THE TILEEISH, LATELY INTRODUCED TO THE AMERICAN DINNER TABLE 



The tilefish first came to the attention of science in 1879. Three years later the Gulf 

 Stream, with its warm water, drifted off of the continental shelf in tilefish territory, with 

 the result that perhaps a billion and a half members of the species died, literal victims of a 

 cold wave (see text, page 570). 



no jurisdiction over the oyster grounds, 

 has done much to promote the industry. 

 The assistance rendered has taken vari- 

 ous forms and has included studies of 

 the oyster's life history, on the accurate 

 knowledge of which protection and culti- 

 vation must depend ; surveys of grounds 

 on which oyster planting may be con- 

 ducted, thus increasing the output and at 

 the same time affording a larger revenue 

 to the States from the sale or lease of 

 such grounds to prospective farmers ; ex- 

 perimental and model planting opera- 

 tions, often in regions where no oyster 

 culture was previously' conducted ; rec- 

 ommendations for oyster legislation, and 

 disinterested expert advice on the various 

 problems that arise in the administration 

 and practical conduct of the oyster in- 

 dustry. 



Alaska's enormous fishery wealth 



The salmon resources of the Pacific 

 States are among the natural wonders of 

 the Western Hemisphere, but they now 

 take rank after those of Alaska, whose 

 fisheries as a whole have experienced 

 their remarkable development and at- 

 tained their present surpassing impor- 

 tance chiefly because of the salmons. 



Since Alaska became a part of the na- 

 tional domain, the total value of the 

 products taken from the waters of the 

 territory up to the present year has been 

 nearly $300,000,000 ; the fishery reached 

 its climax in 191 5, with a value of $21,- 

 000,000, which is three times the pur- 

 chase price of Alaska. Included in the 

 foregoing aggregate are the very consid- 

 erable sums accruing from the fur seal ; 

 but the bulk of the output represents the 

 salmons, with cod, halibut, and herring" 

 completing the list of important fishes. 



The halibut fishery of Alaska is far 

 more productive than the halibut fishery 

 of the Atlantic coast ever was, even in its 

 palmy days ; and it, with the fisheries for 

 cod and herring, is capable of much fur- 

 ther development. 



The weight of the salmons taken in 

 Alaska in 191 5 was about 400,000,000 

 pounds. If this catch could have been 

 placed in barrels holding 200 pounds 

 each and the barrels piled end on end, 

 the height of the column would have been 

 about 1,200 miles! Or if the catch had 

 been loaded into ordinary freight cars, a 

 train of 10,000 cars would have been re- 

 quired and the length of the train would 

 have exceeded 100 miles ! 



557 



