Inland fisheries. 99 



expeditions have resulted in the capture of large numbers of tile- 

 fish, and the definite location of a fishing ground which may de- 

 velop an industry of great importance. The exact location of this 

 tile-fish ground is indicated on an accompanying chart. 



As is well known, a cold Arctic current flows westward between 

 our coast and the Gulf Stream, and it is in this colder and shallow 

 water that the cod and haddock fisheries are largely carried on. 

 The Gulf Stream as it approaches the north is deflected from our 

 shores by this Arctic current, and its deeper waters are also 

 deflected by the steep bank of the continental plateau. The 

 bottom in this neighborhood drops off very rapidly to a great 

 depth, where the water becomes excessively cold. There is thus 

 left on the upper edge of this bank a band of water, brought by 

 the Gulf Stream from the south, which is both very much warmer 

 than the shallow water lying immediately on the north and the 

 deeper water lying on the south. It is in this narrow band of the 

 sea bottom that the tile-fish, a tropical animal, finds an abundance 

 of food, and it occurs in great numbers. 



The following is a brief history of a fish which promises to 

 become of great economic importance to our State. 



ON THE EEAPPEAEANCE OF THE TILE-FISH.^ 



{Lopliolat'das eliaitvdeon tlceps. ) 



During March and April, 1882, the presence on the surface of 

 the ocean of large numbers of dead tile-fish gave rise to cons^ider- 

 able discussion in scientific journals, and frequent allusions have 

 since been made in text-books, and elsewhere, to this phenomenon 

 as illustrating the elimination of a species in recent times by 

 purely natural agents. The reappearance of the fish in abundance 

 in its original locality is, therefore, of considerable biological 

 interest. 



* [Bepriuted from Science, N. S. , Vol. VIII, No. 200, Pages 576-578, October 

 28, 1898.] 



