28 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
a large percentage of fry of good quality. Again in June, 1916, a 
few million mackerel eggs were collected, and these were in course of 
incubation at the end of the fiscal year. 
Pollock work at the Gloucester station was taken up November 1, 
the crew of the Grampus and several temporary spawn takers being 
assigned to make egg collections from gill-net fishermen operating in 
the vicinity of Cape Ann. Up to the middle of December the supply 
of eggs was merely normal, but during the last half of the month and 
all during January the daily receipts were heavy, often exceeding 
75,000,000, and on one occasion 129,000,000 were secured. These 
enormous daily collections several times filled the hatchery to over- 
flowing and left a large surplus stock to be otherwise disposed of. 
The spawning season extended from November 1 to February 17, 
and the aggregate collections amounted to 1,713,730,000, of which 
126,000,000 were sent to Boothbay Harbor station for incubation 
and 335,620,000, for want of hatching facilities, were planted in the 
open sea off Gloucester. The eggs incubated at the station produced 
752,040,000 fry. 
Commercial fishermen began operating for cod in fiélds adjacent to 
the Gloucester station in January, but no ripe eggs were secured 
until February 10. The bulk of the season’s collections, which were 
materially larger than in the past two years, was obtained in March 
and the first week in April. In the second week of April, when ripe 
fish were still plentiful, the spawning season was brought to a sudden 
close by heavy spring freshets, which caused the surface water all 
along Ne shore, and Fors 15 to 20 miles out, to become quite fresh. 
The total number of eggs obtained was 145,630,000, from which 
there was a hatch of 94,550,000 fry. 
From fyke nets operated near the outer harbor at Gloucester in late 
- winter a sufficient number of gravid flatfish were obtained to yield 
219,610,000 eggs, and from them 200,680,000 fry were hatched. 
The haddock fishing season began several weeks later than usual, 
causing an unusually short egg-collecting period. Between April 12 
and May 5, 36,720,000 eggs were secured from the gill-net fisheries off 
Cape Ann, which number produced 22,170,000 fry for distribution. 
The scarcity of egg-bearing lobsters within the reach of the 
Gloucester station and the unfavorable conditions attending the col- 
lection of brood lobsters and their eggs have had the effect of practi- 
cally suspending lobster hatching at this point. In the fall of 1915 
an experimental lot of 21 ege-bearing ishuees was purchased and 
placed in a live car to be carried through the winter. hen removed 
therefrom about the middle of May, only 16 specimens were alive. 
These yielded 210,000 eggs, which, with 320,000 additional eggs pur- 
chased during the spring, represented the entire supply of the 
hatchery. 
Tn view of the small results attained at the Woods Hole station in 
recent years in collecting cod eggs from the fishermen operating in 
Cape Cod Bay, it was decided to discontinue the operations there ~ 
and rely solely upon brood cod obtained from commercial fishermen. 
Arrangements were accordingly made to prosecute this work on an 
extended scale, and the spawning inclosure provided for the purpose 
was stocked during November with 3,100 brood fish, a larger number 
by 700 than had heretofore been held therein. The fish were of 
exceptionally fine quality and the mortality was negligible. Eggs 
