204 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISII AND FISHERIES. 



taken, and the vessel returned lioine in .huie, 1891, after a cruise that 

 was not on the whole successful, althouj:')! inii)ortaiit. 



Increase of shore cod as a result of artijicial propagation. — Few sub- 

 jects that have recently come up in connection with tlie New England 

 Iislieri(^s possess greater interest and importance tlian the results 

 which have been achieved by the ])lanting by the U. S. Fish Commis- 

 sion of cod in the inshore waters of the southern Ne\V England coast 

 during 1 lie i)ast few years. Very .few of the (islienuen of tlie region had 

 much conhdence in the feasibility of this attempt to increase the sui)i)ly 

 of codfish, and they were much surprised, as well as pecuniarily bene- 

 lited, by the appearance of young cod in great abun<lance on grounds 

 on which the lish have been scarce or absent for years. Tlie tishery 

 began in 1889, when a few small vessels made good fares, one schooner 

 landing 300,000 pounds of small fish. The inquiries conducted by the 

 oflice showed that in 1890, by the last of .July, about 4,000,000 pounds 

 of small and medium sized cod were taken in the inshore waters of 

 southern New England, whicli even the most skeptical fisliermen were 

 willing to acknowledge were fish that had been artificially i)ropagated 

 at the government hatcheries at Woods IIoll and Gloucester. As a 

 result of this single fisliery over $100,000 was added to the income of 

 the fishermen, and there is reason to believe chat a permanent summer 

 tishery has been inaugurated that in-omises good returns. 



Other fishery matters. — Various other events of importance to the 

 economic fisheries during the period covered by this report at- 

 tracted more or less attention, whi(!h need auly be mentioned and 

 not discussed. Among these were the Bering Sea dispute and the 

 seizures of American and Canadian sealing vessels for violating the 

 regulations of th(i TJiiited States regarding the capture of fur seals in 

 that region, the lish paragraphs in the new tariff law and in the reci- 

 procity treaties made with countries of Central and South America, 

 the agitation of the oyster question in Maryland and Virginia, the 

 seizuies of Kiiode Island menhaden vessels for fishing in Massachusetts 

 waters in Buzzards Bay, etc. 



