REPORT OF (JUMMlSaiOKERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 9 



There was a very large body of fish on the coast from Cape Cod to Eastport, 

 Me., and large catches were made by those having factories there, A large 

 body of these fish came into our bays in July and remained about forty days. 

 Good catches were made by those running their factories, but most of the Rhode 

 Island boats were in Maine, where the fish were fatter and more valuable. The 

 Connecticut and New York boats had good fishing in Long Island Sound, Gard- 

 ner's Bay and along the coast, and made excellent catches. In Delaware Bay, 

 the fishing was as good as could be desired, and large catches were made by all 

 the boats, and the same was true of the Chesapeake Bay and North Carolina 

 coast. About 2,250,000 gallons of oil have been made, with 21,000 tons of dry 

 fish scrap, and 35,000 tons of oiled fish scrap. 



Trusting this may help you in making your report, I remain 



Very truly yours, 



N. B. CHURCH. 



SCIENTIFIC WORK. 



The past season there was added to this Commission a new 

 member in the person of Professor H. C. Bumpus, and we have 

 begun, nnder his direction, an investigation of the star-fish, a re- 

 port of which is submitted herewith. We trust that this new de- 

 parture in our work will meet witli general ai:)proval, and be sus- 

 tained by the State. May we not look forward to no verj^ distant 

 day when we shall have connected with the Commission a labora- 

 tory x^rovided witli all tlie necessary apparatus for the study of 

 this and other cognate snbjects, that have so important a bearing 

 upon our fisheries? 



The Lobster Hatchery, for reasons given in a former report not 

 being in use for its original purpose, was loaned for the investiga- 

 tion of the star-fish, for which it has proved well adapted. 



The Chairman, to whom the lobster hatching experiment was in- 

 trusted, would respectfully recommend that the property acquired 

 by him for that purpose, together with such sums of money as re- 

 main unexpended, be turned over to the Inland Fisheries Com- 

 missioners, to be used by them for the purpose of the Commission. 



