REPORT OK TUK COMMISSIONER OF FISH l-RinS. 47 



shore lisliorics show thiil in l*,»ll thofo wore caiif^ht in tiic waters of 

 that State where tiie tide ebbs ami Hows 147,700 pounds of Athmtic 

 sahnon, whieli is the hirgest catch of fish of that species in '20 years, 

 the next hirgest being in 1901 and amounting to 06, SOI pounds. 

 Tlie smallest catch was in the year 1S98, the total being 33,869 

 pounds. In May and June of 1912 there were secured from waters 

 in the vicinity 1,133 adult salmon, which is the largest brood stock 

 ever collected for the Craig Brook station. 



The year's operations with the marine fishes at the Boothbay Har- 

 bor station were highly successful. There was a slight deficiency in 

 the cod work, OAving to the nonappearance of the second run of fish 

 along the Maine coast, and the haddock work was interfered with by 

 stormy weather, but these shortages were more than offset by the 

 results attained in the hatching and distribution of lobsters and flat- 

 fLsh. Seed lobsters were comparatively abundant, and through the 

 aid of the boat belongmg to the State the year's collections numbered 

 14,902. Of this number 11,362 were successfully carried tlirough the 

 winter m the pound and yielded 162,237,000 eggs of su])erior quality. 

 The boat purchased by the Bureau during the year })ermitted of the 

 extension of the fiatfi h work over a wider territory and a consequent 

 increase in the out])ut. The collections of cod and flatfish for the 

 Woods Hole station were far above the average, taxing the facilities 

 to the utmost, not^\dthstanding the mstallation of additional hatching 

 apparatus. 



At the Gloucester station, on the other hand, the cod work accom- 

 plished was a little short of an average season, but the falling off was 

 more than made up by the large numbers of pollock, haddock, and 

 flatfish distributed. Here, too, the hatching equipment j^roved en- 

 tireh' inadccpiate for the efficient handling of the enormous numbers 

 of eggs coming in during the height of the season, and though the eggs 

 were generally of superior quality the losses during incubation were in 

 some instances abnormal, owing to the necessity of crowding double 

 and sometimes three times the usual number in the hatching equip- 

 ment available. The success of the work at both stations, though 

 partly due to favorable weather, may in the main be attributed to 

 closer .cooperation between the superintendents than has heretofore 

 existed, and the extension and more equitable division of the field 

 because of such cooperation. The experience of the past season has 

 demonstrated that an addition to the equipment of a well-equipped 

 seagoing vessel, capable of following the fishing fleet to distant ])oints, 

 and of sufficient power and stability to remain at sea through stormy 

 weather, will result in greatly increasing the output of the Woods 

 Hole and Gloucester stations and at the same time eliminate the 

 annual outlay of a large sum for the hire of vessel service, which is 

 never satisfactory. 



