PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1940 581] 
planted locally. Efforts are being made by the Bureau and the State 
of Maine to rear more of the lobsters through the fourth stage. 
Propagation of pollock, cod, haddock, flounders, and lobsters was 
continued at the Gloucester (Mass.) station, and hatchery operations 
greatly exceeded those of 1939. Offshore work varied, owing to the 
fishermen’s strike on the larger trawlers. Increased prices prevailed 
on all groundfish during winter and spring, thus affording an oppor- 
tunity for the smaller boats to operate. It was also possible for the 
gill-net fleets—the main source of egg supply for the hatcheries—to 
operate for a longer period. Both the quality and quantity of pollock 
eggs and fry handled were exceptionally high. The collection of 
pollock eggs for the entire season totaled 1,116,498,870, of which 
number 213,793,370 were incubated in the hatchery and yielded 
174,382,490 fry which were liberated in suitable spots in Massachusetts 
Bay. Immediately after fertilization, 902,705,490 green pollock eggs 
were liberated in offshore work. Cod operations were carried on in 
conjunction with the pollock activities. Hatchery work with this 
species was much more extensive than in previous years. Egg collec- 
tions for the entire season aggregated 1,556,302,810, and of this 
number 227,783,930 yielded 191,980,100 fry. In offshore work 
1,330,965,110 eggs were liberated on the fishing grounds immediately 
after fertilization. The customary small-mesh nets were not used by 
the gill netters during the spring season, consequently there were no 
collections of haddock eggs for incubation in the hatchery. Offshore 
activities grossed 812,582,500 haddock eggs, which exceeds last year’s 
take by nearly one hundred million. All liberations were made in 
Georges Banks. Flatfish egg-collecting operations were conducted 
with station fyke nets again this year. From the eggs collected 
16,404,280 fry were hatched and liberated on the grounds in Gloucester 
outer harbor, from which the eggs were secured. Several attempts 
were made to obtain gravid fish from other spots around Cape Ann, 
but it was impossible to determine the value of these undertakings as 
the station did not have a sufficient number of nets to properly cover 
the spawning grounds. The lobster-cultural work was carried on in 
cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation, as 
heretofore. In January, 62 seed lobsters were secured from the State 
and 15 were collected from the gill netters. From these seeders 
505,470 eggs were obtained and incubated in McDonald hatching 
jars, and 177,000 second- and third-stage lobsters were liberated along 
the Massachusetts coast from Newburyport to Boston. ‘There were 
also 375,000 young lobsters liberated in July 1939 from eggs on hand 
at the termination of the fiscal year 1939, making the total liberations 
for the current year 552,000. As the station was completely rehabili- 
tated last year under the auspices of the P. W. A. and W. P. A. 
projects, no major construction work was necessary. However, 
minor repairs were made to station buildings and equipment, both 
floating and automotive. 
Flounder operations were begun in the Woods Hole (Mass.) area 
on January 3, when three fyke nets were set in Waquoit Bay. The 
number of nets was increased as conditions warranted until 24 nets 
were in use. Although a catch of only 435 suitable spawners was 
obtained, which is approximately one-fifth of the average take of 
previous years, they produced 156,378,000 eggs. From this number 
