70 



BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



passed by an English smack, carrying a single-reefed mainsail and whole 

 foresails. He thought the English vessel was making 11 knots an hour. 

 Everything was dry and comfortable, the men appearing on deck without 

 oiled clothes. On other occasions he was obliged to reef down snugly 

 while the English smacks went along comfortably under all plain sail. 

 The Alice M. Williams was deep in water, as she had a full cargo of fish 

 on board, and yet was compelled to lay to while another vessel no larger 

 was moving comfortably under crowded canvas. 

 September 25, 1884. 



Loss of weight in fishes afTer capture. — In view of the general 

 belief that fishes diminish in weight after capture, Dr. J. H. Kidder, U. 

 S. Navy, has made some observations at the request of the Commissioner, 

 Professor Baird. The supposed loss of weight is not verified by his re- 

 port of November 3, 1884, which is tabulated as follows : 



Date. 



1884. 



Sept. 29 



29 



29 



29 



3 



3 



Oct. 



Kind of fish. 



Blueflsh 



do 



... do 



Sea bass 



Flounder 



Flounder (same) 



Weight 



when 



caught. 



Ounces. 

 84 

 96 

 144 

 48 

 61 

 64 



Weight after 

 an interval. 



Hours. 

 9i 



z 5 

 21 



2 



11 



3 



23 



Ounces. Ounces. 



Loss 



of 



weight. 



84 

 96 

 144 

 48 

 64 

 62 



The flounder weighed Octobers showed no loss after three hours had 

 elapsed, and the loss of 2 ounces sustained after twenty-three hours had 

 elapsed is probably explained by the fact that the fish had become ex- 

 ternally quite dry and stiff. 



Fish-cultuke in Canada. — Under date of Ottawa, May 28, 1883, 

 Mr. W. F. Whitcher gives the following summary : 



Canada has eleven Government hatcheries now in operation, eight of 

 which are occupied in hatching salmon eggs only, besides two private 

 ones, which also hatch the true salmon. Two are employed in hatching 

 salmon, whitefish, and trout eggs, aud one hatches whitefish and pike 

 perch. The earliest of these hatcheries has been in operation for about 

 fifteen years, and the latest for two years. The principal ones have ex- 

 isted since 1873. Their entire cost to date has been $259,400. 



The whole number of fish bred and distributed from 1868 to 1881 is 

 about 105,000,000, of which about. 20,500,000 were salmon and about 

 09,500,000 were whitefish. 



The total catch of these two kinds of fish in the five provinces where 

 hatcheries exist is given in the census returns as follows : 



