66 



REPORT OF COMMISSIONER <)F FislI AND FISHERIES. 



piiiicipally in tli<' licadwateis of tlie Delaware River. In addition, 

 3,054,000 eggs were trtiusterred t<» the land station, for lark of .space, 

 and 15,(KK) forwarded to IF. IT. Fields, Mu.senni of Coniparative Zoology, 

 Cambridge, JNIass., for biological study. 



The Gloucester IVnnt seine afforded 2,488,000 eggs, wliicli produced 

 81 ])er cent in fry; Faunce's seine, 10,r»(»(),0()0 eggs, wliieli ])roduced 70 

 per cent in fry; and Howell Cove seme, L*0,.S(!1,000, which yielded (m 

 per cent in fry. The number of days when eggs were obtainable from 

 these seines was lli, 14, and 17, respectively. More than 1,000,000 eggs 

 per day were i>ro(aired during live days at Faunce's; at Howell Cove 

 more than 1,000,000 a day for five days and more than 2,000,000 a day 

 during five other days. The average ]»roduction of eggs to each fish 

 was 49,000, which is largely in excess of the yield at the Susciuehanna 

 and Potomac river stations. 



1890-91. 



On June 17, 1891, operations were commenced in the propagation of 

 Spanish mackerel, the locality selected being Cape Charles, Virginia, 

 At the end of the fiscal year covered by this report, June 30, 1891, the 

 work was in progress, the results to that date being embodie<l in tab- 

 ular form. Subsequently, 1,304,000 eggs were obtained. These were 

 collected on sixteen days between July 7 and 30, the fry produced and 

 liberated therefrom being 410,000. The total eggs obtained were 

 2,494,000 and the total output of fry 770,000. 



The ova were derived from adults taken in trap nets, which were 

 regularly used in market fishing. The most forward eggs ]>roduced 

 fry in 21. i hours, the longest period of hatching being 32^ hours, and 

 the average i>eriod about 20 hours. The fry were released in Ches- 

 apeake Bay. 



Table showiiiff opera flonH in. the propaf/ailon of ihe Spanish marlercl. 



