PROGRESS IN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, 1938 He 
years, the advantage is reversed. In most of the years for which data 
are available, the size composition of the populations in the two are:s 
was entirely different. 
The principal spawning ground in the Georges area is on the 
eastern part of Georges, although, in some years, there has been a con- 
siderable concentration of spawners in South Channel. The prin- 
cipal nursery ground for one-year haddock is on southeastern 
Georges, while the other fish move further to the north and west as 
they grow older. These sizes also carry on much more extensive 
seasonal migrations (within the limits of this area) than the year- 
lines and 2-year olds. 
Progress in 1938—The investigation has continued under the 
direction of W. C. Herrington assisted by H. M. Bearse and M. S. 
Moses with assistance from J. R. Webster and G. A. Rounsefell on the 
Atlantis trawling trip, and from the latter on a tagging trip to the 
Maine coast. 
Dependable figures for total catch and relative abundance, by years 
and areas, have been and continue to be of primary importance to 
this investigation. For the past several years, it has been evident 
that recent data on relative abundance obtained from analysis of the 
haddock catch alone might not be entirely comparable to earher 
years, because of the increasing importance of other species in the 
eatch of the otter-trawl fleet. Although about 1929 haddock made 
up 60 to 70 percent of the catch of this fleet, in 1936 it comprised only 
about 36 percent. To determine the extent to which this increase in 
the catch of other species would affect the unit of fishing effort as 
applied to haddock alone, a comprehensive analysis of the entire 
catch taken by the fleet was necessary. During 1938, such analysis 
of groundfish catches was undertaken by Dr. Rounsefell. Since this 
work did not get under way until well on in 1938, no data are yet 
available as to the relative level of haddock abundance in 1938, or 
changes that occurred from 1937 to 1938. 
Field work during 1988 consisted principally of the regular obser- 
vations on the Boston Fish Pier and a trawling trip on the Atlantis 
in April-May. Data collected on the Fish Pier by H. M. Bearse 
included more than 55,000 length measurements, 3.000 scale samples, 
and interviews showing fishing grounds, fishing effort, and division 
of catch for all groundfish trips. The Aflantis trawling trip was 
under the direction of J. R. Webster assisted by G. A. Rounsefell and 
H. M. Bearse. Records were obtained covering “catch-per-hour’s- 
trawling” for haddock and other species, and data were obtained con- 
cerning length, sex, and age for all haddock as well as for part of the 
cod and other species. 
Analysis of abundance —Original records for the otter-trawl fishery 
from 1914-22 have now been acquired. These new data are of inesti- 
mable value, as they include information on the scrod catch not 
previously available. Primary analysis of the data for the entire 
period 1914-37 has been virtually finished. When completed, this 
will show the average catch per trawler per day of large haddock, 
scrod haddock, and total fish, for a series of years extending from the 
time when the commercial fishery was relatively small to the present 
extremely intensive fishery. Preliminary conclusions from these data 
indicate that cycles of relative scarcity and abundance have appeared 
