REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 155 



References: 



1892 

 1893 

 1894 

 1897 

 1897 

 1909 



McIntosh, Reports, Fishery Board, Scotland, 10, 287. 



McIntosh, ibid. 11, 242. 



McIntosh, ibid. 12, 218. 



Brice, Report, U. S. Fish Com., XXIII, 222. 



McIntosh and Masterman, British Marine Food Fishes, 266. 



Ehrenbaum, Nordishes Plankton, 10, 244. 



180. Microgadus tomcod. (Walbaum). Tomcod; Frost-fish. 



Geog. Dist.: Virginia to Labrador. 



Season in R. I.: Present along the coast the year round; common in 

 streams and near shores in winter. 



Reproduction: Spawns in shore waters in December. Eggs are heavy, 

 adhesive, 1-15 inch in diameter and are aglutinated together in masses, 

 the latter being usually attached to sea-weeds and stones at the bottom . 

 They hatch in 35 days at temperature of 40°; yolk sac is absorbed in 

 four days. The larva at hatching is 1-5 inch (5 mm.) in length 

 (Brice, Report, U. S. Fish Com., XXIII, 1897, 223; Ryder, Report 

 U. S. Fish Com., XIII, 1885, 523). 



Food : Annelids, shrimp, amphipods, and other small crustacea. 



Size: Rarely over twelve inches. 



181. Gadus callarias (Linnseus). Cod. 



Geog. Dist.: North Atlantic, south to Virginia and France. 



Migrations: Prefers a temperature of 35° to 42° F; therefore it remains 

 on the offshore banks during the summer along the New England 

 coast, keeping out of the cold Labrador current, which extends south 

 inside the Gulf Stream, coming into more shallow water in winter. 

 (For the results of an experiment in tagging of codfish, see H. M. 

 Smith, Notes on the Tagging of Four Thousand Adult Cod at Woods 

 Hole, Mass., Report, V. S. Fish Com., XXVII, 1901, 193.) 



Se.-vson in R. I.: Appears in October, height of season in November; 

 present all winter. A spring run takes place in April. April 30, 1906, 

 100 specimens were taken in Sand Blow trap, Conanicut Island. 



Reproduction: The extreme length of the spawning period is from 

 September to May. The spa-R-ning of each fish probably continues 

 through a period of two months. The eggs are buoj'^ant, 1-18 inch in 

 diameter, hatch in fourteen days at 43°; the yolk sac is absorbed in 

 12 days at 38°. 



