REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. LV 



The results secured with cod this year were far better than heretofore, 

 and it is believed the work can be still further extended and increased 

 by enlarging- the force at Plymouth and using a larger steamer for 

 transferring the spawn-takers to and from tlie fishing vessels. 



Early iu February steps were taken to collect the winter flounder or 

 flatfish. For this purpose several fyke nets were set in Woods Hole 

 harbor and Waquoit Bay, and the brood-fish taken were held at the 

 station until ripe, when they were stripped and liberated. The first 

 ripe fish were taken on February 11 in Woods Hole harbor, but owing 

 to the presence of ice in Waquoit Bay the nets could not be set there 

 until the 18th. The appearance of spent fish in the nets immediately 

 after they had been set at the latter point indicated that the fish had 

 commenced spawning much earlier, and that in order to do good work 

 there it will be necessary to commence operations in January, weather 

 l^ermitting. Most of the fish taken were quite small, and the yield per 

 fish was lighter than in past years. In 1897, 205 females produced 

 84,591,000 eggs, while this year 249 females yielded only 52,799,000, 

 the average yield in 1897 being 450,000 per fish, and this year only 

 226,000. During the latter part of March efforts were made to secure 

 eggs at East Greenwich, R. I. While only 4,804,000 were obtained 

 here, it is thought that large numbers can be taken another season by 

 stationing a man there to collect and forward the eggs early in Febru- 

 ary, Work closed on April 8, with a total take of 57,603,000, which 

 produced 39,337,000 fry. 



Following the custom of previous years, arrangements were made 

 with local fishermen to take care of all egg-lobsters collected during the 

 fall and winter, and between December 7 and January 19 about 500,000 

 eggs were secured. These were jilaced in jars, and developed fairly 

 well until April 1. After that time the loss became very heavy and 

 only about one-third of them hatched. Active operations commenced 

 about April 1 and continued until June 30. The territory covered 

 embraced all points fished within a radius of 15 miles from the station, 

 and a schooner was employed to collect egg-lobsters at ISTew London, 

 Noank, and Stonington, Conn., and Block Island, K. I., while an agent 

 was stationed at Plymouth, Mass., to collect from the fishermen located 

 between Green Eiver and Ship Pond, a distance of about 20 miles. 

 Later in the season arrangements were made to collect eggs at Scituate, 

 Mass., but only a few were received from that point. It is believed, 

 however, that this section will yield a much larger number next year. 

 Although the work was jiushed energetically throughout the season, 

 none of the territory covered yielded as many eggs as heretofore. 



The following table shows the number received from the different 

 localities in 1897 and 1898 : 



