﻿172 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  parts 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  clam 
  {Mya 
  arenaria)^ 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  thrived, 
  and 
  

   as 
  the 
  clam 
  is 
  comparatively 
  abundant 
  in 
  Narragansett 
  Ba}^ 
  this 
  was 
  

   the 
  staple 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  experiments 
  at 
  Wickford 
  in 
  both 
  1900 
  and 
  

  

  1901. 
  Clams 
  were 
  so 
  scarce 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Woods 
  Hole, 
  however, 
  

   and 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  procuring 
  them 
  from 
  other 
  localities 
  was 
  so 
  great, 
  

   that 
  an 
  economical 
  substitute 
  was 
  sought. 
  The 
  digestive 
  glands 
  of 
  

   starfish, 
  soft 
  parts 
  of 
  sea-urchins, 
  the 
  common 
  mussels, 
  and 
  several 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  fish 
  were 
  tried, 
  but 
  all 
  were 
  refused 
  by 
  the 
  fry. 
  At 
  last 
  was 
  

   discovered 
  a 
  food 
  which 
  attracted 
  them 
  — 
  the 
  oily 
  flesh 
  of 
  the 
  men- 
  

   haden 
  — 
  and 
  as 
  these 
  fish 
  were 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  traps 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  in 
  

  

  1902, 
  the 
  food 
  supply 
  was 
  pi-actically 
  unlimited 
  for 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  

   season. 
  The 
  flesh 
  of 
  the 
  menhaden 
  is 
  so 
  saturated 
  with 
  oil 
  that 
  it 
  

   does 
  not 
  sink 
  quickly. 
  The 
  fish 
  were 
  run 
  through 
  an 
  ordinary 
  meat 
  

   grinder, 
  still 
  further 
  triturated 
  by 
  a 
  vigorous 
  stirring, 
  and 
  then 
  poured 
  

   into 
  the 
  bags. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  staple 
  food 
  throughout 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  amount 
  of 
  food 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  item, 
  and 
  should 
  receive 
  careful 
  

   attention. 
  As 
  stated 
  above, 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  put 
  in 
  the 
  bag 
  more 
  

   food 
  than 
  can 
  actually 
  be 
  eaten. 
  In 
  the 
  earlier 
  experiments 
  this 
  

   excess 
  sank 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  inclosure, 
  quickly 
  decomposed, 
  and 
  

   fouled 
  the 
  water. 
  The 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  stirring 
  device, 
  however, 
  

   corrected 
  this, 
  and 
  greatly 
  facilitated 
  the 
  feeding 
  of 
  the 
  fry. 
  The 
  

   current 
  of 
  water 
  lifted 
  the 
  food, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  lobsters, 
  from 
  the 
  bottom, 
  

   and 
  kept 
  them 
  in 
  constant 
  circulation. 
  

  

  During 
  1902 
  the 
  fry 
  were 
  fed 
  twice 
  a 
  day 
  (morning 
  and 
  night), 
  a 
  

   small 
  teacupful 
  of 
  the 
  shredded 
  menhaden 
  being 
  giVen 
  to 
  each 
  bag, 
  

   i. 
  e., 
  to 
  about 
  5,000 
  fry. 
  As 
  the 
  fry 
  develop 
  they 
  need 
  proportionally 
  

   more 
  food. 
  There 
  is 
  little 
  danger 
  of 
  overfeeding. 
  

  

  ENEMIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  YOUNG. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  seem 
  at 
  first 
  glance 
  that 
  the 
  hatching 
  and 
  releasing 
  annu- 
  

   ally 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  millions 
  of 
  lobster 
  fry 
  must 
  accomplish 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  

   toward 
  restocking 
  our 
  waters. 
  No 
  doubt 
  such 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  if 
  it 
  

   were 
  not 
  for 
  the 
  many 
  dangers 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  young 
  lobster 
  is 
  subjected, 
  

   particularly 
  during 
  its 
  larval 
  existence. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  destructive 
  natural 
  enemies 
  are 
  the 
  small 
  fish, 
  such 
  as 
  

   cunners, 
  minnows, 
  tautog, 
  etc., 
  which 
  are 
  so 
  numerous 
  along 
  our 
  

   shores. 
  The 
  light-colored 
  newly 
  hatched 
  larva 
  is 
  a 
  tempting 
  morsel 
  

   to 
  these 
  fishes, 
  and 
  they 
  doubtless 
  are 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  immediate 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  thousands 
  of 
  fry 
  liberated 
  by 
  the 
  hatcheries. 
  To 
  be 
  

   convinced 
  of 
  this 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  necessar}^ 
  to 
  observe 
  when 
  a 
  few 
  thousand 
  

   are 
  released 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole, 
  for 
  instance. 
  During 
  1902, 
  frequently 
  

   30 
  to 
  50 
  minnows 
  and 
  cunners 
  were 
  counted 
  around 
  a 
  single 
  bag 
  that 
  

   was 
  being 
  emptied, 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  quick 
  to 
  pick 
  up 
  the 
  living 
  fry 
  

   before 
  touching 
  the 
  dead. 
  In 
  one 
  instance, 
  a 
  single 
  mummichog 
  

  

  