﻿100 
  IlErORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  lirst 
  diiy, 
  however, 
  operatious 
  were 
  internipted 
  by 
  stormy 
  weather, 
  but 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  soundings 
  and 
  one 
  successful 
  haul 
  of 
  the 
  beam 
  trawl 
  were 
  

   made. 
  Leaving 
  this 
  region, 
  the 
  Albatross 
  went 
  to 
  SaQta 
  Barbara, 
  

   where 
  she 
  remained 
  from 
  the 
  14th 
  until 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  Aj^ril, 
  participating, 
  

   by 
  invitation 
  of 
  the 
  authorities, 
  in 
  the 
  annual 
  flower 
  festival 
  of 
  the 
  

   town. 
  From 
  the 
  20th 
  to 
  the 
  2Gth 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  month 
  the 
  ship 
  was 
  at 
  

   San 
  Pedro, 
  where 
  she 
  took 
  part 
  in 
  "la 
  Fiesta 
  de 
  los 
  Angeles." 
  San 
  

   Francisco 
  was 
  reached 
  on 
  April 
  28 
  and 
  Mare 
  Island 
  on 
  May 
  1. 
  

  

  From 
  May 
  7 
  to 
  18 
  the 
  steamer 
  Albatross 
  was 
  under 
  the 
  orders 
  of 
  the 
  

   president 
  of 
  the 
  Naval 
  Trial 
  Board, 
  being 
  used 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  

   official 
  speed 
  trial 
  of 
  the 
  battle-ship 
  Oref/on, 
  which 
  took 
  place 
  oft' 
  Santa 
  

   Barbara 
  on 
  the 
  14th 
  of 
  the 
  month. 
  On 
  completion 
  of 
  this 
  duty 
  prepa- 
  

   rations 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  season's 
  work 
  in 
  northern 
  waters. 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  H. 
  

   Townsend, 
  the 
  naturalist 
  of 
  the 
  steamer, 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  stationed 
  in 
  

   Washington 
  during 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  winter, 
  on 
  duty 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  

   preparation 
  of 
  his 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  in<iuiries 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  sum- 
  

   mer, 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  Albatross 
  about 
  May 
  1. 
  The 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  that 
  

   month 
  Avas 
  spent 
  by 
  him 
  in 
  making 
  investigations 
  in 
  San 
  Francisco 
  

   Bay 
  relative 
  to 
  its 
  oyster-grounds 
  and 
  the 
  suitability 
  of 
  its 
  water 
  

   for 
  oyster-culture, 
  supplementing 
  his 
  studies 
  begun 
  in 
  1891. 
  Special 
  

   attention 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  changes 
  which 
  had 
  occurred 
  in 
  the 
  extent 
  

   and 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  industry 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years, 
  the 
  position 
  

   and 
  extent 
  of 
  territory 
  occupied 
  by 
  eastern 
  oysters, 
  the 
  methods 
  em- 
  

   ployed, 
  and 
  the 
  relations 
  of 
  planted 
  beds 
  to 
  their 
  surroundings 
  with 
  

   reference 
  to 
  their 
  extension 
  by 
  natural 
  processes 
  of 
  reproduction. 
  The 
  

   Albatross 
  assisted 
  directly 
  in 
  this 
  work 
  by 
  making 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  dredgings 
  

   in 
  the 
  deeper 
  water, 
  which 
  was 
  commenced 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  

   bay 
  and 
  was 
  carried 
  up 
  the 
  channels 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Point 
  San 
  Bruno. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Alexander, 
  fishery 
  expert, 
  was 
  dispatched 
  to 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  

   on 
  the 
  17th 
  of 
  May, 
  for 
  the 
  x^urpose 
  of 
  taking 
  up 
  some 
  special 
  inquiries 
  

   respecting 
  the 
  halibut, 
  salmon, 
  and 
  oyster 
  fisheries 
  of 
  that 
  region. 
  

  

  An 
  understanding 
  having 
  been 
  reached 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  that 
  the 
  

   services 
  of 
  the 
  Albatross 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  required 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  

   the 
  fur-seal 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  189G, 
  

   except 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  customary 
  delineations 
  and 
  photographs 
  of 
  the 
  

   rookeries 
  on 
  the 
  islands, 
  i^lans 
  were 
  perfected 
  looking 
  to 
  the 
  investiga- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  fishery 
  resources 
  of 
  southeastern 
  Alaska. 
  

   The 
  principal 
  species 
  on 
  which 
  observations 
  were 
  desired 
  were 
  the 
  

   halibut 
  and 
  salmon. 
  The 
  extent 
  of 
  coast 
  to 
  be 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  inquiries 
  

   was 
  from 
  the 
  southern 
  boundary 
  of 
  Alaska 
  to 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Kadiak 
  

   Island. 
  The 
  halibut-grounds 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  located 
  and 
  their 
  produc- 
  

   tiveness 
  ascertained, 
  mainly 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  establishing 
  their 
  value 
  

   for 
  vessel 
  fishing; 
  while 
  the 
  salmon 
  rivers 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  studied 
  more 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  suggesting 
  measures 
  to 
  prevent 
  their 
  depletion. 
  

  

  While 
  halibut 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  generally 
  distributed 
  along 
  the 
  entire 
  

   Alaskan 
  coast, 
  no 
  systematic 
  attempt 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  define 
  the 
  

  

  