PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1922. 49 



MARINE FISHES. 



Three "well-equipped stations, one located in Maine and two in 

 Massachusetts, whose work is confined to the propagation of the sea 

 fishes, are operated by the bureau. During the fiscal year 1922 such 

 work was addressed to eight species, the aggregate output of which 

 amounted to 3,204,678,000 fertilized eggs and fry. There is a tend- 

 ency toward the belief that much of the work of past years in marine 

 fish culture has been of little value; that the causes making for 

 abundance or scarcity of the marine fishes in any region are quite 

 remote from any line of fish culture and beyond the control of man. 

 If this theory is sound, the work of the fish-culturist as addressed 

 to the marine fishes becomes, indeed, of no value. However, when 

 the present trend of marine fish culture toward the conservation of 

 the eggs in fish caught for market is taken into consideration and 

 when it is realized that the market fishery is vigorously prosecuted 

 over areas in which the fish have congregated for the express pur- 

 pose, apparently, of spawning, and that truly enromous numbers of 

 eggs are thus annually destroyed, it is difficult to believe that the 

 salvage of these eggs by artificial methods can be entirely barren of 

 results or that it does not justify the comparatively small outlay of 

 funds thus expended. 



BOOTHBAY * HARBOR ( ME. ) STATION. 

 [E. E. Hahn, Superintendent.] 



The principal activities of this station were concerned with the 

 propagation of the winter flounder. Because of the prevailing 

 scarcity of pollock in the Gloucester field the usual transfers of eggs 

 of that species to the Boothbay Harbor hatchery were omitted, and 

 the diligent search made during the season for eggs of the cod, 

 haddock, and alewife was without results. There appeared to be no 

 run of spawning haddock or cod, and but very few boats were en- 

 gaged in fishing operations at the time when spawning fish might be 

 expected. The roe contained in the few alewives secured was hard, 

 and from the observations made it is evident that the spawning 

 grounds of this fish are at a considerable distance from Boothbay 

 Harbor. 



Owing to the presence of ice on the fishing grounds, fishing opera- 

 tions for brood winter flounder as a source of egg supply for the 

 station were begun later than usual and the season closed corre- 

 spondingly late. Fj^ke nets were set on February 24, but no fish were 

 taken until March 1, these being obtained by the station steamer and 

 crew from nets set in small coves in Casco Bay. By March 5 all 

 available nets had been installed, being set at points between Casco 

 Bay and West Penobscot Bay, in Linekins Bay, and in and about 

 Seal Harbor. The station steamer was used to fish the nets at the 

 more distant points, making trips thereto at regular intervals until 

 the close of the season on May 3. From all points some 7,000 spawn- 

 ers were secured, brought to the station, and transferred to retaining 

 tables in the hatchery. The fish ran much smaller in size than in 

 former years, but no loss was sustained during the period of their 

 confinement, and there was an excellent yield of eggs of the finest 



