REPORT OF COiMMlftSlONKR OF FISH AND FISnERIE>;. 



XXV 



Cod. — The station being dependent for a supply of breeding fisli by 

 purchase from fisliernien, in September an agreement was made with 

 Messrs. Spindle & Co., of Woods Holl, large fish-dealers, to deliver at 

 the station between October 25 and December 25, 3,000 live codfish of 

 a minimum Aveight of 5 pounds each. Owing to a succession of severe 

 storms the smack fishermen, from whom the supply in question had 

 been expected, were unable to get on the fishing-grounds till the first 

 part • of Is^ovember, and the time limit of the contract was therefore 

 extended till the end of February. The smack fishermen, however, 

 could not be induced to go oflshore to the deep w\ater at that season 

 of the year, and the contractors were, therefore, unable to furnish the 

 number of fish that had been anticipated. But. 1,620 fish were fur- 

 nished, of which 1,341, caught oft' Nantucket Island, and called by the 

 fishermen "inshore" cod, were delivered between iS"ovember G and 

 December 7, and 279, caught off Block Island, were brought to the 

 station November 23. The fish from each of these grounds were kept 

 separate for the purpose of comparing their relative fecundity, the 

 result being in favor of the Block Island fish, the former averaging 

 93,800 eggs to each fish, and the latter 118,200. Of the Nantucket 

 fish there were but 281 gravid, while of the Block Island fish there 

 were 163. The fish, as received from the fishermen, were placed in 

 floating fish-boxes and occasionally fed. From December 1, the date 

 the first eggs were taken, the fish were at intervals overhauled for 

 spawn till February 8, during which time 444 fish were stripped, yielding 

 45,627,200 eggs, producing 25,671,500 fry. 

 The following table presents the details of hatching: 



Number of I Number of 

 eggs taken, j fry hatched. 



Apparatus. 



Period of incubation. 



Com- 

 menced. 



No. of 

 hours. 



Average 

 tempera- 

 ture of 

 water. 



1, 692, 500 

 1,576,500 

 3, 050, 400 



2, 503, 800 

 2, 828, 600 

 3,779,100 



1, 830, 600^ 



2, 080, 600^: 

 2, 689, 400 



2, 635, 700 

 2,249 000 



3, 779, 100 

 3, 315, 500 



1, 312, 500 



2, 967, 700 

 2, 109, 500 



417,300 

 510, 100 

 463, 700 

 602, 800 

 626, 000 

 811,500 

 695, 500 

 533, 300 

 440, 500 

 120, 000 



45, 627, 200 



603, 300 

 682, 300 



1, 309, 300 

 1,520,100 

 1,777,100 



2, 582, 300 

 1, 958, 600 

 1.374,400 

 1, 220, 100 



1, 091, 700 



2, 358, 800 

 2.812,500 



881,300 



2, 267, 700 

 1, 055, 000 

 208, 700 

 255, 000 

 194, 800 

 230, 000 

 312. 000 

 405, 200 

 340, 000 

 225, 300 

 (*) 

 (*) 



25,671,500 



Che.ster.jars 



do 



, do 



do 



do 



do 



IMcDonald boxes. 



' do 



: do 



do 



do 



Chester jars 



do 



do 



McDonald boxes. 



do 



do 



Chester .jars 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



Doc. 1 

 Dec. 4 

 Dec. 7 

 Dec. 10 

 Dec. 12 

 Dec. 14 

 Dec. 16 

 Dec. 16 

 Dec. 18 

 Dec. 21 

 Dec, 23 

 Dec. 26 

 Dec. 28 

 Dec. 31 



Jan. 1 



Jan, 4 



Jan. 6 



Jan. 8 



Jan. 11 



Jan. 15 



Jan. 18 



Jan. 22 



Jan. 25 



Jan. 29 



Fob. 2 



Feb. 8 



1891. 



Dec. 17 



Dec. 21 



Dec. 23 



Dec. 28 



Dec. 30 



Dec. 31 



Jan. 4 



Jan. 4 



Jan. 5 



Jan. 8 



Jan. 13 



Jan. 16 



Jan. 20 



Jan. 22 



1892. 



Jan. 25 



Jan. 28 



Feb. 1 



Feb. 2 



Feb. 8 



Feb. 12 



Feb. 18 



Feb. 27 



Mar. 1 



Mar. 7 



37 

 36 

 36 

 35i 

 35i 

 34 

 31i 

 31i 



^ 

 32 



'Placed in ouen waters March 7, before completion of hatcbiuij. 



