474 U. S. BUREAU OP FISHEEIES 



During the first week in March fyke nets for the capture of a brood stock of 

 winter flounder were set in the outer harbor near Gloucester and 336 gravid fish 

 were taken, the catch being nearly twice as large as that of last year. These fisli 

 yielded 199,258,000 eggs for incubation. 



In the conduct of the so-called "offshore" work, prosecuted under the direc- 

 tion of the superintendent of this station, experienced spawn takers are detailed 

 to accompany the fishing fieet to the Georges Bank fisheries to take eggs from 

 the ripe fish caught for the market, fertilize, and plant them on the fishing 

 grounds. During the past season this work was in progress from Februarj' 5 to 

 April 7, and resulted in the planting of 137,355,000 fertilized cod eggs and 

 42,222,000 fertiUzed haddock eggs. 



Woods Hole (Mass.) Station 

 [W. H. Thomas and G. R. Hoffses, Superintendents] 



Well in advance of the spawning season the customary arrangements for 

 securing adult cod were made with trap fishermen at Newport and Narragansett 

 Pier, R. I. It was expected that enough brood fish to serve as an egg supply 

 for the hatchery could be obtained at these points, but inclement weather pre- 

 vented the fish from entering the traps in substantial numbers. By the middle 

 of November, however, a sufficient number had assembled and were being held 

 in pens for transfer to the hatchery. Not having a boat fitted for carrying live 

 fish, the station is dependent upon the charter of fishing vessels equipped with 

 wells, and as a boat of this kind is available only at the convenience of the owner, 

 arrangements for the immediate transfer of the fish were impossible and before 

 the required facilities could be provided the violent storm of November 22 and 

 23 destroyed the inclosure and released the fish. The fishermen's equipment 

 was so seriously damaged by the storm that the owners concluded it would not 

 be profitable to repair it for further work, as weather conditions in that locality 

 rarely permit trap fishing much beyond the date mentioned. With the close 

 of cod fishing and the loss of all fish previously taken, the possibility of securing 

 a brood stock for the station failed. The circumstances described and their 

 practical duplication during the preceding year present a most convincing 

 argument in support of the station's need for a boat suitably equipped for the 

 carrying of live fish. 



Quite satisfactory work in the propagation of winter flounder was made pos- 

 sible in the Waquoit (Mass.) field by the generally favorable weather prevailing 

 throughout the spawning period. Operations were undertaken there on Feb- 

 ruary 1 and vigorously prosecuted until April 11, during which time 584,000,000 

 eggs were secured, 90 per cent of which produced good frv. At one time when 

 the entire hatching space was filled to capacity some 4,500,000 eggs were planted 

 on the spawning grounds immediately after being fertilized. On March 20, 

 when the collection of eggs of this species was undertaken at Newport, R. I., 

 natural conditions appeared to be entirely favorable, the mild weather periiiit- 

 ting regular visits to the nets, and fish of large size being plentiful. Notwith- 

 standing these advantages, the outcome of the work was disappointing, only 

 42,820,000 eggs being secured. The failure to produce adequate results was 

 due to arrested development of the eggs in the fish. Such eggs were not voided 

 and attempts to take them by artificial means were unsuccessful. While the 

 reason for this trouble is not understood, it is presumably due to injuries sus- 

 tained by the fish during handling, and is accentuated by holding them in a re- 

 stricted environment. The ovaries of the fish are unduly distended, which under 

 normal conditions gradually become softer to the touch with the approach of 

 maturity. A fish thus affected seems unable to extrude its eggs and eventually 

 dies. 



In the course of the season new methods were tested in an effort to devise 

 means for the safe transportation of brood winter flounder to the Woods Hole 

 station. Owing to the peculiar nature of this fish, experience has shown that it 

 can not be carried to advantage in the 10-gallon transportation cans in general 

 use by the bureau. If some method can be evolved whereby adequate numbers 

 of the adult fish can be delivered in good condition at the hatchery it will prob- 

 ably go far toward eliminating the difficult}^ referred to and will obviate to a 

 great extent the heavy losses that appear to be unavoidable under the present 

 methods of conducting the work. In addition to the eggs mentioned, upward 

 of 24,000,000 were obtained from commercial fishermen operating at Menemsha 

 Pond and other points in Marthas Vineyard Sound. Eggs taken by incision 



