428 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



85.— THE ARTIFICIAL RAISING OF COD IJV AMERICA. 



[ From Deutsche Fischer ei-Zeitung, Vol. V, No. 4(5, Stettin, November 14, 1882.]* 



In an October number, tbe Republican Journal, published in Belfast, 

 Me., says : " Tbe United States Commissioner of Fisb and Fisheries is 

 at present engaged in various experiments in the hatching of lisb in an 

 artificial manner at Wood's Holl, where work of this kind has been 

 done for several years. In former years experiments were made at 

 Gloucester in tbe artificial batching of cod, and several millions of 

 young fry of the cod have been placed in tbe water there. A large 

 number of young fry also were placed in tbe sea among the rocks near 

 Wood's Holl. Since that time nothing has been beard or seen of this 

 fry until recently, when fishermen reported that enormous numbers of 

 small codfish, measuring 4 to inches in length, were swarming in the 

 waters off the mouth of tbe Piscataqua, in the neighborhood of Ports- 

 mouth. 



''As these schools of quite small fish are a phenomenon hitherto un- 

 known in these regions, competent persons have declared them to be 

 the first visible results of the experiments in artificially hatching cod 

 made at the Government expense under the direction of Professor Baird. 

 It is supposed, and with good reason, that these small codfish found on 

 the coast near Portsmouth were really hatched in the Government 

 hatcheries near Gloucester and Wood's Boll, and that, following their 

 natural desire to get into cooler water, they moved further north. If 

 this supposition, as can hardly be doubted, is correct, tbe result of the 

 above-mentioned experiments must be considered as quite successful, 

 and will doubtless cause people to take the necessary measures for 

 stocking the coast waters from Cape Cod to the Bay of Fundy with 

 millions of cod, such as were present in former times, before the lisher- 

 meu, by their endeavors to make a living, nearly exhausted this portion 

 of the Atlantic Coast of its enormous wealth of food-fish. 



" If we succeed in finding means to maintain a large number of codfish 

 near our coasts by artificial hatching the importance and the yield of tbe 

 SO-called coast fisheries, which during the last fifty years has risen from 

 a few cargoes caught during the winter to 30,000,000 pounds in one port 

 alone, will doubtless be doubled in the course of a few years. The efforts 

 made in this direction by the Government will then be richly rewarded, 

 and Professor Baird will have accomplished a great and good work." 



* Die Kiinsilichs Dorsvhzmht in America. Translated from the German by Hkh- 

 MANN JACOB80K. 



