﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XXXI 
  

  

  crushed 
  ice 
  or 
  snow 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  temperature 
  equable. 
  Collections 
  

   coutiuued 
  daily 
  until 
  March 
  26, 
  the 
  total 
  take 
  amounting 
  to 
  113,000,000 
  

   eggs, 
  from 
  which 
  02,305,000 
  fry 
  were 
  hatched 
  and 
  planted. 
  The 
  meteoro- 
  

   logical 
  conditions 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  were 
  much 
  more 
  favorable 
  than 
  for 
  

   several 
  years 
  previous, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  N'ovember 
  and 
  

   December, 
  when 
  63,000,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  secured, 
  from 
  which 
  45,000,000 
  fry 
  

   were 
  hatched. 
  The 
  fish 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken 
  wore 
  caught 
  

   in 
  gill 
  nets 
  and 
  in 
  trawls 
  fished 
  by 
  vessels 
  making 
  their 
  headquarters 
  

   at 
  Kittery. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  been 
  customary 
  to 
  fertilize 
  cod 
  eggs 
  by 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  

   wet 
  method, 
  but 
  this 
  year 
  the 
  dry 
  method 
  was 
  employed, 
  and 
  the 
  

   increased 
  percentage 
  of 
  fry 
  hatched 
  is 
  thought 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  due 
  to 
  that 
  

   fact. 
  This 
  percentage, 
  though 
  much 
  smaller 
  than 
  is 
  secured 
  with 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  of 
  other 
  species 
  handled 
  by 
  the 
  Commission, 
  was 
  remarkably 
  goiod 
  

   considering 
  the 
  conditions 
  under 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  taken. 
  Owing 
  to 
  

   heavy 
  storms 
  it 
  is 
  frequently 
  necessary 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  

   the 
  nets 
  for 
  several 
  days, 
  and 
  in 
  such 
  instances 
  those 
  captured 
  in 
  the 
  

   gill 
  nets 
  perish. 
  The 
  fish 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  trawl 
  nets 
  frequently 
  live 
  for 
  

   several 
  days, 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  the 
  eggs 
  secured 
  from 
  that 
  source 
  are 
  

   superior 
  to 
  those 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  gill 
  nets. 
  Where 
  the 
  fish 
  have 
  

   been 
  dead 
  only 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  customary 
  to 
  save 
  the 
  eggs, 
  and 
  though 
  

   they 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  good 
  when 
  received 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  very 
  heavy 
  losses 
  

   occur 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  apparatus 
  for 
  some 
  time. 
  The 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  losses 
  with 
  cod 
  eggs 
  occur 
  during 
  the 
  earlier 
  stages 
  of 
  develop- 
  

   ment, 
  and 
  until 
  the 
  embryo 
  is 
  well 
  formed 
  great 
  care 
  must 
  be 
  taken 
  in 
  

   handling 
  them 
  ; 
  after 
  that 
  stage 
  has 
  been 
  passed 
  they 
  are 
  quite 
  hardy 
  

   and 
  comparatively 
  few 
  are 
  lost. 
  During 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  

   the 
  temperature 
  ranged 
  from 
  47° 
  to 
  40°, 
  but 
  after 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  December 
  

   it 
  fell 
  gradually, 
  reaching 
  35° 
  on 
  January 
  15. 
  It 
  having 
  been 
  found 
  

   that 
  the 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  spawning-grounds 
  ranges 
  from 
  37° 
  to 
  38°, 
  steam 
  

   was 
  employed 
  from 
  that 
  time 
  on 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  maintaining 
  about 
  

   the 
  same 
  temperature 
  in 
  the 
  boxes. 
  

  

  The 
  experiment 
  of 
  hatching 
  eggs 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  air 
  circulation 
  in 
  the 
  

   McDonald 
  automatic 
  jar 
  was 
  again 
  tried, 
  but 
  the 
  results 
  did 
  not 
  indi- 
  

   cate 
  that 
  this 
  method 
  could 
  be 
  successfully 
  adopted. 
  The 
  temperature 
  

   of 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  jars 
  was 
  kept 
  at 
  40° 
  by 
  packing 
  them 
  in 
  salt 
  and 
  

   ice; 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  changed 
  twice 
  a 
  day 
  during 
  the 
  earlier 
  stages 
  and 
  

   more 
  frequently 
  later 
  on, 
  as 
  it 
  became 
  foul 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  time. 
  About 
  

   one-third 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  which 
  reached 
  the 
  hatching 
  point 
  were 
  hatched 
  

   in 
  the 
  jars; 
  the 
  remainder, 
  though 
  kept 
  in 
  circulation 
  for 
  several 
  days, 
  

   did 
  not 
  hatch 
  until 
  they 
  were 
  transferred 
  to 
  a 
  McDonald 
  tidal 
  box, 
  

   when 
  the 
  fry 
  appeared 
  within 
  twenty-four 
  hours, 
  being 
  strong 
  and 
  

   healthy, 
  apparently. 
  Instead 
  of 
  liberating 
  them 
  in 
  Gloucester 
  Harbor, 
  

   as 
  heretofore, 
  they 
  were 
  taken 
  out 
  in 
  a 
  sailing 
  boat 
  to 
  the 
  natural 
  

   spawning-grounds 
  in 
  Ipswich 
  Bay 
  and 
  deposited 
  at 
  the 
  i)oiut 
  of 
  collec- 
  

   tion. 
  The 
  loss 
  in 
  transportation 
  was 
  very 
  small. 
  

  

  