THIRTIETH BIENNIAL REPORT 11°. 



eries resources in order that the presence or absence of overuse might 

 be determined. True conservation of a resource is impossible when 

 such essential information is lacking. 



It is, therefore, the policy of the research branch to contribute to 

 the bureau the necessary information as to the fullest possible use 

 of each fishery and to determine the point at which overuse begins to 

 show itself. Proper knowledge of the resource is also necessary in 

 order that an efficient, rather than a useless, remedy may be applied 

 when it is found that any fishery is being overutilized. The first 

 essential, however, is to know the facts in each fishery and to determine 

 the point of fullest possible utilization short of depletion. 



PROGRAM 



The entire field of fisheries research was carefully canvassed before 

 deciding upon the type of work to be carried on by the research branch 

 of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. Since the chief object 

 was to supply the administrators of the resource with needed informa- 

 tion, many lines of work that commonly occupy the attention of fish- 

 eries research workers were set aside or indefinitely postponed. Studies 

 of the complex conditions in the sea and general contributions to 

 scientific knowledge of fishes were considered as best handled by the 

 existing marine stations of the Pacific coast. Many specific questions 

 as to the migrations, food or behavior of certain fishes were deferred 

 until after more pressingly important information has been supplied 

 to the administrators of the bureau. 



Knowledge of the extent, utilization and condition of our fisheries 

 resources was extremely scanty, so the most pressing problem was 

 first to gather detailed data showing exactly the utilization in each 

 fishery. In order to supply this basic information a complete system 

 of fishery statistics was installed. 



Since methods of study were not perfected it was necessary to 

 determine what procedure gave most promise of showing us the first 

 signs of depletion so that Ave might recognize indications of over- 

 utilization should they appear in any. fishery. Two methods of study 

 to show depletion were adopted and put into operation. These studies 

 of the present supply of fish and the detection of overutilization are 

 given first consideration on the program of the research branch of 

 the bureau. 



The program thus far outlined neglects a host of questions about 

 fishes that are usually considered important and have frequently 

 monopolized the attention of fishery workers in the past. It is fre- 

 quently true that the success of a legislative act applied to a fishery 

 depends upon some piece of information in the life history of the 

 particular fish in question. It is desirable and sometimes necessary 

 to know the feeding habits, time and place of spawning, characteristics 

 of eggs and young stages, migrations and how the fish is affected by 

 currents, temperatures, distribution of food or is influenced by other 

 fishes and natural enemies. 



It has been our endeavor to view this host of questions from a legis- 

 lative standpoint and to select therefrom only such questions as give 

 promise of bearing directly upon possible protective legislation in the 

 future. This involves an examination of the existing legislation of 

 each fishery to estimate its effectiveness. It would be impossible for us 



