2oo The National Geographic Magazine 



Removing Blubber from a Whale Beached on California Coast 



This and the following views illustrate different phases of the American fishing and oil 

 industries which are being studied by the Bureau of Fisheries. The illustration and the illus- 

 trations on pages 201, 202, 204 are from Charles H. Stevenson's admirable report, "Aquatic 

 Products in Arts and Industries." 



biological stations, thus affording an 

 opportunity to study their habits and 

 development. The vessel has also been 

 useful in testing various fishing gear, 

 such as the beam-trawl, in a commer- 

 cial way, in following the schools of 

 fishes and developing off-shore fishing 

 grounds. 



2. Investigation of Interior Waters. — 

 One of the principal lines of work carried 

 on by the Division of Scientific Inquiry 

 is a study of the rivers and lakes of the 

 United States with reference to the 

 physical and biological characteristics 

 of each. 



Very early in the history of the Fish 

 Commission it became the custom of 

 Senators and Representatives to ask 

 the Commissioner to have plants of fish 

 made in their state or district. The 

 request was usually for a certain species 

 of fish to be planted in a certain named 

 stream or lake. The requests were 

 always granted if possible, notwith- 

 standing the fact that little or no in- 



formation was at hand or could be sup- 

 plied as to the fitness of the stream or 

 lake for the particular species which it 

 was proposed to introduce. Later it 

 became evident that thousands of fish 

 had been planted in waters to which 

 they were not at all suited and in which 

 they would never have been planted if 

 the character of the water had been 

 known. 



In order that the fish-cultural work 

 of the Commission might be more ef- 

 fective, the Division of Scientific Inquiry, 

 then under the able direction of Mr 

 Richard Rathbun, now Assistant Secre- 

 tary of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 undertook to supply as rapidly as pos- 

 sible accurate knowledge concerning 

 the various lakes and river basins of 

 the United States. 



During the last twelve years parties 

 from the Division of Scientific Inquiry 

 have been in the field, usually only for 

 a brief period each summer, but often 

 for longer periods. These parties have 



