﻿96 
  REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  conduct 
  of 
  tlie 
  work 
  under 
  tlie 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Treas- 
  

   ury. 
  This 
  resohition 
  further 
  provided 
  for 
  the 
  organization 
  of 
  a 
  party 
  

   of 
  experts, 
  both 
  by 
  employment 
  and 
  by 
  detail 
  from 
  the 
  Government 
  

   service, 
  to 
  conduct 
  a 
  scientific 
  investigation 
  into 
  the 
  present 
  condition 
  

   of 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  herds 
  on 
  the 
  Pribilof, 
  Commander, 
  and 
  Kuril 
  islands. 
  

   Similar 
  action 
  was 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  Great 
  Britain, 
  but 
  no 
  

   provision 
  was 
  made 
  for 
  joint 
  cooperation 
  by 
  the 
  two 
  parties, 
  either 
  in 
  

   carrying 
  on 
  their 
  investigations 
  or 
  in 
  considering 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  their 
  

   observations. 
  In 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  better 
  facilities 
  for 
  transportation, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  representatives 
  accepted 
  accommodations 
  on 
  

   the 
  Albatross, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  extended 
  to 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  

   the 
  Treasur3^ 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  vessel 
  set 
  sail 
  from 
  Seattle, 
  thereibre, 
  on 
  June 
  24, 
  1890, 
  it 
  

   carried 
  a 
  large 
  scientific 
  party, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  Representing 
  the 
  United 
  

   States, 
  Dr. 
  David 
  Starr 
  Jordan, 
  in 
  charge; 
  Mr. 
  Leonhard 
  Stejneger 
  

   and 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  A, 
  Lucas, 
  of 
  the 
  TJnited 
  States 
  l^ational 
  Museum; 
  Lieut. 
  

   Commander 
  Jeff. 
  F. 
  Moser, 
  U. 
  S. 
  N., 
  commander, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  0. 
  H. 
  Town- 
  

   send, 
  naturalist, 
  of 
  the 
  steamer 
  Albatross 
  ; 
  Col. 
  Joseph 
  Murray, 
  special 
  

   agent 
  of 
  the 
  Treasury 
  Department; 
  Mr, 
  G. 
  A. 
  Clark, 
  secretary, 
  liep- 
  

   resenting 
  Great 
  Britain, 
  Prof. 
  D'Arcy 
  W. 
  Thompson, 
  of 
  University 
  

   College, 
  Dundee, 
  Scotland; 
  Mr. 
  James 
  M. 
  Macoun, 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  

   Survey 
  of 
  Canada, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Marett, 
  photograi^her. 
  

  

  OPERATIONS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ALBATROSS 
  IN 
  THE 
  NORTH 
  PACIFIC 
  

   OCEAN 
  AND 
  BERING 
  SEA. 
  

  

  The 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  steamer 
  Albatross 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1895 
  

   were 
  again 
  chiefly 
  directed, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  four 
  years, 
  to 
  the 
  study 
  

   of 
  the 
  several 
  problems 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  question 
  in 
  Bering 
  

   Sea, 
  under 
  the 
  immediate 
  direction 
  of 
  her 
  commander, 
  Lieut. 
  Com- 
  

   mander 
  F. 
  J. 
  Drake, 
  U. 
  S. 
  N., 
  but, 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  

   patrol 
  fleet, 
  as 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  custom 
  heretofore, 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  given 
  

   an 
  independent 
  status 
  under 
  the 
  orders 
  of 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fish- 
  

   eries, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  special 
  line 
  of 
  work 
  which 
  she 
  is 
  particularly 
  fitted 
  

   to 
  engage 
  in 
  might 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  uninterruptedly. 
  The 
  commanding 
  

   officer, 
  however, 
  was 
  commissioned 
  to 
  board 
  and 
  inspect 
  such 
  pelagic 
  

   sealers 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  encountered, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  afford 
  the 
  opportunity 
  for 
  

   securing 
  the 
  important 
  information 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  in 
  that 
  way. 
  

   The 
  instructions 
  provided 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  character 
  of 
  observations 
  

   as 
  in 
  preceding 
  years. 
  The 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  pelagic 
  habits 
  and 
  

   distribution 
  of 
  the 
  fur-seals 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  the 
  principal 
  feature 
  of 
  

   the 
  cruise, 
  but 
  fishing 
  trials 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  conducted 
  whenever 
  the 
  vessel 
  

   was 
  on 
  snita>,ble 
  ground 
  for 
  that 
  purpose. 
  Special 
  attention 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  

   paid 
  to 
  the 
  hydrographic 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  shallow 
  waters 
  

   of 
  the 
  platform 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  deeper 
  areas, 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  their 
  bearing 
  

   u])on 
  the 
  difterent 
  sealing 
  and 
  fishery 
  i^roblems, 
  and 
  assistance 
  Avas 
  to 
  be 
  

   rendered 
  the 
  several 
  parties 
  detailed 
  to 
  conduct 
  the 
  shore 
  inquiries 
  on 
  

   both 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  and 
  Commander 
  islands, 
  as 
  elsewhere 
  explained. 
  

  

  