;PAGE TENConservationBureau ofWork ofFisheries(Continued from First Issue)This brief outline of the purposesand activities of the Bureauwill be sufficient to showthat its primary purpose is theconservation of our fishery resources.It is pei-tinent, therefore,to inquire just what ismeant by conservation. Thismuch abused word does notmean merely saving, althoughit is probable that in the popularmind the tsvo words are synonymous.conservation involves as muchthe utilization of a resource toIt may be said thatthe fullest possible extent compatiblewith its perpetuation, asit does the preserving of the resourceagainst undue exploitation.A greater appreciation of thenecessity for conserving ourfisheries has undoubtedly beenbrought about by the seriousdepletion of some of the mostimportant of them. The sturgeonhave all but disappearedfrom both coastal and inlandwaters; the salmon of the Atlanticcoast have been entirelyexterminated or seriously diminishedin number in manystreams, and in certain streamson the Pacific coast the salmonare much reduced; the halibuton both coasts have been distinctlyreduced in numbers, unquestionablyas a result of overfishing;the shad and mullet ofthe east coast and the whitefishesand related forms of theGreat Lakes have been affectedand the production of oystershas fallen off.Division of Scientific InquiryThe work of the division ofscientific inquiry is exceedinglydiverse. A large measure of effortis devoted to biological studiesof important food fishesand of other animals such asoysters, crabs, clams, etc., whichyield important aquatic products.The scientific investigationof the fisheries, or of thefish on which the fisheries arebased, provides data essentialfor the proper conservation ofthe resources. We must haveinformation relative to suchfundamental facts as the rate ofgrowth, age at maturity, timeand manner of spawning, habitsof the young, feeding habits ofboth young and old, extent anddirection of migrations, and theextent to which the variousgroups of fish mingle, particularlywith respect to their interbreeding.A considerableamount of attention is given toenemies or other elements intheir environment which tendto reduce the abundance ofthose forms from which we obtainour fishery products. Suchstudies are commonly known as"life-history studies" and considerableattention is paid toinvestigations of this nature.As an aid to the work of artificialpropagation, studies arealso conducted dealing with thepathology and nutrition offishes.THE COLLECTING NETThe oyster industry of theAtlantic coast is one of the mostvaluable fisheries, annuallyyielding about $14,000,000worth of products. It is prosecutedin every coastal statefrom Massachusetts to Texas,but in many localities it hasdeclined to an alarming extent,the total decrease in yield in,the last 20 years amounting toalmost 60 per cent. The bureauhas been investigating thecauses of this depletion and hasfound that it is largely due topollution combined with theover-fishing of the natural oysterbeds close to shore. Duringthe first two weeks of itslife the young oyster is a verydelicate microscopic animal andis free swimming. At this stagein its life it is very easily killedby such adverse conditions asare brought about by the pollutionof the coastal waters. Itis also true that oysters do notset free their eggs until thewater in which they are livinghas warmed up to a temperatureof approximately 70 degrees.Frequently in the North thedeener water fails to becomesufficiently warm for spawningto occur in any appreciableouantity.As a result the seedingof the beds out from shoredepends to a considerable extentupon the successful spawningon those inshore. The youngoysters drift with the currentsfrom there onto the offshorebeds, settling down there andunder favorable conditions, theyreach maturity. Thus it may beseen, that, in certain localitiessuch as the Long Isand Soundregion, the success of oyster cultureis dependent on the successfulspawning of oystersclose to shore. Unfortunatelythis is where pollution is mostabundant and where the youngfree-swimming oysters have thenoorest chance for survival.There is apparently little possibilityfor improvement in thisfishery until the pollution problemhas been remedied.Despite the fact that the oysterhas been cultivated for hundredsof years and is one of thebest known mollusks there is asurnrising lack of exact informationconceimlng its life history.These problems are beingattacked in a systematicmanner at the Bureau's WoodsHole laboratory.Tlio great salmon fisheries ofth" Pacific constitute our mostvaluable fishery. A large partof the product comes fromAlaska, where during 1926 therewere over §62,000,000 investedin this industry. The productfrom Alaska alone was valuedat more than §48,000,000. Thecare of this great industry isvested in the Department ofCommerce and is administeredby the Bureau of Fisheries. Inorder to properly regulate thisfishery extensive studies havebeen carried on for a numberof years. As a result it is probablethat the life histories ofthe several species of salmon arebetter known than those of anyother important food fish. Weknow, for instance, how rapidlythe fish grow and their size atmaturity. The so-called parentstream "theory has been firmlyestablished as a fact of wide application.The parent streamtheory merely states the factthat the salmon, after spendingseveral years in the ocean wherethey feed heavily and grow rapidly,return for the purpose ofspawning to the same streamfrom which they came as youngfish. Salmon lay their eggs infresh water and the young fish,after hatching and sometimesliving in fresh water for one ormake their way tomore years,the ocean where they live untilmature. The problems "connectedwith the conservation of thesalmon fishery thus assume avery different aspect since it isat once apparent that if the runinto any particular stream bedestroyed, it can only be restoredafter a long period oftime or by extensive and successfulartificial propagation.The extent to which salmoriwander from their parentstreams is also a matter of importancefor although a run offish may not be in danger as aresult of fishing operations inthe region about its nativestream, there may be a fisheryestablished at some distantpoint which attacks the samerun of fish and causes depletion.In an investigation of thisproblem the bureau has taggedthousands of adult salmon inthe region about the AlaskaPeninsula. One of the mostsignificant things which developedfrom this work was thefact that the fish which formedthe most important part of thi.sfishery came from I3ristol Baywhere there is another greatand intensive fishery. Thus thefish native to Bristol Bay werebeing attacked at two points.Such information has been usedin providing regulations governingthe salmon fisheries ofthis region.In a somewhat similar mannerthe cod of the AtlanticCoast are being investigated.We are learning many importantthings about their life-( Continued Next Week)THESCIENTIFICMONTHLYFOR AUGUSTTHE HISTORY OF THE ALPHABET. Professor Ingo W. D.HackhSPIRITUAL VALUES IN SCIENCE. Professor Victor E.Levine 119PHYSICAL LAWS AND SOCIAL PHENOMENA. Dr. R. B.Lindsay1^7CREDULITY VERSUS SCIENTIFIC DEMONSTRATION. T.SWANN HaRDIKG 133SOME STATISTICAL ASPECTS OF LIVINGNESS. ProfessorD. Eraser Harris 1^9THE UNFIT SURVIVE. Dr. Herbert Maynard Diamond 144SCIENCE AND RELIGION. Professor I. W. Howerth 151A SUMMER ON LOGAN RIVER. Professor James G. Needham 162TRANSATLANTIC TELEPHONY. Dr. Frank B. Jewett 170THE SABER-TOOTH TIGER. W. A. Spalding 182THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE:How Big can a Star be? The Unseen Life of the Soil; theContribution of Scientific Men to American Independence;Alessandro Volta 1^^THE SCIENCE PRESSLANCASTER, PA.—GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL,N. Y. CITY—GARRISON, N. Y.Yearly Subscription $5.00 Single Copies 50 cents9'''
THE COLLECTING NET PAGE ELEVENProgram of PlaysThe M. B. L. Club and the M B. L. Tennis ClubpresentThe Annual Benefit EntertainmentAuspices: Mai-ine <strong>Biological</strong> <strong>Laboratory</strong>M. B. L. AUDITORIUM — AUGUST 6, 1927, 8:30 P. M.1.—CONCERNING TROUSERSA scene from "Penrod and Sam" by Booth TarkingtonCHARACTERSPenrod Frederick Copeland'SamSeymour EdwardsHermanPeggy ClarkVerman Vicky GlaserGipsy (The Cat) Manton Copeland, Jr.Duke (The Dog) Penelope LewisScene: The Schofield's back-yard.Director—Preston iCope'land. Scenery—^Comstock Glaser.2.—INSTRUMENTAL MUSICThe Penzance Trio3.— "A QUESTION OF PRINCIPLE"—a comedyby Martin FlavinA AAAAAACHARACTERSMan L. B. VreemanBanker C. E. McClungClergymanC. H. ScheidiJudge L. S. PowellCommunisit G. '>. De RenyiPoliceman K. C. BlanchardGirl Miss R. F. HarrellScene- -A SidewalkD'irection—R. N. S. Whitelaw4.—M. B. L. VAUDEVILLE CIRCUITDirector—P.ReznikoffA. Professor "Bantam" Blanchard, The Wonder WorkerB. "We" Kenneth Cole and his machine—Stepping on it.C. Power, Stabler and Uke—in Songs of Home and Hearth.D. "Tea for Several"by Dorothy BlanchardCHARACTERSMrs. Queen "Roberta" StablerMrs. Green Josepf iue DanforthLetitia Louise ThorneEdwardDick BlumenthalDr. SellsHerman FieldDr. Goof Joe HaleOrchestra—Piano, Frances M. Clark; Saxaphone, Frank Lillie;Clarinet, Norman Steele; Banjo, William Bartholemew.COMMITTEESProduction—Mrs. E. L. Clark, A. Keefe, Mrs. F. Swett, L. M. Schmidt.Stage, Scenery, Costumes—F. E. Chidester, C. Packard, S. E. Pond,E. A. Martin, F. H. Swett, R. C. McGoun, Elsa Keil, Mrs. EdwinLinton, Mrs. M. Copeland, Mrs. L F. Lewis.Business—E. R. Clark, R. Bennitt, D. J. Edwards, Mrs. W. K. Farr.Club Plays(Continued from Page 1)The second play will be aComedy— "A Question of Principle",by Martin Flavin. Betweenthe two plays the PenzanceTrio will render severalmusical numbers.The last half of the eveningwill be given over to the recentlyorganized M. B. L. VaudevilleCircuit—with four sparklingnumbers under the directionofDr. P. Reznikoff.Professor "Bantam" Blanchard,The Wonder Worker, willgive his famous sleight-of-handperformance. The next act willbe entitled "We"—by KennethCole and his machine "Steppingon it". The entrancing Trio:Power, Stabler and Uke willthen entertain with Songs ofHome and Hearth, and finallythere will be given for the first(and probably the only) timean original one-act skit— "Teafor Several", by DorothyBlanchard, the scene of which islaid in Woods Hole.The proceeds of the plays willbe used for improvements forthe two clubs. During the pastsix years the income from playshas enabled the Tennis Club topay off the debt on the 'beachcourts, to replace the back-netsaround the mess court. DuringIhe present season, it has rebuiltthe surface of and subdrainedthe beach courts.an expensiveprocedure costing morethan fifteen hundred dollars,the M. B. L. Club has enclosedthe porch, thereby nearly doublingthe capacity of the clubhouse; it has redecorated the interior;and has been enabled toenlarge greatly the facilities ofthe Ckib. Altogether these improvementshave cost nearlyfour thousand dollars and alarge share of this sum has beenderived from the plays.The will be no advance saleof tickets and no reserved seats.Tickets will be S.50 and Sl.OOand will be on sale at the door,beginning at 7:45 P. M.Follow the Crowd toDANIELS'for Home-made Ice Cream,Delicious Sandwiches^CoffeeI»ICMC LVNCIIKSIDEALRESTAURANTMain StreetWoods HoleRIDE THE BUSTO FALMOUTHCompliments ofPENZANCE GARAGEWOODS HOLE, MASS.Day or Night A. L. A.Phone 6.52TowingSAMUEL CAHOONWholesale and Retail Dealer inFISH .\ND LOBSTERSTel. Falmouth 660-6G1Woods Hole, Mass.
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