﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  27 
  

  

  existing 
  obstacles 
  to 
  the 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  will 
  be 
  

   renewed 
  at 
  the 
  first 
  opportunity. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  add 
  to 
  the 
  commercial 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  fisheries 
  

   an 
  attempt 
  will 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  establish 
  the 
  humpback 
  salmon 
  on 
  the 
  

   Atlantic 
  coast 
  by 
  the 
  annual 
  transfer 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  eggs 
  of 
  

   that 
  species 
  from 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast, 
  for 
  development 
  at 
  the 
  New 
  

   England 
  stations, 
  the 
  resulting 
  fry 
  to 
  be 
  placed 
  in 
  suitable 
  streams 
  

   in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Maine. 
  

  

  BIOLOGICAL 
  INVESTIGATIONS, 
  SURVEYS, 
  AND 
  EXPERIMENTS. 
  

  

  AID 
  TO 
  THE 
  OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY. 
  

  

  The 
  Bureau 
  has 
  continued 
  to 
  devote 
  to 
  the 
  oyster 
  industry 
  as 
  

   much 
  attention 
  as 
  the 
  facilities 
  and 
  resources 
  provided 
  by 
  Congress 
  

   will 
  permit. 
  The 
  field, 
  however, 
  is 
  very 
  large 
  and 
  varied, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Bureau 
  is 
  unable 
  to 
  meet 
  all 
  the 
  legitimate 
  demands 
  that 
  are 
  made 
  

   on 
  it 
  for 
  expert 
  assistance 
  and 
  advice. 
  

  

  In 
  December, 
  1912, 
  the 
  steamer 
  Fish 
  Hawk 
  was 
  ordered 
  to 
  Mata- 
  

   gorda 
  Bay, 
  Tex., 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  conducting 
  a 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  

   oyster 
  beds 
  in 
  response 
  to 
  the 
  request 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  and 
  Oyster 
  Com- 
  

   mission 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  Inquiries 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  a 
  

   biological 
  station 
  on 
  the 
  GuK 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  were 
  conducted 
  on 
  the 
  

   way 
  and 
  the 
  vessel 
  arrived 
  off 
  Lavaca 
  Bay, 
  Tex., 
  early 
  in 
  February. 
  

  

  After 
  consultation 
  with 
  the 
  Texas 
  commissioner 
  and 
  with 
  persons 
  

   interested 
  in 
  the 
  oyster 
  business 
  it 
  was 
  determined 
  that 
  the 
  survey 
  

   should 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  Lavaca 
  Bay 
  as 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  greatest 
  present 
  and 
  

   prospective 
  commercial 
  importance. 
  The 
  recent 
  triangulation 
  by 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  Coast 
  and 
  Geodetic 
  Survey 
  had 
  been 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  this 
  bay, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  cf 
  this 
  and 
  the 
  recovery 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  

   point 
  it 
  was 
  possible 
  to 
  extend 
  the 
  triangulation 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  required 
  

   by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  sextant. 
  This 
  preliminary 
  work 
  was 
  completed 
  in 
  

   March, 
  and 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  commenced 
  imme- 
  

   diately. 
  The 
  weather 
  was 
  unusually 
  tempestuous, 
  and 
  practically 
  

   aU 
  the 
  signals 
  were 
  destroyed 
  by 
  a 
  tornado 
  soon 
  after 
  their 
  establish- 
  

   ment. 
  Despite 
  the 
  difficulties 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  completed 
  about 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  May. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  the 
  smooth 
  sheets 
  were 
  

   complete, 
  and 
  the 
  report 
  and 
  chart 
  wUl 
  be 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  printer 
  by 
  

   January 
  1, 
  1914. 
  

  

  Investigations 
  and 
  experiments 
  respecting 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  

   which 
  annually 
  cause 
  large 
  losses 
  to 
  the 
  oyster 
  industry 
  have 
  been 
  

   continued 
  as 
  opportunity 
  offered. 
  During 
  the 
  spring 
  the 
  attention 
  

   of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  was 
  again 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  prevalence 
  of 
  "green 
  gill" 
  

   over 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  in 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay. 
  This 
  peculiar 
  condition, 
  in 
  

   reality 
  harmless 
  both 
  to 
  oysters 
  and 
  those 
  who 
  consume 
  them, 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  popular 
  prejudice 
  has 
  caused 
  heavy 
  loss 
  by 
  completely 
  

  

  