Evening star., 1915-12-24
BUREAU Of FISHERIES
UNSUCCESSFUL YEAR
Increase In Output Of Young Fish
and Fish Eggs at Less Cost
Per Million.
- -
Experiments Develop New Sea
Foods, Which Arc Becoming
Staple Articles.

Increases IN the output Of young dsh
and nsh eggs running into the hun
dreds Of millions at . cost per million
less than any previous year, to say
nothing of finding enormous new
sources Of food supply. marked the
most successful year in the forty-five
years Of existence Of the bureau Of
fisheries. according to the annual re-
port Of H. 8. Smith, commissioner,
The report was made public today and
gives details Of what the bureau is
doing for the conservation and utiliza-
ton Of food fishes, which have here
tofore been wasted
Considering the universay cry of
the high cost OF living" says the re-
port, the efforts of the bureau along
this line entitle it to to be regarded
as a public benefactor. Each year
rivers. with their various tributaries.
overflow their banks and later recede,
millions OF young fish are left strand
ed In temporary pools or where in a
short time they would perish. Rescue
work is. however. undertaken by the
bureau. and in 1915 over SCOT, 900
valuable food fish were saved and de-
livered to the applicants, deposited in
public waters, or returned to the main
rivers.
Sea Mussel Food Here.
Another phase of this work is the
exploiting Of unknown or little known
food fishes and other aquatic products
The campaign carried on by the bu-
| reau put the sea mussel, a wholesome
food. for centuries highly regarded in
Europe. on the American market as a
regular article. and established a per-
manent and growing industry.
This work has been extended to other
neglected sea foods. and still further
exploitation is promised, the recent es-
tablishment of the tilefish being a case
in point. Aid is given aso to fisheries
already established. and during the
past year fishing grounds of the
| coasts of Washington and Oregon,
whose existence was never suspected
or whose precise location was un-
known, have been surveyed and tested
to local fisheries"
Fifty permanent hatcheries and sew
enty-six subhatcheries, auxiliapies and
gg-coI1ecting stations have been con-
year 1915 was over four billion young
fish and eggs, an increase of more than
241. 100000 over the previous year.
Plants of food fishes were made in
were distributed to the fish commits
sions of twenty-seven states. and con-
singments Of eggs were sent to Porto
Rico, Cuba, India and Japan, says the
report. The distribution of the output
required over 900 miles of travel by
the five special cars of the bureau and
4s1 900 miles by detached messengers.
The Introduction of the humpback sal
mon of the Pacific coast into Maine
streams, which last year was an ex-
pertinent, Is now a reality, as num-
bers of these hsh were taken during
the summer of 1915 in the Maine
rivers; furthermore, ripe eggs have
been taken from them-a proof posi-
tive of thorough administration. The
Icounter-experiment of transplanting
the Atlantic lobster in Pacific waters
is still in progress.
Alaska Fisheries Prosperous.
The great fisheries of Alaska were
more prosperous in 1914 than in any
previous year. The catch of salmon
was the largest ever made. and the
output of red salmon in the Bristol
bay region was enormous.
The Alaskan seals are the most val
liable herd of wild animals ever owned
by any government, and the bureau of
fisheries is their custodian. The reve-
nue. to the government from the sale
of sealskins-when commercial killing
is resumed-will be very large, and ef-
forts are being made to find uses for
the seal carcasses, aside from the COM
paratively small number required by
of using only the skin and wasting
<ha he connie.