THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL REPORT 123 



conditions existing in this state. The industry should contribute to 

 the expense of carrying on this necessary work. Oystermen with whom 

 we have tallced see the necessity of state control and guidance and 

 desire that such a measure be adopted. 



SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS 



Most of the commercial fisheries investigations of the Division of 

 Fish and Game are being carried on by the staff of the State Fisheries 

 Laboratory, at Terminal Island. These activities are the subject of a 

 special report by the acting director of the laboratory, which is made 

 a part of this report. 



The bureau has been carrying on a number of other special investi- 

 gations which are only indirectly connected with the laboratory, and has 

 been assisting others financially. Among these investigations is that 

 of the salmon, by Dr. J. 0. Snyder and others working under his direc- 

 tion. A report on this work has been included under the special sub- 

 ject "Salmon Investigations." 



The more important of these investigations are as follows: 



RESEARCH IN FISH CANNING 



As stated in our last report, the Division of Fish and Game, at the 

 request of the fish canners, agreed to turn over $15,000 a year for a 

 period of three years, to the Hooper Foundation of the University of 

 California, for the purpose of canying on research in connection with 

 fish canning problems. This agreement was carried out and, at its 

 termination at the end of the fiscal year 1928-29, it was agreed to 

 continue the arrangement for another two years. The work has been 

 under the supervision of Dr. Karl F. ]\Ieyer, of the University of Cali- 

 fornia, and 0. W. Lang has been directly in charge. 



Much valuable work has been done on sardine canning, during a 

 period of rapid change in methods, to insure proper packing of the 

 cans and sterilizing of the pack. This work has been carried on in 

 cooperation with the State Board of Public Health, which conducts an 

 inspection of all canning operations, the inspection being financed by 

 the industry. This inspection covers also tuna and mackerel canning 

 operations. During the year 1928 mackerel canning was suddenly 

 developed on a large scale in the state, and the fish canning research 

 laboratory of the Hooper Foundation devoted its attention to the many 

 technical canning problems arising in that industry. A preliminary 

 report and bulletin on mackerel canning was issued in 1929. 



HYDROBIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF MONTEREY BAY 



Realizing the practical significance of a knowledge of oceanographic 

 conditions in their relation to the problem of conserving the sea fish- 

 eries, the Division of Fish and Game has for a number of years encour- 

 aged marine biological institutions in the state to carry on oceano- 

 graphic investigations in the region of our greater sea fisheries. 

 Such investigations it was realized should explain in large part the 

 movements of the schools of fish, as well as give reasons for the natural 

 fluctuations in abundance of fishes due to the comparative success or 

 failure of the annual crop of young. We were therefore greatly 

 pleased wnen Dr. Henry B. Bigelow, of Harvard University, a leading 



