The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1917-12-27
Work of the u. S. Bureau
Of Fisheries i'm 1917

The enlarged Importance of the bu-
reau's operations and the success Of
its efforts were due to the improved
equipment of the service in both ma
terial facilities and personnel, to lib
eral financial support from Congress,
and to the generous criticism and SYM
patehtic attitude of the public.
The usual laboratory and field in
vestigation have been directed toward
the increased production of aquatic
supplies, chiefly foods, and toward
measures conducting to reduction in
wasteful and destructive practices
among fishermen. The fish hatcheries
have been run at their fullest capac-
| ity, and have yielded an enormous crop
of food and game fishes. The work
in connection with the commercial
| fisheries has reached a stage where
very large benefits have accrued and
the outlook for increased usefulness
is most promising.
Exploitation of Neglected Aquatic
Resources
The bureau has continued it's active
campaign in behalf of neglected prod
ucts, especially those available for
food, and has scored further successes
in this important field.
The history of the establishment of
the tilefish fishery is we'll known. Up
to the end of the fiscal year 1916,
when the fishery was only eight
months old, there had been caught and
sold over 4,3ss,OOO pounds of tilefish
for which the fishermen received more
than $4,000. BY the end of the first
twelve months, the catch was upward
of 10,250,O00 pounds, selling for more
than 100000. During the fiscal year
1917 the landings aggregated 1854,
500 pounds, and the receipts of the
fisherme nexceeded S477,OO0 The
headquarters of the fishery are New
York and Boston.
The campaign to make an asset out
of confirmed nuisance in the form
of the grayfish has progressed rapidly
and on the whole satisfactorily. Diff
ficulties in the way of making fish
! available and acceptable as human
food have been overcome, and there
is now an established industry on
both Atlantic and Pacific coasts in
canning, saltig, and smoking gray
fish.
Other more or less neglected fishes
whose utilization has been advocated
Find otherwise aided by the bureau are
the sablefish of the northwest coast,
burbot of the Great Lakes, and bowfin
of the interior waters generally.
The scarcity of mammal hides for
use in making leather has brought in
to prominence the value for this pur-
pose of the skins of sharks and other
aquatic creatures. Through the ac-
tivities of the bureau in behalf of
fishermen and tanners, market for
such skins has been developed, and
leather of very good grade for GER
tain industrial uses is now being made
from this hitherto neglected source
of supply. The general utilization
of sharks for their meat and skins
will have the effect of increasing the
abundance of other fishes by reducing
the numbers of their most destructive
enemies.
- Propagation of Food Fishes
The years work in fish culture was
attended with conspicuous success.
The output of the hatcheries was larg-
er than in any previous year, and for
the first time passed the 3 billion
mark. There were operated So reg
ularly established hatcheries, 10 sub
hatcheries, and "a egg collecting sta
tions. Increased efficiency and the
larger volume of work reduced the
unit cost of operations to the lowest
point so far attained, namely, $114
per million fish produced and planted,
this amount covering all overhead
charges, including salaries of admin
istrative and clerical force in Wash
ington.
Large quantities of fish eggs were
donated to the various state fish COM
missions for Matching and planting un-
der local auspices.
The distribution of the hatchery out
put by special fish cars and detached
messengers required 1877 miles oe
railroad travel by cars and GAS, ,721
miles of railroad travel by messengers
carrying fish in baggage cars. The
fish were distributed to waters II
every state and Alaska.
Fresh-Water Mussel Propagation.
With headquarters at Fairport,
Iowa, on the Mississippi River, ex-