Wilcox. 
  The 
  fishing 
  industry 
  of 
  this 
  arm 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic? 
  

   is 
  of 
  recent 
  growth, 
  its 
  commencement 
  dating 
  from 
  1878, 
  though 
  the 
  

   business 
  of 
  taking 
  green 
  turtles 
  was 
  engaged 
  in 
  before 
  the 
  civil 
  war. 
  

   Since 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  railroads, 
  affording 
  easy 
  communication, 
  the 
  

   industry 
  has 
  grown, 
  and 
  in 
  1895 
  represented 
  an 
  investment 
  of 
  $41,512, 
  

   and 
  yielded 
  products 
  valued 
  at 
  $37,057. 
  The 
  investigation 
  showed 
  

   that 
  while 
  the 
  fishing 
  resources 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  are 
  great, 
  many 
  valuable 
  

   species 
  beiag 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  riv^er, 
  the 
  present 
  tendency 
  to 
  overfishing 
  

  

  