﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  7% 
  

  

  entirely 
  dependent 
  on 
  the 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  operators. 
  The 
  mini- 
  

   mum 
  requirements 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  have 
  been 
  embodied 
  in 
  estimates 
  

   for 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  1915, 
  and 
  favorable 
  action 
  thereon 
  by 
  Congress 
  

   would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  demanded 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  interests 
  

   at 
  stake. 
  

  

  RELIEF 
  FROM 
  INCONGRUOUS 
  DUIIES. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  recommended 
  that 
  the 
  Secretary 
  take 
  under 
  consideration 
  

   the 
  advisability 
  of 
  appealing 
  to 
  Congress 
  for 
  rchef 
  from 
  the 
  necessity 
  

   of 
  administering 
  the 
  laws 
  and 
  regulations 
  affecting 
  the 
  fur-bearing 
  

   animals 
  of 
  the 
  Territory 
  of 
  Alaska. 
  This 
  subject 
  is 
  not 
  even 
  remotely 
  

   related 
  to 
  the 
  legitimate 
  functions 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  but 
  

   comes 
  naturally 
  under 
  the 
  jurisdiction 
  of 
  another 
  Government 
  bureau. 
  

   The 
  continued 
  administration 
  of 
  this 
  incongruous 
  service 
  with 
  the 
  

   absurdly 
  small 
  and 
  inexperienced 
  force 
  allowed 
  by 
  Congress 
  is 
  not 
  

   only 
  imposing 
  on 
  the 
  Bureau 
  an 
  uncongenial 
  duty, 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  

   equipped 
  to 
  perform, 
  but 
  is 
  distracting 
  and 
  diverting 
  much 
  attention 
  

   that 
  belongs 
  to 
  and 
  is 
  required 
  by 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry. 
  

  

  This 
  recommendation 
  does 
  not 
  apply 
  to 
  the 
  aquatic 
  animals 
  whose 
  

   pursuit 
  constitutes 
  a 
  "fishery," 
  but 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  strictly 
  terrestrial 
  

   mammals. 
  

  

  A 
  FISHERY 
  EXPERIMENT 
  STATION. 
  

  

  Fish 
  culture 
  has 
  reached 
  a 
  liigli 
  degree 
  of 
  perfection 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States, 
  and 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  leaves 
  little 
  

   to 
  be 
  desired. 
  There 
  is, 
  however, 
  much 
  room 
  for 
  effective 
  work 
  in 
  

   fish 
  culture 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  conducted 
  in 
  animal 
  and 
  plant 
  industry 
  

   at 
  agricultural 
  experiment 
  stations; 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  and 
  growing 
  

   needs 
  of 
  the 
  service 
  is 
  an 
  experiment 
  station 
  for 
  study 
  of 
  fish 
  diseases 
  

   and 
  of 
  problems 
  in 
  fish 
  breeding. 
  

  

  The 
  matter 
  of 
  improving 
  the 
  food 
  and 
  game 
  qualities 
  of 
  fishes 
  by 
  

   selective 
  breeding 
  is 
  a 
  subject 
  to 
  which 
  practically 
  no 
  attention 
  has 
  

   as 
  yet 
  been 
  given 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  but 
  the 
  possibiHties 
  are 
  alluring 
  and 
  

   the 
  project 
  is 
  well 
  worthy 
  of 
  support 
  from 
  Congress, 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  

   great 
  improvements 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  produced 
  in 
  domestic 
  animals 
  

   and 
  plants 
  by 
  the 
  apphcation 
  of 
  scientific 
  methods. 
  

  

  The 
  serious 
  aspect 
  of 
  disease 
  among 
  cultivated 
  fishes 
  has 
  frequently 
  

   been 
  set 
  forth 
  in 
  the 
  Bureau's 
  reports 
  and 
  brought 
  directly 
  to 
  the 
  

   attention 
  of 
  Congress. 
  An 
  experiment 
  station 
  would 
  no 
  doubt 
  pay 
  

   for 
  itself 
  every 
  year 
  in 
  the 
  actual 
  money 
  value 
  of 
  fish 
  saved 
  that 
  are 
  

   now 
  lost 
  at 
  the 
  hatching 
  stations 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  country 
  because 
  of 
  lack 
  

   of 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  proper 
  means 
  for 
  preventing 
  and 
  curing 
  the 
  

   various 
  destructive 
  maladies 
  to 
  which 
  domesticated 
  or 
  semi- 
  

   domesticated 
  fish 
  are 
  liable. 
  

   22889°— 
  14 
  6 
  

  

  