﻿REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XXXVII 
  

  

  lobsters 
  from 
  the 
  fishermen 
  operating 
  between 
  Green 
  Harbor 
  and 
  Ship 
  

   Pond, 
  including 
  Duxbury, 
  Kingston 
  Bay, 
  and 
  Plymouth 
  Harbor. 
  This 
  

   territory 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  disappointing, 
  as 
  the 
  entire 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   received 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  April, 
  May, 
  and 
  June 
  amounted 
  to 
  only 
  

   5,335,000. 
  Collections 
  were 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  usual 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   Woods 
  Hole, 
  and 
  steps 
  were 
  also 
  taken 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  egg 
  lobsters 
  cap- 
  

   tured 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Block 
  Island 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  Connecti(;ut 
  coast, 
  

   a 
  small 
  smack 
  being 
  chartered 
  for 
  the 
  jjurpose 
  of 
  bringing 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  

   station 
  and 
  trans^jorting 
  the 
  fry 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  spawning-grounds. 
  Tho 
  

   lobsters 
  brought 
  in 
  by 
  the 
  smack 
  were 
  much 
  larger 
  than 
  those 
  obtained 
  

   from 
  the 
  other 
  points, 
  hence 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  eggs 
  per 
  lobster 
  was 
  greater. 
  

   All 
  of 
  the 
  adults 
  handled 
  were 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  waters 
  after 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   had 
  been 
  stripped. 
  The 
  eggs 
  were 
  handled 
  in 
  the 
  universal 
  hatching- 
  

   jar, 
  and 
  the 
  losses 
  were 
  comparatively 
  light, 
  the 
  total 
  take 
  of 
  74,152,000 
  

   yielding 
  04,419,000 
  fry. 
  The 
  planting 
  of 
  the 
  fry 
  was 
  commenced 
  on 
  

   May 
  19, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  several 
  shipments 
  were 
  sent 
  by 
  rail 
  to 
  

   Plymouth 
  and 
  Provincetown, 
  being 
  carried 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  transporta- 
  

   tion 
  can 
  without 
  serious 
  losses. 
  The 
  last 
  deposit 
  was 
  made 
  on 
  July 
  13. 
  

   Experiments 
  were 
  tried 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  in 
  holding 
  

   and 
  feeding 
  young 
  lobsters 
  in 
  hatching-boxes 
  containing 
  sand, 
  gravel, 
  

   stones, 
  and 
  vegetable 
  life. 
  Collections 
  of 
  crustaceans 
  and 
  copepods 
  

   were 
  made 
  daily, 
  and 
  microscopical 
  examinations 
  showed 
  that 
  these, 
  

   together 
  with 
  some 
  vegetable 
  life, 
  formed 
  their 
  principal 
  food. 
  In 
  only 
  

   a 
  few 
  instances 
  was 
  cannibalism 
  observed. 
  

  

  Maclierel. 
  — 
  During 
  May 
  and 
  June 
  efforts 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  collect 
  mack- 
  

   erel 
  eggs 
  from 
  fish 
  caught 
  in 
  pound 
  nets 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  station, 
  

   but 
  no 
  ripe 
  ones 
  were 
  captured, 
  though 
  the 
  nets 
  were 
  visited 
  daily 
  from 
  

   June 
  10 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  month. 
  Spawn-takers 
  sent 
  to 
  Edgartown 
  to 
  

   make 
  collections 
  from 
  the 
  hand-line 
  fishermen 
  reported 
  that 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  

   female 
  mackerel 
  were 
  either 
  spent 
  or 
  unripe, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  eggs 
  received 
  

   were 
  several 
  small 
  shipments, 
  aggregating 
  153,000, 
  sent 
  by 
  the 
  spawn- 
  

   taker 
  stationed 
  at 
  Barnstable, 
  ]\lass. 
  These 
  were 
  collected 
  between 
  

   June 
  19 
  and 
  26, 
  and 
  Avere 
  forwarded 
  to 
  the 
  station 
  in 
  Mason 
  jars, 
  packed 
  

   in 
  an 
  ordinary 
  transportation 
  can 
  partly 
  filled 
  with 
  ice 
  water. 
  They 
  

   were 
  apparently 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  when 
  received, 
  but 
  died 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  

   day, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  change 
  in 
  temi)erature 
  affected 
  them, 
  as 
  

   the 
  water 
  inshore 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  packed 
  was 
  G° 
  higher 
  than 
  that 
  at 
  

   the 
  point 
  of 
  collection. 
  

  

  Sea 
  hass. 
  — 
  Efforts 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  secure 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  bass 
  in 
  con- 
  

   nection 
  with 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  mackeral 
  eggs, 
  but 
  only 
  two 
  ripe 
  fish 
  were 
  

   found. 
  The 
  241,000 
  eggs 
  obtained 
  from 
  these 
  produced 
  193,000 
  fry, 
  

   which 
  were 
  planted 
  in 
  Vineyard 
  Sound. 
  As 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  these 
  

   fish 
  are 
  usually 
  taken 
  off 
  Cotuit 
  and 
  Hyanuis 
  by 
  hand-line 
  fishermen 
  

   a 
  spawn-taker 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  those 
  points, 
  but 
  he 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  fishery 
  

   had 
  been 
  abandoned 
  before 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  season. 
  

  

  Tautog. 
  — 
  At 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  of 
  this 
  fish 
  arrange- 
  

   ments 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  continuing 
  the 
  work 
  begun 
  last 
  season, 
  and 
  on 
  

  

  