BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 119 



DREDGING STATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES FISH < (MI MISSION 

 STEAITIEK FISH HAWK, LIEUT. Z. E. TANNER C'OiWTIANDINC;, FOB 

 1880, 1881, AND 188*, WITH TEMPERATURE AND OTHER OBSERVA- 

 TIONS. 



Arranged for publication 

 By RICHARD RATHBUN. 



In the summer of 1880, the headquarters of the United States Fish 

 Commission were established at Newport, E. I., and the steamer Fish 

 Hawk, then newly constructed, made its dredging and trawling trips 

 from there, whenever the weather permitted. The field of explorations 

 for the summer included Narragansett Bay, Sakonnet Eiver, and the 

 regions to the northward, eastward, and southward of Block Island. In 

 September and the first part of October, three trips were made by the 

 Fish Hawk to the inner edge of the Gulf Stream slope, between lati- 

 tudes 40° 05' 42" N. and 39° 46' K, and longitudes 70° 22' 06" W. and 

 71° 10' W., in depths of 64 to 487 fathoms, resulting in the discovery of 

 a new and exceedingly rich fauna, both as regards fish and marine 

 invertebrates. On her passage to Washington in November, the Fish 

 Hawk also trawled off the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, in depths of 18 

 to 300 fathoms. 



During the summers of 1881 and 1882, the headquarters of the Com- 

 mission were at Wood's Holl, Mass. As the shallow waters of this region 

 had been quite fully explored by the Commission in 1871 and 1875, very 

 little time was expended in work near land; but advantage was taken of 

 all pleasant weather to still further investigate the rich fauna! region of 

 the Gulf Stream slope, discovered the previous year. Seven trips were 

 made to this region, in 1881, between latitudes 39° 40' N. and 40° 22' IT., 

 and longitudes 69° 15' W. and 71° 32' W., in depths of 43 to 7S2 fathoms. 

 A line of dredgings and trawlings, at intervals of about four miles, was 

 made from off Nomau's Land to the Gulf Stream slope, in order to 

 connect the inshore with the offshore stations; and a few trips were 

 also made in Vineyard Sound, Buzzard's Bay, and off Chatham, Cape 

 Cod, on, and in the vicinity of, Crab Ledge. Cod trawl-lines were set 

 on most of the outside trips, for the purpose of catching fish that would 

 not enter the beam-trawl. 



In 1882, five deep-water trips, were made to the same region, extending 

 the area of dredgings considerably beyond its former eastern and 

 western limits. A few hauls of the dredge and beam-trawl were taken 

 in Vineyard Sound, and one trip was made to the one-hundred fathom 

 line, off the eastern side of Cape Cod. The most eastern haul on the 

 Gulf Stream slope for 1882, was in latitude 40° 08' N. and longitude 68° 

 45' W.; and the most western in latitude 39° 31' N. and longitude 72° 

 08' W.; the deepest haul was in 787 fathoms. Cod-trawls were set on 

 two of the trips only. 



