THE UNITED STATES BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 1 385 



and the study of their fisheries. In 1907 the vessel began a biological survey 

 of the waters of the Philippine Archipelago, and is now engaged on that work. 

 The deepest sounding made by the Albatross — near the island of Guam — was 

 4,813 fathoms; the greatest depth at which the vessel found life was 4,173 

 fathoms; the greatest known ocean depth is 5,269 fathoms, near Guam, ascer- 

 tained by the U. S. S. Nero while using Albatross apparatus. 



Work similar to that done by the Albatross is conducted by the steamer 

 Fish Hawk on the Atlantic coast. This vessel, built for the Bureau in the 

 winter of 1879-80, is of 441 gross tons burden, and has a naval crew of 45 men; 

 it is equipped for sounding and dredging, and has recently been employed 

 chiefly in the exploration of the coastal waters and inshore fishing grounds of 

 New England while attached to the laboratory at Woods Hole. The vessel is 

 convertible into a hatchery, and has been engaged in the hatching of shad and 

 other fishes along the entire coast from Maine to Texas. 



The Bureau's large collections of natural-history specimens are deposited 

 in the United States National Museum. The duplicates, however, are not 

 retained by that institution, but are distributed upon request to public schools 

 and colleges. In this way hundreds of thousands of specimens representing 

 all groups of aquatic animals have been supplied for educational purposes. 



STATISTICS AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



The first duty to which the Bureau of Fisheries was assigned, namely, the 

 investigation of the reported decrease of food fishes in New England, necessarily 

 involved the collection of statistics of production, personnel, and capital. 

 Since that time this branch of the work has been conducted without interrup- 

 tion, and in it have naturally been included the various other subjects affecting 

 the economic and commercial aspects of the fisheries. Among its functions 

 are (1) a general survey of the commercial fisheries of the country; (2) a study 

 of the fishery grounds with reference to their extent, resources, yield, and con- 

 dition; (3) a study of the vessels and boats employed in the fisheries, with 

 special reference to their improvement; (4) a determination of the utility and 

 effect of the apparatus of capture employed in each fishery; (5) a study of the 

 methods of fishing, for the special purpose of suggesting improvements or of 

 discovering the use of unprofitable or unnecessarily destructive methods ; (6) an 

 inquiry into the methods of utilizing fishery products, the means and methods 

 of transportation, and the extent and condition of the wholesale trade; (7) a 

 census of the fishing population, their economic and hygienic condition, nativity, 

 and citizenship; (8) a study of international questions afi"ecting the fisheries; (9) 

 the prosecution of inquiries regarding the fishing apparatus and methods of 

 foreign countries. 



B. B. F. 1908— Pt 2—45 



