﻿84 
  

  

  EEPOKT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONEE 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  TILE-FISH. 
  

  

  The 
  recent 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  have 
  had 
  references 
  to 
  

   the 
  abundance 
  of 
  tile-fish 
  {Lopholatilus 
  chamseleonticeps) 
  off 
  the 
  south- 
  

   ern 
  New 
  England 
  and 
  Middle 
  Atlantic 
  coast, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  efforts 
  of 
  this 
  

   bureau 
  to 
  create 
  a 
  demand 
  for 
  the 
  fish 
  that 
  would 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  establish- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  a 
  fishery. 
  The 
  numerous 
  requests 
  for 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  wholesale 
  

   and 
  retail 
  fresh-fish 
  dealers 
  and 
  from 
  curers, 
  who 
  were 
  desirous 
  of 
  

   making 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  the 
  edible 
  qualities 
  of 
  this 
  fish, 
  induced 
  

   the 
  Commission 
  to 
  undertake 
  to 
  obtain 
  another 
  supply 
  for 
  gratuitous 
  

   distribution. 
  Accordingl}^, 
  the 
  schooner 
  Grampus^ 
  sailing 
  from 
  Woods 
  

   Hole 
  on 
  July 
  30, 
  1902, 
  made 
  a 
  short 
  trip 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  easily 
  reached 
  

   grounds. 
  On 
  July 
  31, 
  76 
  miles 
  SE. 
  by 
  S. 
  of 
  No 
  Mans 
  Land, 
  in 
  lati- 
  

   tude 
  40° 
  10' 
  45" 
  W. 
  and 
  longitude 
  70° 
  20' 
  30" 
  N., 
  the 
  fishing 
  trials 
  were 
  

   made, 
  five 
  lots 
  of 
  trawls 
  being 
  set 
  about 
  the 
  vessel, 
  in 
  water 
  65 
  fath- 
  

   oms 
  deep. 
  Fresh 
  menhaden 
  and 
  frozen 
  squid 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  bait, 
  the 
  

   former 
  appearing 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  better. 
  The 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  were 
  as 
  

   follows, 
  the 
  trawls 
  being 
  left 
  down 
  two 
  hours: 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  fish 
  caught 
  was 
  474, 
  ranging 
  in 
  weight 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  40 
  

   pounds, 
  and 
  the 
  aggregate 
  weight 
  was 
  estimated 
  to 
  be 
  l)etween 
  7,000 
  

   and 
  8,000 
  pounds. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  largest 
  catch 
  of 
  tile-fish 
  ever 
  made, 
  

   and, 
  considering 
  the 
  very 
  short 
  time 
  the 
  trawls 
  Avere 
  left 
  down, 
  the 
  

   trials 
  confirm 
  the 
  previous 
  indications 
  of 
  the 
  remarkable 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   this 
  species. 
  A 
  vessel 
  equipped 
  with 
  the 
  fishing 
  gear 
  of 
  the 
  Boston 
  

   and 
  Gloucester 
  fresh-fish 
  fleet 
  should 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  take 
  50,000 
  pounds 
  in 
  

   a 
  day's 
  fishing. 
  

  

  The 
  fish 
  were 
  landed 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  and 
  shipped 
  in 
  ice 
  in 
  small 
  lots 
  

   to 
  many 
  well-known 
  firms 
  in 
  Gloucester, 
  Boston, 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  

   elsewhere, 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  distributed 
  to 
  hotels, 
  clubs, 
  and 
  private 
  

   customers. 
  Enough 
  has 
  probably 
  been 
  published 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  general 
  

   sentiment 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  edible 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  tile-fish, 
  but 
  the 
  following 
  

   information 
  and 
  special 
  opinions 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  market 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  

   year's 
  catch 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  without 
  practical 
  interest: 
  

  

  Thirty 
  fish 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Boston 
  Fish 
  Bureau. 
  The 
  secretary 
  

   reported 
  that 
  the 
  fisli 
  were 
  held 
  to 
  be 
  good 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  members 
  IjeUeved 
  there 
  was 
  

   a 
  satisfactory 
  market 
  for 
  them. 
  One 
  member 
  thought 
  the 
  fish 
  tasted 
  Hke 
  the 
  red 
  

   snapper 
  and 
  another 
  said 
  it 
  greatly 
  resembled 
  the 
  striped 
  bass 
  in 
  flavor. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  A. 
  F. 
  Rich, 
  wholesale 
  fish 
  dealer 
  and 
  commission 
  merchant, 
  of 
  Boston, 
  received 
  

   126 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  "disposed 
  of 
  them 
  among 
  several 
  fish 
  markets, 
  charging 
  them 
  

   5 
  cents 
  a 
  pound, 
  and 
  they 
  sold 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  at 
  a 
  profit 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  asking 
  for 
  more." 
  

  

  