﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  31 
  

  

  until 
  a 
  series 
  is 
  completed. 
  This 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  investigation 
  has 
  yielded 
  

   gratifying 
  results, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  now 
  on 
  Jiand 
  several 
  reports 
  on 
  the 
  

   subject. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  completed 
  

   papers 
  cover 
  the 
  points 
  of 
  which 
  understanding 
  is 
  essential 
  for 
  the 
  

   regulation 
  and 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  fishsries, 
  and 
  thus 
  to 
  meet 
  a 
  popular 
  

   demand 
  for 
  information 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  now 
  no 
  means 
  of 
  satisfying. 
  

  

  WORK 
  AT 
  THE 
  BIOLOGICAL 
  LABORATORIES. 
  

  

  The 
  marine 
  laboratories 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole, 
  Mass., 
  and 
  Beaufort, 
  N. 
  0., 
  

   were 
  opened 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year, 
  but 
  were 
  operated 
  

   with 
  considerable 
  embarrassment 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  inadequacy 
  of 
  the 
  

   emergency 
  appropriations 
  made 
  available 
  pending 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  

   sundry 
  civil 
  bill. 
  The 
  months 
  of 
  June, 
  July, 
  August, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  

   haK 
  of 
  September 
  comprise 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  greatest 
  activity 
  in 
  scientifie 
  

   field 
  and 
  laboratory 
  work, 
  owing 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  clemency 
  of 
  the 
  

   weather 
  and 
  the 
  greater 
  opportunities 
  afforded 
  for 
  study, 
  but 
  also 
  

   to 
  the 
  availability 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  of 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  qualified 
  

   investigators 
  who 
  are 
  occupied 
  in 
  university 
  duties 
  at 
  other 
  seasons. 
  

  

  The 
  inadequacy 
  of 
  the 
  permanent 
  scientific 
  staff 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  

   makes 
  it 
  necessary 
  to 
  depend 
  for 
  much 
  of 
  its 
  research 
  on 
  temporary 
  

   assistants 
  who 
  can 
  be 
  engaged 
  only 
  when 
  not 
  engaged 
  in 
  their 
  cus^ 
  

   tomary 
  duties. 
  It 
  follows, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  monthly 
  requirements 
  

   during 
  the 
  first 
  two 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  are 
  much 
  in 
  excess 
  of 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   rated 
  allowance 
  made 
  by 
  Congress 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  conducting 
  opera- 
  

   tions 
  until 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  regular 
  appropriation. 
  Moreover, 
  it 
  is 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  arrange 
  for 
  the 
  employment 
  of 
  temporary 
  assistants 
  con- 
  

   siderably 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year, 
  not 
  only 
  because 
  

   the 
  best 
  men 
  will 
  have 
  made 
  other 
  arrangements 
  before 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   June, 
  but 
  also 
  because 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  must 
  be 
  begun 
  in 
  June 
  or 
  

   earlier, 
  and 
  continuously 
  prosecuted 
  over 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  produce 
  results 
  warranting 
  the 
  expenditures. 
  

  

  Therefore, 
  unless 
  confidence 
  can 
  be 
  felt 
  that 
  appropriations 
  will 
  be 
  

   available 
  when 
  due, 
  the 
  laboratory 
  and 
  field 
  work 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  arranged 
  

   for 
  with 
  proper 
  regard 
  to 
  economy 
  and 
  efficiency, 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  

   condition 
  confronting 
  the 
  Bureau 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year. 
  

   A 
  number 
  of 
  investigators 
  had 
  already 
  reached 
  the 
  laboratories 
  

   before 
  it 
  became 
  apparent 
  that 
  the 
  appropriations 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  

   available. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  employed 
  at 
  -reduced 
  salaries 
  and 
  

   others 
  elected 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  work 
  under 
  the 
  authority 
  possessed 
  by 
  the 
  

   Bureau 
  to 
  afford 
  facilities 
  to 
  properly 
  qualified 
  investigators. 
  

  

  Under 
  the 
  conditions 
  the 
  work 
  at 
  both 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  and 
  Beaufort 
  

   was 
  satisfactory, 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  completed 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  researches 
  

   of 
  practical 
  value, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  which 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  habits 
  

   of 
  fishes 
  and 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  water 
  pollutions. 
  Further 
  work 
  was 
  con- 
  

   ducted 
  on 
  the 
  life 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  drill 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  finding 
  a 
  

  

  