Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-11-20


pertaining to the fish industry the rest
of the congressional party doff their
hats to Representative Bowers for
they concede he knows more about
this subject than perhaps anyone III
Congress. For sixteen years, serving
under Presidents Mckinley, Roosevelt
and Taft, he was superintendent o.:
the bureau Of fisheries of the United
States, a berth which gave him com.
plete control over all federal fish sta.
lions and hatcheries, both inland and
salt water, in the United States.
Mr., Bowers gave expression TO the
above statements in the course OF a
discussion or the desirability of ma
tional aquarium and fish hatchery on
the islands.
"Fhe idea OF exorbitant prices 1ot
s. fish in these islands, with the great
Pacific surrounding you on all sides
is ridiculous" declared Mr.. Bowers to
a Star-Bulletin representative. why,
there are plenty of fish here. If every
man on the islands, yes, every woman
end child, too, went fishing every day
in the year there would still be plenty
of fish left. Why you people out here
have enough numbers and varieties or
fishes to make us fellows in the states
look like 80 cents. This talk about the
high cost of fishing is tommy rot. If
they're charging 80 cents a pound for
fish somebody is pulling the wool
ever your eyes and getting rich
quick"
Representative Bowers thinks tho
people of Hawaii ought to be up and
doing not only with regard to secur
ing an aquarium and fish hatchery
but also relative to advertising their
resources.
"True salt water hatchery would
be costly but the advantage derived
would more than offset the expense,
he declared. For the propagation OF
your food and highly colored marine
species water would have TO be pump
ed from the ocean A site that would
permit of this pumping enabling q
constant stream of water to flow
through the hatchery would be neces-
sary. This site would have to be close
TO the ocean.
ut is unfortunate that the govern
ment has not established a biological!
station on the Pacific coast for the
study of food fishes and the flora and
fauna of the deep. On the east coast
from Portland, Maine, to Key West
there are three such stations but the
Pacific coast with its $4,000 miles of
coast line has not one Efforts have
been made at times to secure one but
petty jealousies among the states OF
Washington, Oregon and California
have prevented any Of them from get
ting it.
islands Logical Site
The islands are indeed the logical
site for a marine laboratory. Here you
have hundreds of different species-a
far greater variety and even higher
grade food fishes than the Atlantic
coast has. You ought to have means
to propagate enough species to keep
tie food supply up to the standard al
all times. You should have thorough
study made of spawning periods.
Il have always been impressed
with your food fishes while your high
~ colored fishes are wonderful. /
have made special study of them.
All these specimens are to be found
within 100 miles of your coast line.
No country in the world has such an
advantage
"As an instance of what national
aquarium would mean to Hawaii, take
the one at Naples. This is conceded
10 be the worlds greatest aquarium
and attracts annually 100000 tour
lists. Hawaii has the most favorable
auspices for an aquarium; right at
your door are wonderful fishes What
YOU lack is travel facilities but with
an aquarium here and you scenic won
ders. your Volcano, sufficiently ad-
vertiscd throughout the states. you
could bring annually to your islands
100000 travellers.
Your climate is ideal. Why, If !
were a man of means ! would wish
for nothing better than to come over
here every year just to rest up and
take life easy, There are thousands
who would do the same thing if they
only know what have discovered in
the past two weeks. You could make
it a great summer as we'll as winter
resort. The only trouble is that you
fail to appreciate your opportunities;
you have been asleep at the switch"