HAL IB UT, FLA T-FISH AND FL O UNDER. 3 1 3 



Inly he was again on Quercau Bank, where he found a school of small and 

 Lig male and female fish, all, apparently, spawning, or ready to spawn, 

 "with milt and pees soft"; in August he was on the outer ])art of Sable 

 Island, where he found females full of spawn. 



Capt. Ashby, speaking of the Halibut on George's Banks, states that 

 roe is always found in them in May and June. The roes of a large Hali- 

 but caught by him in 1848 on the southwest part of George's, and which 

 weighed 356 pounds, after it had been dressed and its head removed, 

 weighed 44 pounds. He states that the Halibut in this region have spawn 

 in them as long as Connecticut vessels continue to catch them, or until 

 September. He has seen eggs in Halibut of twenty pounds' weight, and 

 thinks that they begin to breed at that size. The spawn of the Halibut 

 is a favorite food of the fishermen of Southern New England, though never 

 eaten by those of Cape Ann. 



Capt. Hurlbert, of Gloucester, tells me that on the Grand Banks of 

 Newfoundland the Halibut school used to come up in shoal water, in forty 

 or fifty fathoms, in summer and that the spawn was ripest about a fort- 

 night later. In August, 1878, he found many with the spawn already run 

 out. At that time several Gloucester fishermen reported that the Halibut 

 on Le Have and Quereau Banks were full of spawn. Capt. Collins 

 told me that in July and August, and up to the first of Sei)tember, they are 

 found here with the ovaries very large, and are often seen with the ova and 

 milt exuding. The ovaries of a large fish are too heavy to be lifted by a 

 man, without considerable exertion, being often two feet or more in length. 

 At this time very little food is found in their stomachs. In September, 

 1878, the Fish Commission obtained from Capt. Collins the roes of a 

 fish weighing from igo to 200 pounds, taken by the schooner "Marion" 

 on the 13th of the month on Quereau Bank. This fish was taken at the 

 depth of 200 fathoms, and the temperature of the water was roughly re- 

 corded at 36° F. These ovaries were put into a basket with ice and brought 

 to the laboratory of the Fish Commission, where they were found to weigh 

 seventeen pounds, two ounces. Part of the eggs were nearly ripe, and 

 separated readily, while others were immature and closely adherent to each 

 other. A portion of the roe, representing a fair average of the size of the 

 eggs, was weighed and was found to contain 2,185 eggs; the weight of 

 this portion was two drams. The total number of eggs was from this es- 

 timated to be 2,182,773. It is not yet known whether the eggs float or 



