36 



REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



The stock of fish on hand at the close of the year is shown by the 

 following table: 



Woods Hole Station, Mass. (E. F. Locke, Superintendent). 



The collection of brood cod ofi' Nantucket Shoals was commenced by 

 the schooner Granvpus on October 2 and closed on November 3, 

 when 3,179 had been captured and conveyed alive to Woods Hole Sta- 

 tion. These fish varied in weight from 3 to 10 pounds, the average 

 being between 6 and 7 pounds, and from them 118,745,000 eggs were 

 taken, which were all of good quality, with the exception of a few of 

 the last lots secured. Of the brood fish 2,106 were released alive, 

 the remainder d^ang from natural causes. Some of the smaller fish 

 were barren and yielded no eggs. 



On November 29 the Phalarope reached Plymouth, Mass., and the 

 auxiliary station at that point was opened on December 2. The first 

 eggs were taken on December 3, and collections were obtained up to 

 February 28, when 125,559,000 had been secured. Of these 38,621,000 

 were shipped to the Gloucester Station and the remainder, 86,938,000, 

 to Woods Hole. 



The total number of cod eggs received at Woods Hole amounted to 

 205,683,000, from which 128,810,000 fry were hatched and planted. 



During the month of January arrangements were made for the col- 

 lection of flat-fish eggs, and on February 5 the boats, nets, and other 

 equipment were sent to Waquoit Bay, but owing to the ice in the 

 bay it was impossible to set the nets until February 15, and it was 

 only done then by breaking up quantities of ice. Nets were also set 

 in the harbor near the station, and from these two fields 653 females 

 were secured, of which 105 died and 123 failed to deposit eggs. The 

 product of the egg-bearing fish amounted to 191:,059,000 eggs, of which 

 144,800,000 were secured from the fish taken at Waquoit Bay. The 

 average yield of eggs this season was larger than that of last j^ear, 

 the average from the fish captured at Woods Hole being 808,000 per 

 fish and from those taken at Waquoit Bay 548,000 per fish. 



About the middle of April arrangements were made for collecting 

 egg-bearing lobsters at Scituate, Mass., and from the fishermen at 

 Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. At Plymouth only a few men 

 were fishing and this territory was abandoned. Later in the season a 



