The record-union., 1897-06-25
THE NATIONAL
FISH COMMISSIONERS
Doing Good Work to Supply the People
With the Food Of the Finny Tribe.
Transplanting is Being Carried On
With Good Success.
New Stations Established to Deter
mine What Varieties Will Thrive
in Different Sections of the
Country-Pacific Coast Salmon for
Eastern States.

WASHINGTON, June 24.-The work
of the United States Fish Commission
during the past season has been enor-
nous. Over 1OO, 1000, 900 cod fry Matched
at Gloucester and Woods Holl have
been planted at the fisheries on the New
England coast, and 200,000,000 shaG,
collected in the Potomac, Susquehanna
and Delaware Rivers, We're distributed
| along the Atlantic Coast from Massa-
| chusetts to Florida About 100, ,O00,0C0
Holsters have been taken in Maine and
Connecticut. These are being liberated
by several vessels engaged in the work
From the hatcheries on the Great
Lakes 12o,O00,000 white fish fry and
150,0O0,00O lake trout fry have been
planted. The hatcheries at Quincy, Ill,
Neosha, Mo-, Manchester. Iowa, Lead
vile, Col, and San Marcus, Texas. have
collected and distributed 5000 900 trout
and about 100000 bass.
A new station will be established at
Black Hills, S. D., and auxiliary sta
tions are in contemplation in the Clack-
amas, Rogue and Salmon Rivers, in
Oregon. on Puget Sound and the Little
White Salmon River in Washington,
and on the McCloud, Battle Creek and
Trinity in California. The work of
planting Pacific salmon. which last
year reached an aggregate of 3,00O,-
600, will be continued next fall The
salmon industry ON the Pacific Coast is
of vast Importance, but is as yet not
extensive on the Atlantic
Over % per cent. of the work of the
commission is devoted to commercial
fish, embracing the cod shad white
fish, pollock, mackerel, tawtog, soup,
sea bass lake trout and salmon trout
and Holsters
In the Northwest some interesting
work has been mapped out for this sum-
mer and fall under the direction of DR..
Smith of the Scientific Bureau The
study Of the conditions in the Columbia,
with especial attention to the biological
features, will be continued. Some years
ago it Was found that the salmon did
not run III 4sse upper Columbia as for
merly, nor in its tributaries like the
Snake River. Investigations were made
to ascertain whether this was due to
obStructions in the river, but no results
were found that had not already exist
ed. The failure of the salmon in the
upper Columbia, it was concluded. was
due to the multiplication of fishing ap-
paratus ON the lower Columbia and the
enormous catch.
This year some interesting biological
Investigations will be made at Walla
Walla Lake in Northwestern Oregon.
and other series of Investigations on the
chain of lakes beginning with upper
Klamath and extending eastward
through Central Oregon, including Sum-
A1ha1Nt OF lob
waters have never been investigated,
and it is not known what fish they con-
tain. 1t is believed to be only a uues-
ton of time when they will become val
liable as sources of food supply. and
the present inquiries are to determine
what species the waters can be stocked
with
The United States Commission vessel
AlbatrosS, which has been for years en-
gagged in patrolling Behring Sea, and
the investigation of the seal rookeries,
will this year do legitimate Fish Com
mission work. She will be equipped
and go to Southeastern Alaska to in
vestigate the conditions ON the salmon
streams and make a systematic study
of those waters Vast quantities of
salmon are being taken from those
streams by the fishermen, and unless
adequate legislation for the protection
of these fisheries is soon enacted they
Will be exhausted. One of the objects
of the expedition is to study the condi-
tons with a view to making recon-
mendations to Congress.
Alaska has, il is said, paid for her.
self many times over from the pro-
ceeds of the seal fisheries.
In addition to this general work, Dr.
Charles H. Gilbert Of Leland Stanford
Jr. University, a well-known ichtholo-
gist, under the direction of the com
mission, is engaged in the study of fish
life from the Golden Gate to the Colum-
bia~