REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OP FISH AND FISHERIES. 2B 



1890-91. 



The egg-collections were again made by the officers and crew of the 

 schooner Grampus. From December 9, 1890, to January 20, 1891, 

 the second mate and three seamen were stationed at Kittery Point, 

 Maine, to collect eggs from Ipswich Bay and forward them by rail to 

 Gloucester. The remainder of the spawn-takers were engaged collect- 

 ing from the nets of fishermen from Gloucester. 



Polloch. — Eggs were first taken October 31, 1890, and in the twenty- 

 nine days following 38,054,700 were delivered for hatching. The 

 spawning fish were principally taken in nets near Baker Island, a few 

 being taken on Land lines to the southward of Thatclier Island. 



Haddock. — But few haddock eggs were obtained prior to the close of 

 the station, Ax)ril l,the appearance of the schools of fish on the grounds 

 being later than usual. On AjDril 5 schools of haddock in fine condi- 

 tion made their appearance and remained accessible, along with a 

 smaller j^roportion of cod, till after June 1. The production of eggs 

 was 1,151,100, which were obtained off Thatclier Island and Gloucester, 

 the adult fish being associated with codfish, though often found 5 to 

 10 miles farther offshore. 



Cod. — Beginning Kovember 20, 1890, eggs were obtained to the num- 

 ber of 110,112,300. Early in December two trij^s were made with the 

 Grampus to Ipswich Bay, resulting in the collection of nearly 10,000,000 

 eggs. After this time such large quantities were secured from the two 

 sources that the hatchery was twice overrun, the receipts December 1 

 to 15 being nearly 19,000,000, while from January G to 21 the numbers 

 brought in ran from 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 per day. About 10,000,000 

 were received overland from Kittery Point, Maine, a journey of five 

 hours by railroad. 



More than 43,000,000 cod eggs were sent to the Woods Holl Station 

 'during the season, but they produced only 150,200 fry. IS^early 

 15,000,000 eggs gathered at Ipswich Bay, and shipped from Kittery 

 Point, Maine, to Gloucester, an equal journey bj^ rail, developed at the 

 Gloucester Station over 20 per cent of fry. About 30,000,000 eggs col- 

 lected at Gloucester and hatched there, and hence not subjected to 

 transportation by railroad, i)roduced 25.5 i^er cent of fry. Of the eggs 

 shipped to Woods Holl, over 11,000,000 were from Ipswich Bay and 

 were reshipped from Gloucester. Tlie Cape Ann eggs sent to Woods 

 Holl were but 15 minutes longer on the road than were the Ipswich 

 Bay eggs shipped to Gloucester. When the season was far advanced, 

 February 20, 1891, at the suggestion of W. P. Sauerhoff", fish-culturist, 

 an experimental shipment of a lialf million cod eggs was made from 

 Kittery Point to Gloucester in two air-tight fruit jars, of 2^ quarts 

 capacity each, which resulted in the hatching of 71 per cent, the fry 

 being healtliy. Tlie jars were filled with sea water and packed in snow, 

 thereby lowering the temperature two or three degrees, or to 33° F. 

 These eggs were not dissimilar to those ])reviously forwarded from 



