REPORT or THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 23 



the recent invasion of their business hy man}' hundreds of Greeks, 

 who violate the Florjda statutes b}" using- diving apparatus and b}'^ 

 brincring into the markets sponges under the legal size. Diving for 

 sponges is prohibited in the interests of the permanency of the tisher}^, 

 and the diversion of the industr}* into alien hands constitutes another 

 grievance of the native fishermen. The matter was presented to Con- 

 gress and occasioned much discussion, owing to the difficulty of legis- 

 lating against the Greeks, whose operations are conducted bej'ond the 

 ,the 3-mile limit; l)ut after a hearing at which all interests were repre- 

 sented, a bill suggested by this Bureau was passed June 20, 1906, to go 

 into eflect iSIa}' 1, lOOT. This bill provides (1) that no sponges taken 

 with diving apparatus in the Gulf of Mexico or Straits of Florida 

 shall be landed, deliveied, cured, or ofi'ered for sale at any port or 

 place in the United kStates, with the exception that sponges so taken 

 in water more than 50 feet deep between October 1 and May 1 of each 

 year are exempt from the provisions of the act: (2) no sponges from 

 said waters having a smaller maximum diameter than 4 inches shall be 

 landed, delivered, cured, or offered for sale at an}^ port or place in the 

 United States; (3) the Secretary of Commerce and Labor is directed 

 to enforce the act, and is authorized to call on the vessels of the Navy 

 and Revenue-Cutter Service to assist him. 



Another bill proposed, prohil)iting aliens from gathering sponges 

 within a marine league of United States coasts, failed of consideration. 



The decline of the Maryland oyster tisher}', which has long been 

 evident, aroused a strong sentiment in favor of legislative action to 

 promote cultivation of the oyster grounds. So much opposition was 

 encountered when the matter was approached, however, that a bitter 

 controversy has raged in the State for 5^ears, and not until the last 

 session of the legislature was an}- actual step taken. Under the law 

 passed at that time the oyster grounds in Maryland waters are to be 

 subjected to a system of rental under supervision of a shellfish com- 

 mission, and the United States Coast and Geodetic Surve}' and the 

 Bureau of Fishieries were. asked to assist in determining and mapping 

 the natural oyster beds. Congress responded to the latter portion of 

 this measure b}- appropriating $15,000 to meet the expenses of cooper- 

 ation by these Government bureaus, and the survey is now in progress. 



The "omnibus fish hatchery bill" combined a large number of acts 

 proposed in both Houses and in some cases passed by the Senate, pro- 

 viding for the establishment of 23 new Government fish hatcheries 

 and one combined hatchery and laboratoiy. These stations were to 

 be located in as man}' States, and represented an outlay of $637,000. 

 The bill was favorably reported by the House Committee on Merchant 

 Marine and Fisheries, but was not reached for action by Copgress. 



