The evening times., 1900-04-24
FOR MARINE Fisheries
Proposed Establishment of a North
Carolina Coast Station.
The House Committee on Merchant
Marine and Fisheries Adopts a Re-
port to Authorize the Investiga-
tion of Problems Connected with
the subject-Interesting Statistics.

The House Committee on Merchant Ma
rine and Fisheries has adopted and sub
mitted repc.' on the bill to authorize
the establishment. at some point on the
North Carolina coast. of a station for the
investigation OF problems connected with
the marine fishery interests of the Allan
tic coast.
The report states that the catch Of ssad
on the Atlantic coast prior to the into
duction of artificial propagation had been
yearly decreasing. Under the influence OF
artificial propagation by The Fish Commits
sion the catch has been increased from
3,OOO,e0o fish in 1880 to 11.7sO.OO0 in 1898,
this increase being equal to S0.0o9,tsO
pounds of fish caught In 1898 over the
catch of 1SsO-valued at nearly $1,000 eco.
At a cost of not exceeding $4,000 shad
were introduced on the Pacific coast and
5,0o0, 600 pounds of this fish have been re-
Gently caught where there were none be-
fore. BY artificial propagation We are in
creasing the supply OF food. and thereby
cheapening il, to the great benefit OF the
people.
similar work is being done for the
salmon industry on the Pacific coast,
tinuosuly increased since artificial propa-
cation was introduced, and the salmon is
also being successfully introduced into the
Great Lakes.
An equally important work has been in
progress in connection with the cod fish
cries of the Atlantic coast from Maine TO
New Jersey. In this region, under the in
f1uence Of artificial propagation, the catch
OF cod OF 1883 showed an increase OF 49,
000 600 pounds in ten years; and as an
other result OF the FISH Commissions 5
work extensive inshore cod nishe. les
have been developed there during the past
few years, where few or no fish were found
before.
The object OF this station is the investi-
cation OF problems connected with the ma
rine fishery interests of the Atlantic coast
from Long Island to Florida just as the
stations already established on the New
England coast tat Woods Hole). on the
Pacific coast. and on the Great Lakes in
yestigate similar problems for these re-
gions.
The annual value Of the fishery inter
/ ests Of the State bordering the middle and
south Atlantic coast Cexeiuding New York
on the north and Florida on the SOUTH is
abut SIC GEO coo for general fishery inter-
| ests, and over 81. eco 600 for the oyster in
/ terests alone. Certainly this industry is
I one deserving a fair amount OF attention
I and investigation at the hands of the Gov
/ eTnment. and IL is beliyed that such a
| careful investigation continued through a
period OF years may result in Couside ra BILE
/ increase in the extent Of the industry.
On the entire Atlantic coast south Of
I New England there is no such laboratory
/ at which the fauna may be Investigated.
/ This will doubtless continue 10 be the con-
I dition unless the Government co-operaTes
| in this work. since research laboratories
| open 10 the public are not estsb. .ished by
private individuals or corporations. We
can hardly expect any State TO establish
such laboratory. for the reason that tue
larger problems to be solved relate to fsh-
es which are migratory along the shores
of dozen OF more States.