REPORT OF COMMISSIOIS'ER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



25 



Hadiloch. — A cousigimiout ol' 1,138,200 Imddoc.k e<2:i:fs IVoiu (ilouces- 

 ter, Mass., April li, produced r)2S,()()() fry. 



Flatfish. — Tlio Oi^j^s of the llatlish were secured after February 3, 

 1890, 87 ripe females being; taken in fyke uets in the harbor near the 

 station. Tlie yield of e,i;i;s was T), 811,100, and the fry produced and 

 liberated in local waters, 4,0S(>,700. Tiie adult fish were obtainable in 

 abundance, except Avhen driven into deeper water by cold weather. 



Lobsters. — Brood lobsters were collected from the pots of local fisher- 

 men, November to May, and placed in inclosures to await maturity, 

 some, however, being marked and released after their eggs had been 

 stripped, in order to determine, if possible, the frequency of spawning 

 under natural conditions. The eggs were taken sul)sequeut to A^jril 

 10 from 723 adults, the yield being 8,317,600 and the production of fry 

 4,511,100, or 51 per cent. The fry were released in local waters Avlien 

 2 to 4 days old, except a few which were -experimentally held in the jars 

 six weeks and afterwards transferred to the aquaria. The hatching 

 was conducted in the Chester tidal jar, the improved McDcmald tidal 

 box, and in the universal hatching jar. Eggs taken April 22 (water 

 temjierature 45°) hatched June 4 (watertem]»erature 59°), a period of 

 42 days. A lot of eggs brought in by a local fisherman and thought to 

 be on the eve of hatching, remained in process of develoi)ment 99 days. 

 When they Avere received the embryos were well develo]>ed and the 

 water temperature 30°, but no further growth was obserA ed till the 

 temperature rose to 54°, May 18, when the eggs hatched. 



For consignment to Cralveston Harbor, Texas, 745 healthy lobsters, 

 7 to 10 inches long, were collected and packed in sea moss in 105 Avooden 

 crates, prepared at the station. Among them Avere 385 females, of 

 which 37 bore impregnated eggs, <^stimafed at 250,000 in nTind>er. The 

 adult lobsters all died before leaching their destinati<ni, but tlie eggs 

 Avere ])lanted on the (Inlf sid<' of (lalveston Harbor breakwater, about 

 4 miles from the sIkuc. 



Other fish. — .Vfter May 23, sea bass, mackerel, stpieteague, tautog, and 

 scup eggs Avere successfully handled to the extent of seA'eral millions, 

 all of them l>eing of th(» floating character and collected from the pound 

 nets of local fishermen. 



The foUowing table exhil^its the fish-cultural Mork of the station 

 during the year: 



Kind. 



Cod 



Uo .... 



Do .... 

 n.iil.lr.ik 

 Fhitlisli . 

 Lobster . 



Scuji 



Sea b;l.SM. 



Mackerel... 

 S(niele,iigue. 

 Taiitoii 



S)iawiiiiig 

 lievio,!. 



Nov.l8-Jan.l8. 

 Fell. 2-ii! !'.'.!'.. 



Feb. Tf-Apr. 24 . . 

 A]!!-. Ki— limo i;!, 



.liiU(il4-L'l) 



Mav2:!-.Jiiue2() 



June 2-11 



.Taiio(> 



May 21-Juiie 24. 



No. of eggs 

 taken. 



, 545, 

 •G2I, 



,201, 



, rsiis, 



,848, 

 ,317, 

 443, 

 .271, 

 , illf), 

 237, 

 807, 



No. of f Vv 

 ])ro(;lucc(l. 



5,861,100 

 4 Hi, 300 

 548, 700 

 52H, 100 



4, OHO, 700 



4, .'ill, 100 

 300, 300 



3, 803, 700 

 (i8S, 700 

 227, 000 

 732, 200 



Average 

 No. lioiirs 

 ha telling. 



573 

 83 



104 

 90 

 (>5 

 87 



Teni|>era- 

 tiire. 



47° to 35° 



37'^ 



fiO'^ 



Oli^ 



.56° 



59= 



46° 

 G2H° 

 C2i° 

 04° 



op 



003 



64° 



'From Gloucester Station. 



