United States Fish Commission
| United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries (1871-1903) United States Bureau of Fisheries (1903-1940) |
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Flag of the United States Bureau of Fisheries
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 9 February 1871 |
| Preceding agency |
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| Dissolved | 30 June 1940 |
| Superseding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | United States federal government |
| Parent agency | none (1871-1903) U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor (1903-1913) U.S. Department of Commerce (1913-1939) U.S. Department of the Interior (1939-1940) |
The United States Fish Commission, formally known as the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, was an agency of the United States government created in 1871 to investigate, promote, and preserve the fisheries of the United States. In 1903, it was reorganized as the United States Bureau of Fisheries, which operated until 1940.
Robert Barnwell Roosevelt, a Democratic congressmen from New York's 4th Congressional District, originated the bill to create the U.S. Fish Commission in the United States House of Representatives. It was established by a joint resolution (16 Stat. 593) of the United States Congress on February 9, 1871, as an independent commission with a mandate to investigate the causes for the decrease of commercial fish and other aquatic animals in the coastal and inland waters of the United States, to recommend remedies to the U.S. Congress and the states, and to oversee restoration efforts. The Commission was organized into three divisions: the Division of Inquiry respecting Food-Fishes and Fishing Grounds, the Division of Fisheries, and the Division of Fish-Culture.
Under the leadership of first Spencer F. Baird, then Marshall McDonald, George Brown Goode, and finally George Bowers, the U.S. Fish Commission carried out extensive investigations of the fishes, shellfish, marine mammals, and other life in the rivers, lakes, and marine waters of the United States and its territories; corresponded widely with marine researchers around the world; scrutinized fishing technologies; designed, built, and operated hatcheries for a wide variety of finfish and shellfish; and oversaw the fur seal "fishery" in the Territory of Alaska, including the Aleutian Islands. The Edenton Station hatchery was established in 1899.
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