342 U. S. BUEEAU OF FISHERIES 



of length-frequency samples of unculled haddock obtained through 

 the assistance of Messrs. Einar Sorenson and E. H. Blake, radio op- 

 erators on two of the large otter trawlers. 



Early life history. — One plankton and hydrographic cruise was 

 made in April-May 1934, covering the area from Cape Cod and 

 Nantucket Shoals to Browns and La Have Banks off the Nova 

 Scotian coast. As in 1933 the trip was made possible through the 

 kindness of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in detailing 

 the research ship Atlantis for this work. At each of the 64 stations 

 oblique tows were made with a 2-meter stramin net and a i/2-meter 

 silk net. Vertical tows were made at some of the stations with a 

 li/^-meter Helgoland larvae net or 1-meter silk net. Temperature 

 and salinity data were obtained at each station and 629 drift bottles 

 and 6 large drift floats released at stations and in strings. The 2- 

 meter and i/^-i^^eter nets, used with current meters and the elec- 

 trical inclinometer developed for this work, provided some rather 

 definite data on the effects of clogging and change in towing 

 speed. A cursory examination of the collections indicates that 

 medium-sized haddock larvae were taken in the region southwest 

 of Georges Shoals in greater numbers than at any stations on pre- 

 vious cruises. Drift bottle returns at the end of December 1934, 

 totaled 64. About one-half of these were from the Bay of Fundy 

 and but one-fifth from the United States coast west of Georges 

 Bank. Four reports were received of positions of the drift floats, 

 one float being reported twice. The surface drift as shown by these 

 data appears similar to 1932. 



During the past year L. A. Walford of the Harvard Graduate 

 School completed the analysis of the o^gg and larvae collections of 

 1931 and 1932. The results show spawning concentrations on eastern 

 and northern Georges and sometimes in the South Channel and clearly 

 demonstrate the effect of water movements on the distribution of eggs 

 and larvae. Evidence also is found that the southerly drift off 

 Georges Bank such as observed in 1932 may be a factor in the failure 

 of certain year classes. 



Savings gear. — During the 5 years since 1929 the haddock popula- 

 tion on Georges Bank has been held at a low level of abundance in 

 spite of the contributions to the commercial stock from two fair year 

 classes. The continued low level of abundance is the result of the 

 intensive and destructive fishery that has developed in recent years. 

 Although only those haddock weighing II/2 pounds or more are mar- 

 ketable, most of the commercial trawlers use nets which capture fish 

 of all sizes from about one-fourth to one-half pound up. Nearly 2 

 years are required for the young haddock to grow from one-fourth 

 pound to the marketable size of 11/2 pounds. During this period they 

 are constantly subject to decimation by the commercial fleet, and the 

 millions that are thus destroyed constitute a complete economic and 

 biologic loss and reduce the stock of fish on the banks to the same 

 degree as the capture of equal numbers of large, commercially val- 

 uable fish. 



An investigational report covering the results of the Bureau's sav- 

 ings gear experiments was submitted for publication during 1934. 

 This work sliows that the most practical method for reducing the 

 destruction of undersized haddock is to increase the size of mesh used 



