The Washington times., 1902-01-03
GREAT YEAR
FOR FISHES.
The Commission Reports On
Twelve Months Work.
LOBSTERS ARE ON THE DECLINE.
Four Years just Closed the Most
Successful in the Whole History
of the Department-EGOrts Made
to Improve the Industry in Our
New Prosecutions Begun.

Commissioner, has made his annual re-
port to Congress, showing great progress
in the Matching and distribution of eggs
during the past year, and containing con-
siderable valuable information concern
iHs Uncle Sans big fishing industry.
The report says that fish cultural oper-
atiohs for the year show an increase OF
more than 100000 over 1900. LIB S.a3s-
400 fish and eggs having been distributed,
the principal species being shad. salmon,
lake trout. white fish, pike perch, lake
herring, cod, fiat fish and Holsters.
The results with salmon on the Pa
cihc Coast, says the report though
ireditable, were inferior to some years,
for while the runs of fish were good in
the Sacramento and Columbia and their
tributaries, the numbers reaching the
headwaters, where the hatcheries are To-
Gated, were comparatively small. About
49, 600 qunnat salmon eggs were Sc
cured in California and Oregon. and
nearly 1900. 900 blue-black eggs in Wash
ington.'
Disappearance of Lobsters.
OF much interest to the chorus girl and
concerning the lobster, the decline of
which Commissioner Bowers regrets ex-
ceedingly. He says, urging the Govern
ment to come to the rescue of the tooth
some morsel, that if something is not
speedily done the lobster will soon be in
the lchthyosaurus class.
1T becomes each year more difficult
to secure lobster eggs along the coast"
the work in New England, .'notwithstand-
ing that agents are stationed at all the
important fishing centres. The continued
steady decline of this important fishing
industry renders il the more important
that efforts should be made TO re-estab-
lish 1t by artificial opagation. The de-
crease is most noticeable south of Cape
Cod. During the year there were Matched
and planted in New England waters 202.-
S70,0o0 cod, 100000 fiat fish, and Co.
OO0, 600 Holsters
The shad work of the season was sat
isfactory," continues the report, though
fewer fish were hatched than the previous
year. owing to weather conditions which
caused the runs on the Potomac and Sus-
quehaIna to be much smaller than usual
The total number of shad fry distributed
was l93. .2S7, 900.
Studying Hawaiian Fish
The investigation of the fisheries of
the Hawaiian Islands. required by the act
of Congress which provided government
for Hawaii, was begun in June, 1901 1t
was recognized at the outset that a sat
isfactory study of this subject. as con-
templated by Congress, would involve a
thorough enquiry into the variety, abun-
dance distribution, habits etc. Of the
fishes and other aquatic products of this
archipelago, and il was decided that the
preliminary Investigations should be di-
rected toward the marine zoology of the
territorial waters. The investigation was
placed under the charge of DIR. b. w
EVermann and Dr. David s. Jordan. pres
ident OF Stanford University, and z report
on the subject will be mace shortly. =.
THE intelligent consideration of the
diseases of fishes, whether wild or under
domestication. has demanded and received
much attention. An assistant has been
regularly assigned to this duty Special
facilities and apparatus have been fur
nished him for the prosecution of studies
and 1t is hoped that before long the Com
mission will be in a position to control
some of the disastrous fish epidemics
which now prevail at the Matching sta
tions.
"The marine biological laboratories
maintained by the Commission at Woods
Holl, Mass, and Beaufort n. c., have
been efficiently directed by Prof H. c.
Bumpus and Prof. II. V. Wilson, and have
been resorted to by a very large corps of
eminent biologists from all parts of the
country. The Commission has had the
benefit of the many important investiga-
tions relating to both pure and applied
sciences carried on there.
Increase of Fish Values.
"At Boston and Gloucester" adds the
report, there have been landed during |
the last calendar year 162, ,21S, 900 pounds |
of fishery products. valued at s4,3S5, 900. a |
decrease of 14555, coo pounds from the
previous year, but an increase of $I9I, ,45O |
in value. Boston is credited with an in
crease both in quantity and value, while
in Gloucester there was a falling off in
quantity.
The mackerel fishery for 1900, amount
ing to S7,967 barrels, was larger than for
any year, except 1888, since the marked |
decline of this industry, which began in |
1885. This has been regarded as an indi- |
cation that this industry. might regain its |
former Importance, although the results
up to this time have not been SO encour-
aging.
The canvass of the Great Lakes has
been taken up only to 1899 In recent
years the fisheries of the Mississippi and
its tributaries have developed to such
degree that in 1899 they exceeded in
quantity, and nearly equaled in value, the
entire yield of the remaining interior
waters of the United States, except the
Great Lakes. Mussel shells, extensively
used in the manufacture of pearl buttons
were a valuable item. some 45.5N 900
pounds being gathered, for which the
fishermen obtained S247, ,G00."
All Records Broken
The report shows that the administra-
tion of the Fish Commission under Com
missioner Bowers has been the most sue
cessful in the history of the department.
The number of fish matched and distrib-
uted during the year Just past was the
largest since the establishment of the
Commission.
Commissioner Bowers has prepared the
following table, showing the growth of
the Commission, by giving the figures of
the number of fish Matched and distrib-
uted each year:
Year. No. of Fish. Year. No of Fish
.1sS6..... ,il3 1s96...... 49S ASS 26s
1857. $50. 173, ,7260e1 1897. 5sS 1902
1855. 34S. .557 ,33o 1s9s...... s55 3O1 SIG
1ss9-90... 306,S1o, ,5i6 lS99.... lO5S 81 SOS
1891. -. AIS, iG9 1900...... l,I6I 1856 15f
1892. ..... 3i6 l9ol...... LIS, ,s33, ,462
1898 Es.1S,9l7
1891. 45o,Slo,5is Total. 1850, ,3ss
1896 5.. 6I9,9l5,692