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  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  destroying 
  the 
  market 
  for 
  the 
  affected 
  oysters. 
  The 
  Bureau 
  had 
  

   no 
  facilities 
  for 
  immediately 
  investigating 
  the 
  matter, 
  as 
  the 
  only 
  

   qualified 
  assistant 
  was 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  Texas 
  survey 
  previously 
  de- 
  

   scribed, 
  and 
  the 
  trouble 
  had 
  abated 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  he 
  was 
  available, 
  

   only 
  to 
  grow 
  virulent 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  irrevocably 
  detailed 
  to 
  other 
  

   work. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  interests 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound 
  are 
  urging 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  

   the 
  starfish 
  and 
  the 
  drill, 
  which 
  annually 
  cause 
  heavy 
  loss 
  to 
  the 
  

   oyster 
  growers, 
  but 
  the 
  Bureau 
  can 
  not 
  carry 
  on 
  the 
  work 
  continu- 
  

   ously 
  and 
  systematically 
  with 
  its 
  present 
  force. 
  These 
  are 
  but 
  

   instances 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau's 
  failure 
  to 
  provide 
  the 
  assistance 
  asked 
  for 
  

   by 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  wholly 
  inadequate 
  personnel 
  allowed 
  

   it 
  for 
  the 
  purpose. 
  

  

  PROGRESS 
  IN 
  MUSSEL 
  CULTURE. 
  

  

  Marked 
  progress 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  in 
  the 
  cultivation 
  

   of 
  pearly 
  fresh-water 
  mussels, 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  objects 
  of 
  an 
  extensive 
  

   fishery 
  and 
  support 
  numerous 
  plants 
  at 
  which 
  buttons 
  are 
  made. 
  

  

  The 
  station 
  at 
  Fairport, 
  Iowa, 
  and 
  the 
  field 
  parties 
  operating 
  ia 
  

   connection 
  therewith 
  have 
  achieved 
  practical 
  results 
  in 
  the 
  propaga- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  mussels. 
  The 
  work 
  was 
  conducted 
  at 
  15 
  localities 
  in 
  the 
  Mis- 
  

   sissippi 
  Valley, 
  10 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  on 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River. 
  Over 
  150 
  

   million 
  young 
  mussels 
  were 
  planted, 
  of 
  which 
  57 
  million 
  were 
  liber- 
  

   ated 
  in 
  Lake 
  Pepin, 
  25 
  million 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Fairport, 
  and 
  the 
  

   remainder 
  at 
  other 
  places 
  in 
  Iowa 
  and 
  Minnesota, 
  and 
  in 
  Wisconsin, 
  

   Illinois, 
  Indiana, 
  and 
  Arkansas. 
  As 
  a 
  necessary 
  part 
  of 
  these 
  opera- 
  

   tions 
  there 
  were 
  handled 
  about 
  100,000 
  food 
  and 
  game 
  fishes 
  of 
  

   various 
  species, 
  of 
  which 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  were 
  rescued 
  from 
  over- 
  

   flowed 
  lands 
  and 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  rivers. 
  The 
  field 
  explorations 
  were 
  

   considerably 
  curtailed 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  embarrassment 
  occasioned 
  

   by 
  the 
  delay 
  in 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  appropriation 
  bill. 
  An 
  examina- 
  

   tion 
  was 
  made, 
  however, 
  of 
  the 
  mussel 
  resources 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois 
  River, 
  

   and 
  a 
  reconnoissance 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  lakes 
  and 
  streams 
  in 
  Min- 
  

   nesota 
  opened 
  up 
  new 
  fields 
  for 
  mussel 
  culture 
  and 
  suggested 
  new 
  

   sources 
  of 
  supply 
  of 
  commercial 
  shells. 
  

  

  Investigations 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  and 
  laboratory 
  have 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  

   discovery 
  of 
  the 
  hosts 
  and 
  breeding 
  habits 
  of 
  certain 
  important 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  mussels 
  and 
  promise 
  to 
  result 
  in 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  valuable 
  

   species 
  which 
  previously 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  cultivated 
  because 
  of 
  ignorance 
  

   of 
  fundamental 
  facts. 
  Research 
  into 
  the 
  causes 
  and 
  phenomena 
  

   of 
  pearl 
  formation 
  have 
  been 
  continued. 
  

  

  