REPORT OP THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 87 



THE GREEN TURTLE. 



A comparatively few years ago green turtles were abundant on the 

 coast of Florida, and their capture gave employment for a part of the 

 year to a considerable number of fishermen. They were shipped to 

 the northern markets in considerable numbers, and their flesh and 

 eggs were common articles of diet on both the east and west coasts of 

 the State. So persistently were they sought, however, and so reck- 

 lessly were their nests on the beaches robbed of the eggs, that the 

 species is now seen but rarely, and the fishery has ceased to exist. 

 The green turtles now put on the markets come mainly from the coast 

 of Mexico and Central America, and the price has risen until turtle 

 meat is regarded as more or less of a luxury, even in places where it 

 was formerly abundant. The demand for small turtles has always 

 been greater than the supply, and they command a proportionately 

 higher price than the larger sizes. The market for them could be 

 greatl}^ enlarged if it were possible to procure them, and it is the 

 opinion of the Bureau that this demand may be met by employing 

 some method of turtle culture. Toward the end of the fiscal year 

 experiments were begun,- under the direction of Dr. H. F. Moore, 

 with a view to developing a practical method of raising turtles from 

 the egg. A considerable number of eggs have been obtained, and are 

 now undergoing incubation. When hatched the young will be placed 

 in a suitable inclosure and experiments will be made to determine the 

 most suitable food and the best manner of rearing them. Later an 

 attempt will be made to breed the turtles in captivit3\ 



ALASKA SALMON INVESTIGATIONS. 



At the close of the preceding fiscal year, as stated in the last annual 

 report of the' Bureau, a special commission had been appointed by 

 order of the President to study and report upon the condition and 

 needs of the Alaska salmon fisheries, and, under the direction of Dr. 

 David S. Jordan, of Stanford University, had reached southeast 

 Alaska and was just entering upon its duties in July, 1903. Shore 

 parties were established at Loring, in southeast Alaska, at Karluk, on 

 Kadiak Island, and at Nushagak, in the Bristol Bay region, these 

 being considered three of the most important fishing centers and 

 afi'ording opportunity for investigation, throughout the season, of the 

 local conditions and the fisheries there carried on. The habits of the 

 various species of salmon and the problems of their culture in those 

 regions were also studied. Practically all of the salmon canneries, 

 salteries, and fisheries in southeast Alaska, also those at Yakutat Bay, 

 Kadiak Island, Chignik Bay, and Bristol Bay were visited by the 

 commission, and their methods investigated. Interviews and confer- 

 ences, also, were held with the officials of many of the canning com- 

 panies, and with various persons interested in the different phases of 



