﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER. 
  

  

  A.— 
  GENERAL 
  CONSIDERATIONS. 
  

  

  1. 
  — 
  INTRODUCTORY 
  REMARKS. 
  

  

  The 
  duties 
  assigned 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fish 
  and 
  

   Fisheries, 
  as 
  indicated 
  in 
  the 
  law 
  authorizing 
  his 
  appointment, 
  con- 
  

   sist, 
  first, 
  in 
  the 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  

   useful 
  food-fishes 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  factors 
  enter- 
  

   ing 
  into 
  the 
  problem; 
  and, 
  second, 
  the 
  determination 
  and 
  employment 
  

   of 
  s 
  uch 
  active 
  measures 
  as 
  may 
  seem 
  best 
  calculated 
  to 
  stock 
  or 
  restock 
  

   the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  rivers, 
  lakes, 
  and 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  T 
  welve 
  annual 
  reports, 
  containing 
  in 
  all 
  upwards 
  of 
  12,800 
  octavo 
  

   pages, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  several 
  hundred 
  plates, 
  have 
  heretofore 
  been 
  issued. 
  

   This, 
  the 
  thirteenth, 
  swells 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  pages 
  to 
  upwards 
  of 
  

   14,000. 
  It 
  covers 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  during 
  the 
  calendar 
  

   year 
  1885 
  and 
  in 
  part 
  for 
  1886, 
  being 
  the 
  fifteenth 
  year 
  of 
  its 
  history. 
  

  

  Year 
  by 
  year 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  rapid 
  and 
  continual 
  expansion 
  of 
  the 
  

   Commission 
  has 
  been 
  chronicled, 
  increased 
  appropriations 
  have 
  been 
  

   made, 
  indicative 
  of 
  the 
  appreciation 
  by 
  Congress 
  of 
  the 
  efforts 
  put 
  forth, 
  

   and 
  a 
  growing 
  dem 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  for 
  assistance 
  in 
  

   maintaining 
  and 
  increasing 
  the 
  food 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  nation 
  has 
  been 
  de- 
  

   veloped. 
  As 
  heretofore, 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  C 
  ommission 
  has 
  been 
  aided 
  and 
  

   supplemented 
  by 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  State 
  commissioners 
  acting 
  under 
  

   appointment 
  from 
  the 
  governors 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  States 
  and 
  Territories. 
  

   Relations 
  with 
  all 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  cordial 
  and 
  harmonious, 
  and 
  each, 
  in 
  

   varying 
  methods, 
  has 
  done 
  what 
  was 
  possible 
  with 
  the 
  means 
  placed 
  at 
  

   his 
  disposal. 
  The 
  State 
  commissioners 
  are 
  in 
  no 
  sense 
  responsible 
  to 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  Commissioner, 
  and 
  whatever 
  co-operation 
  has 
  taken 
  

   place 
  has 
  been 
  of 
  a 
  purely 
  voluntary 
  nature. 
  The 
  following 
  States 
  and 
  

  

  xrx 
  

  

  