522 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
catch per day, has long been recognized as a useful index of abund- 
ance of fish in the sea, but the present records can not be analyzed 
on that basis. Suitable statistics must contain these essential details; 
they must be uniform throughout the range of a fishery, continuous, 
free from bias, and stored in central places in such a way that they 
may be preserved for subsequent analysis by fishery investigators. 
Only the State governments have authority to enforce the collection 
of these records; and inasmuch as the various States divide jurisdic- 
tion over the shore and lake fisheries, it 1s necessary that concerted 
action be taken and that some central agency supervise and coordinate 
the States’ activities in this direction. It seems essential, therefore, 
in order to obtain that intimate knowledge of fish life upon which all 
rational regulation must depend, that the Bureau of Fisheries should 
take a leading part in bringing to the attention of the State govern- 
ments this need, and in advising them concerning the character of 
legislation necessary to set up an adequate statistical system. The 
bureau should serve as the coordinating agency in bringing the 
statistics together and making them available to the biologist. This 
the bureau is prepared to de, and it is anticipated that material 
progress toward the accomplishment of such a program will be made 
during the coming year. ; 
The following progress reports, covering the most important 
investigations conducted by the division during the calendar year 
1926, were prepared in the main by the investigators in charge. 
FISHERIES OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF COASTS 
LIFE HISTORIES AND MIGRATIONS OF COD, POLLOCK, AND HADDOCK 
Investigations of the great codfisheries of the New England coast, 
begun several years ago, were continued. The first method of attack 
has been to conduct tagging experiments to determine the move- 
ments and segregation of the various stocks of cod, pollock, and 
haddock that inhabit the region, and to study the development and 
early life history of the eggs and larve of these fishes. 
Tagging operations in 1926 received a late start, owing to the 
conditioning of the newly acquired vessel, Albatross JI.. The 
Halcyon, which has carried on this investigation ever since it was 
begun in April, 1923, has been taken out of service. 
The first cruise of the Albatross JJ was made to the northeast peak 
of Georges Bank, where, fishing from August 13 to 19, 1,014 cod, 
23 pollock, and 66 haddock were tagged. The depth of water was 
nearly uniform (at 47 fathoms), and it was possible to utilize for 
tagging about 75 per cent of the total number of fish caught. 
The second cruise was directed to southwest Georges Bank and 
Nantucket Shoals from September 5 to 11, where 1,606 cod, 10 pol- 
lock, and 114 haddock were tagged; but of these, only 5 fish were 
caught on Georges Bank. 
The Albatross IT fished off Mount Desert, Me., from August 20 to 
23 and from September 26 to October 1, tagging 945 cod, 6 pollock, 
and 461 haddock. At the Bureau of Fisheries’ Woods Hole biologi- 
cal station 946 cod were tagged on January 6 and 7, 1926. These 
fish had been held as a brood stock since November, 1925, and after 
spawning were tagged and liberated from the station’s dock. 
