The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-05-22
Commission O'Malley
Tells Future Plans
Continued from Page 1

an undertaking that particularly
concerns the fish hatchery sta
ton at st. Johnsbury, where the
new Commissioner got his start in
his chosen calling, since this sta
ton has much to do with the pro-
pagation of game fishes.
His statement to the public
through the columns of this paper
is as follows:
"The Department of Commerce
through its agent the Bureau Of
Fisheries, holds the stewardship
of one of the great basic indus
tries of our country and really,
when the handling of the seal
herds OF the Pribilof Islands is
taken into consideration, it has an
actual financial business running
to more than a million and a
quarter dollars per annum, and
is probably one of the very few
Bureaus in the government service
today which is self-supporting.
"The young men of the hardy
pioneer type who are today receiv-
ing their seamanship training in
the fishery fleets of our waters
will tomorrow find themselves pre-
pared, through that training, to
assume leadership in our merchant
marine feet.
"Since the close of the World
War, business has been passing
through one Of the greatest crises
of history. The effects in the
fishing industry were discernible
much earlier than in industries
such as agriculture, and it is only
within the past few months that
some slight signs of betterment
have appeared. The people in the
industry have Loyalty attempted to
make readjustments by the cur
tailment of production and re-
trenchment in operations. This
curtailment has been true of the
salmon packers of the Pacific
Coast and Alaska and the tuna
and sardine paskers of Maine and
southern California. In the vessel
fisheries of New England the
and fresh fish catch has decreased
in excess Of so million pounds,
while in California this class of
products has decreased over 125
million pounds. From the fore
coming it will be seen that the
greatest needs of the fishing in
dustry today are larger markets
for the products of this hazard
Gus calling and Improvements in
merchandising and preparation for
market so that the people will
make greater use of this protein
food which can be had in such
great abundance and that those in
the industry may successfully
compete with other products both
at home and abroad.
"The Bureau of Fisheries is
now called on TO give greater at
tention to these problems than
ever before in its history. 1t
should endeavor to render a
larger measure of service to those
in our fisheries and, through them,
TO all the people of the country.
More attention must be given to
fish marketing, including the MAX
ing Of additional surveys of the
important primary markets, not
only in the United States but in
foreign countries; to fisheries
chronological problems, including
brine-freezing, fsh-canning, and
the general preservation of this
highly valuable food. Further and
more comprehensive studies of the
preservation of nets must be made
so that the Bureau can advise
people in the business how to Sc
cure the greatest efficiency from
the high-priced gear which they
are using. Statistical information
collected should be presented in
such form as to meet directly
trade requirements. These sta
tlstical data should serve the use
full purpose Of aiding in the safe
guarding of the fisheries and in
surfing the continuance of the
harvest Of the future.
"Thc Bureaus program of pro-
pagation work should be highly in
tensifed. The collecting of eggs
from marine fishes is valuable as
is also the work on the Great
Lakes, due to the fact that the
eggs are taken from fishes destin-
ed for market that would other
wise be entirely lost. The salmon
propagation work of the Pacific
Coast is of vital Importance as
has been demonstrated on the Col
umbia River. In Alaska the field
is so large and climatic and other
conditions so rigorous that ade-
quate laws must be provided and
enforced to permit large es-
capement of salmon TO the spawn
ing beds to insure the runs in per-
petuity, except perhaps in certain
districts where artificial propaga-
ton would overcome unsatisfac
tory natural conditions.
"The rescue operations which
the Bureau conducts along the
Mississippi River should be Wig
orously pursued because in that
field it is possible not only to save
millions of pounds of food fishes
but to aid in maintaining the val
liable pearl button industry of the
Mississippi River, which in itself
forms an important business.
another important phase of the
Bureaus work is the stocking of
inland waters with suitable game
fishes which not only provide re-
creation for many anglers but in
many instances the only available |
source of fresh-water fish in GER
tain communities.
"The Bureaus scientific work is
fni. Tho nn-.1.rnn.n nf nid;rn Il. tLn cn1nn- |