XII EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



position of commissioDer (without salary) having been tendered by the 

 President^ I accepted it, with the determinationof giving to the inquiry as 

 much consideration as the time at my disposal would permit ; and, receiv- 

 ing the necessary leave of absence from Professor Henry, the secretary of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, I proceeded to Vineyard Sound early in 

 June, 1871, as it was in that region that the alleged decrease was most 

 clearly manifested, and established my headquarters at Wood^s Hole, 

 a village on the coast about eighteen miles from ^ew Bedford, and 

 directly opposite Holmes's Hole, (now Vineyard Haven.) From this 

 center I could readily reach all such points on the adjacent coast, 

 as were most likely to furnish important facts bearing on the question. 

 About the same time Mr. J. W. Milner, of Waukegan, Illinois, a gen- 

 tleman of scientific training and ability, proceeded to Lake Michigan and 

 spent the entire summer and autumn in prosecuting his labors in refer- 

 ence to the fisheries of the lakes, the results of which will be presented 

 hereafter. 



The provision of the law directing the executive officers of the 

 Government to render all the aid in their power to the required investi- 

 gations was found to be of great value. By the direction of the Secre- 

 tary of the Treasury, and through the courtesy of Mr. J. A. P. Allen, 

 collector of customs at New Bedford, I was enabled to obtain the use of 

 the small yacht Mazeppa, belonging to the IS'ew Bedford custom-house, 

 as well as the services of the captain of the vessel, John B. Smith, esq., 

 then janitor of the custom-house. A substitute in the way of a boat and 

 captain was, however, furnished to the custom-house from the appro- 

 priation for the inquiry. The Treasury Department also instructed the 

 collector of customs at Newport to detail the revenue-cutter Moccasin, 

 belonging to that station, and in command of Captain J. G. Baker, for use 

 in my investigation whenever her services were not required in any other 

 direction. The Light-House Board granted the occupation of some vacant 

 buildings and of the wharf connected with their buoj-station at Wood's 

 Hole ; and the Secretary of the Navy placed at my command for the sum- 

 mer a small steam-launch, belonging to the navy-yard at Boston, and 

 gave me the use of a large number of condemned powder-tanks, which 

 served an excellent purpose in the preservation of specimens. I am 

 also indebted to Professor Henry for permission to use the extensive 

 collection of apparatus belonging to the Smithsonian Institution in the 

 way of nets, dredges, tanks, &c., and thus saving the considerable out- 

 lay which w^ould otherwise have been necessary. 



Due use was made, in the course of the summer, of all the facilities in 

 question, and I beg leave here to express my acknowledgments to the 

 Treasury and Navy Departments ; as also, among many others, to Captain 

 Macy, of the Newport custom-house ; to Captain J. G. Baker and ofticers 

 of the Moccasin; Mr. J. A. P. Allen, collector of customs. New Bedford; 

 to Captain John B. Smith, of the Mazeppa; to Captain Edwards, of the 

 light-house buoy establishment at Wood's Hole ; as also to various other 

 gentlemen whoso names ai)poar in tlie report. 



