The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-29
THE FISHERIES OF HAWAII.
An Exhaustive Investigation to he
Made by Government Experts.

In compliance with resolution of Con-
gress, George NJ. Bowers, United States
Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries. is
arranging to send an expedition to the
Hawaiian Islands to make a comprehen-
sive study of the fishes and other aquatic
resources of those islands. The investi-
cation will he under the immediate d.
rection Of DIR. David Starr Jordan, Presi-
dent of stanford University, and DR.. Bar
ton w Evermann. the ichthyoloSist OF
the Commission, who will have the as
sistance of DR.. c. p. Jenkins, of Stanford
University; f. l.. Goldsbororgh, and John
N Cobb, of the United States Fish Com
mission With these men will be A. II.
Baldwin and C. b. Hudson, who will paint
in life colors the more important food
fishes of the islands. These are the
artists who made the drawings repro
duced in DR. Evermanns recent book on
the fish and fisheries of Porto Rico, and
which so pleased Congress that 1900 extra
coDies were printed. Ii is expected that
the Hawaiian report will be much more
beautiful, as there are greater wonders in
the Hawaiian waters than those of Porto
Rico.
The work of the party for the present
summer as mapped out, Will be thor
ough study of the quantity and quality OF
the commercial and shore fishes, mollusks,
crustaceans and other aquatic animals
and plants. Attention Will be given to the
actual and relative food values and com
mercial Importance of the different spe-
cies, their migrations, spawning time and
place food, feeding habits, enemies, maxi
mum and average size. and other facts.
The methods and extent and history OF
the fisheries. the kind of apparatus used,
and the species taken viii be given thor
ough study. This part of the work is all
the more important, since an inNestlBa-
tion by the Commission OF the system OF
salmon fishing in Alaska has shown that
the methods in vogue there would soon
deplete the streams to an alarming extent
II it did not altogether ruin the now Naih-
able revenue from that source. The man
ncr of caring for and disposing OF the
catch will also be made study, along
with the statistics OF the fisheries; the
number and nationality of people engaged
in fishing: the quantities and value OF
each species caught, and the prices pald
the fishermen by both wholesale ana re-
tail purchasers, and the methods OF the
fisheries since the coming of Americans,
Europeans. and Asiatics to the island VIII
all be matters OF investigation.
4 thorough investigation viii be made
of the. fishery laws. and thee history OF
fishery legislation including the native
system and the present laws ana methods
in reference to each species covered by
law. special and general, and the possi-
bility Of trade in these products with the
United States The method of marketing
and handling fish viii receive special at
tention. as will the fish cultural opera
tions with reference to such species as
may be in danger of extinction or serious
diminution.
Drs Jordan and Evermann will sail for
Honolulu May 20. and remain until Sep
tember, when they will return to America
and submit a preliminary report to Com
missioner Bowers. Subsequently, they
will return TO Honolulu with the Alba
tross which will have completed its trip
10 Alaska. and will then make a study of
the deep water fauna of the island.