Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-29

charge of the division of inquiry respect
! ing food fishes, but had never had the
! opportunity to spread to the extent neces-
| sary for efficient work. The new d.
| vision was formally organized by the first
of July of the same year. The nshlns
interests of Alaska. representing an IN
! vestment of $9.GC0,Gc0 and yielding in
single year product worth more than
SO, 600 600, have received the attention
of the government ever since the terri
tory was acquired in 1867. The seal f1sii-
cries, at first considered the most val
liable sources of revenue. were at once
placed under protective legislation. and
later the same need arose i'll connection
with the salmon fisheries, having now
become many times more valuable than
the seal fisheries.
Supervision of the salmon fisheries. as
Of the seal. was first given to the Treas
ury Department, under
Salmon which it remained until
1903, when it was trans
oAu oooA' ferred to the Department
of Commerce and Labor. and by that
department given into the charge of the
bureau of fisheries. The same year in
which the change was made special
commission was appointed to make an
exhaustive study of the natural history
of the salmOnS of Alaska and to submit
! recommendations for improved regulation
of the fisheries, and as result new
| code of laws is now in effect. Ihus to-
day both the salmon and seal are pro-
tected..
With the addition to this work of the
care of the minor fur-bearing animals of
Alaska another line of work was opened
up for the bureau, and one which Is
slightly foreign to their general work.
bearing animals such as bear. fox.
ermine. lynx etc, being somewhat for
eign to the general conception of a
bureau of fisheries However, the bill
, which placed this work in the charge of
the bureau also provided for the appoint
ment of one warden and four deputy
wardenS whose duties should be to see
that the law and regulations regarding
these animals are observed, and to make
, study of the habits, abundance and dis
tribution of the various species which will
be helpful in conducting the work.
Until now there has been no way by
which complete statistics of the annual
shipment of furs from Alaska could be
obtained. Available statistics for 1910.
however. show that the furs shipped
from Alaska during that year. exclusive
of fur seal. amounted to $44J,376 AS
that does rot include the furs shipped
by mail, or those taken out as baggage,
it is believed that the actual output
greatly exceeded 100000.
Figures are necessary to give an ade-
quate idea of the real proportions of the
fish industry of this country. Statistics
for 1910. the latest available. show that
4.:as vessels landed at Boston. of which
in was 102.O9O.154 pounds valued at
81, 711.J21. At Gloucester 2.O11 trips were
landed. with a total cargo aggregating
19,644.11S pounds of fish worth s., 1H $40
This makes total of 1853 trips. 49,
734.272 pounds of fish, with value of
81, Sa333. S41.
Much evidence exists showing that fish
cultural operations of the bureau are of
direct financial benefit to
Planting the country at large Take,
GIL for instance. the shad, the
o"u' leading river fish of the
eastern seaboard. No other anadromous
species has been more extensively culti-
waited and none is now dependent on
artificial measures for it's perpetuation.
The extent of the work may be gagged
when it is stated that more than 3.OOO.-
W0,OW of young shad have been planted
by the bureau in coastal streams
Another point is that the eggs from
which these fish were Matched were taken
from fish that had been caught for the
market and would therefore, have been
totally lost had not the bureau collected
them from the fishermen.
The magnitude of the salmon fisheries
of the Pacific states has required very
extensive artificial measures to keep up
the supply. In combination with the
states the bureau has gradually extend
ed the scope of the work until it has now
attained a tremendous extent. The guam
tty of Pacific salmon eggs collected by
the bureau in one year was more than
:aD.GG0,0U, or the equivalent of 300
bushels.
A considerable number of old world
fishes have been introduced into Amer
lean waters, and some of them have be-
come well known in various parts of the
country. Two European trout, the
Asiatic goldfish and the European ide
and trench are now very familiar orna-
mental species, while of all the exotic
fishes, none is so well known as the
carp, which was introduced from Ger
many about thirty years ago. As com
mercial proposition the introduction OF
this fish was success. as 1t today forms
one of the common foods of America, is
regularly exposed for sale in every large
city, supports special fisheries in fifteen
states and is regularly taken for market
purposes in thirty-tive states. The sales
for one year amounted to 25O0O,OO0
pounds. for which the fishermen received
more than S.NU,OO.
Among the experiments being carried on
by the bureau, and one which it is
thought will become
TranSDlantlng successful is the trans
planting of the lobster
Aooo1oAS' to the Pacific coast As
early as 1873 the bureau made its first
move to supply the deficiency and up to
1880 five attempts to establish the species
were made No results having appeared.
however. the experiment was renewed in
1906. when a special carload of brood
Holsters numbering more than had ever
been sent. was dispatched to Puget
sound. while the following year an even
larger shipment was made.
Some of the results attained by the
bureau through the distribution of new
methods concerning catching fish, and
other information. have been enormous.
BY the introduction of gill nets with
glass ball floats for taking cod the win
ter cod fishery of New England was
revolutionized. In single season more
than s.0OOOOO pounds of large-sized fish
were taken, while as much as $4,000 has
been saved annually in the single item
of bait. BY the dissemination of informa-
ton regarding new fishing grounds i'm
portant fisheries have been inaugurated.
Thus, when the abundance of halibut off
the coast of Iceland was made known by
the bureau a fishery was begun which
yielded from $4,000 to 100000 annually