196 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



catch in recent years is about $3,000,000, a sum representing the first 

 value of the fish. The weight of the fish as landed from the vessels 

 (fresh, split, and salted) is about 100,000,000 i^ounds. 



The cod fishery is prosecuted in all the coastal States from Maine 

 to Kew Jersey, being most important in Massachusetts and Maine. 

 Gloucester and Boston are tLe principal fishing centers. On tlie 

 Pacific coast there is an important fishery in Alaska, carried oti by San 

 Francisco vessels. 



Cod are taken with hand and trawl lines, baited with fish, squid, etc., 

 and fished from small boats or the vessel's deck. The principal grounds 

 in the Atlantic are the famous "banks" — Grand, Georges, Western, 

 Quereau, etc. ; on the Pacific coast the Shumagin Islands are the chief 

 grounds. Small quantities are taken in traps at places on the ^ew 

 England shore. 



ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION. 



Til 6 cod is propagated artificially on a more extensive scale than 

 any other marine fish. Artificial Latching was first undertaken at 

 Gloucester, Massachusetts, in the winter of 1878-79, and bas since been 

 regularly prosecuted on an increasingly large scale at both Gloucester 

 and Woods Hole. Up to and including the season of 1896-97, the 

 number of cod fry liberated by the Commission on the east coast was 

 419,701,000. The output of fry in the last-named year was 98,000,000. 

 The unmistakable economic results which have attended these efibrts 

 warrant all the time and money devoted to them and justify the greatest 

 possible expansion of the work. 



COLLECTING EGGS ON THE FISHING-GROUNDS. 



The following methods are pursued in collecting cod eggs for the 

 United States Fish Commission station at Gloucester. 



As cod are abundant in Ipswich Bay during the winter, vessels from 

 Gloucester, varying in size fiom 10 to 70 tons, engage in fishing there, 

 starting from Kittery Point, Maine, or Portsmouth, Kew Hampshire, 

 wbere they market their catch, secure bait, and obtain supplies. At 

 the beginning of the cod season (which usually opens from the middle 

 to the last of November) arrangements for the board of the men, dory 

 and building hire, transportation of eggs, etc., are made with persons 

 at Kittery Point and permission to place spawn-takers aboard the 

 fishing vessels is obtained, with the understanding that they will be 

 allowed to take eggs from the fish secured, that they be given the 

 freedom of the vessel in order to ijroperly care for the eggs, and that 

 no charges be made against the Commission except that 25 cents be 

 paid for each meal furnished the spawn-takers. After these arraiige- 

 ments are made the men are directed to board such of the fleet as are 

 at the time meeting with the best fishing, but as the fish are not of 

 uniform abundauce in the bay it is necessary to keep a vigilant watch 

 on each vessel's catch as it is landed, daily, to know where to place 

 the spawn-takers to the best advantage. 



