the Pacific Northwest, are the marlins, sailfish, and wahoo. NMFSis 

 involved in cooperative tagging programs of such billfishes in 

 Hawaii, southern California, Florida, and the Northeast. A com- 

 prehensive collection of scientific papers on the billfishes and 

 billfisheries of the world was recently published. These volumes 

 constitute a valuable contribution to the scientific literature of these 

 species. 



NMFS is cooperating with the Woods Hole Oceanographic 

 Institution in its continuing program of tagging bluefin tuna, one of 

 the principal large game fishes of the northwest Atlantic. It is also 

 engaged in a cooperative program with sportsmen in tagging sharks 

 out of Narragansett, R.I. 



During 1973, and again in 1974, NMFS scientific personnel 

 monitored over three dozen fishing tournaments to secure catch and 

 effort data and take scientific measurements on migratory marine 

 game fishes. Comprehensive newsletters conveying information 

 gathered at these tournaments, as well as tagging information, were 

 sent to about 3,000 interested persons. 



The newest NMFS research facility, the Port Aransas, Tex., 

 laboratory was completed in 1973. Initial studies include develop- 

 ment of techniques to capture, maintain, and induce spawning in 

 speckled trout and summer flounder, and to study their physical and 

 biological requirements for successful spawing, hatching, develop- 

 ment, and growth in captivity. This new facility is the last of those 

 authorized under the Migratory Game Fish Act of 1959. 



The fishery resources of our fourth coastal water area, the Great 

 Lakes, fall under the jurisdiction of FWS, DOI. The Great Lakes have 

 been subjected to tremendous changes in fish populations in past 

 years as a result of changes in water quality, fishing pressure, and 

 competition among fish species. 



Probably no other single event marked so great a change in the fish 

 populations of the Great Lakes as did the establishment of the sea 

 lamprey. This parasite, which became established in Lake Ontario in 

 the early 1900's, and later in the four upper lakes upon completion of 

 the Wetland Canal, has been largely responsible for the destruction 

 of several of the most valuable commercial and recreational fish 

 species of these inland seas. This disaster resulted in the founding of 

 an international commission to seek a solution to the problems 

 caused by the sea lamprey. Through research, primarily by FWS, an 

 effective method of sea-lamprey control was found. 



With the lamprey under control, FWS, Canadian Fishery Service, 

 and the eight cooperating Great Lakes States have launched a fishery 

 restoration program in several of the Great Lakes. This consists of 

 developing and managing the important native species like the Lake 

 trout, and the exotic species such as the Pacific coast rainbow trout. 



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