KEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 21 



noniical distribution of the Bureau's publications than has heretofore 

 been possible. Owing to the variety of subjects treated in the regular 

 and special reports, these papers as a bound collection were inevitably 

 distributed to a large number of applicants who had interest in but 

 cne or a few of the subjects. As separates they are susceptible to 

 classitication, and persons or institutions whose names appear on the 

 mailing list may designate under the following heads the papers they 

 wish to receive: 



1. Annual Report of the Commissioner. 



2. Fish culture: [a) Methods; {b) Distribution of fish and eggs; (c) Fish diseases 

 and parasites. 



3. Aquatic biology: (a) Economic investigations; (6) Explorations and surveys, 

 t'le methods, apparatus, etc.; (c) Descriptions of species and faunal lists; (d) 

 Morphological, physiological, and pathological studies. 



4. Statistics and methods of the commercial fisheries. 



5. Special subjects, such as oysters, game fishes, Alaska salmon inspection, inves- 

 gations of popular interest, etc., to be designated by the applicant. 



All of the pamphlet publications of the Bureau are, as heretofore, 

 available for distribution upon request. 



There were issued during the past year the bound volumes of parts 

 i and ii of the Bulletin for 1903 (vol. xxiii), which was reserved for 

 contributions resulting from the explorations of the Albatross in the 

 Hawaiian Islands in 1901 and 1902; of the Bulletin for 1904 (vol. xxiv), 

 and the Eeport for 1904, which are the last of their respective series 

 that will be distributed in bound form; and 28 separate papers con- 

 sisting of extracts from the above volumes and from tlie Bulletin for 

 1905. 



The distribution of publications in 1906 amounted to 5,671 bound 

 volumes and 18,062 pamphlets. Accessions to the library numbered 

 204 bound and 306 unbound. 



FISHERY LEGISLATION. 



An unusual number of measures relating to various branches of the 

 fishing industry came before the first session of the Fifty-ninth Con- 

 gress. Some of these became laws and will be administered by the 

 Department; others were not reached for final consideration, but may 

 be acted on at the next session. 



The fisheries of Alaska were the subject of a comprehensive act 

 passed June 26, 1906. The immense value of the Alaskan fishing 

 interests, especially the salmon, and the necessity for protection and 

 regulation in accordance with new conditions are recognized in the 

 following provisions, which constitvtte the law: A tax on the products 

 canned, salted, or otherwise prepared; the exemption from all taxa- 

 tion of those establishments which operate private salmon hatcheries 

 and liberate frv at the rate of 1,000 for everv 10 cases of salmon 



