﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FiSH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XLI 
  

  

  Several 
  times 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  taxed 
  

   to 
  its 
  utmost, 
  and 
  on 
  two 
  occasions 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  necessary 
  to 
  transfer 
  

   eggs 
  to 
  other 
  stations. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  jar, 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  appa- 
  

   ratus, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Setli 
  Green 
  boxes, 
  tidal 
  boxes, 
  and 
  aquaria, 
  were 
  

   employed 
  temporarily 
  in 
  hatching. 
  

  

  The 
  shad 
  work 
  was 
  discontinued 
  on 
  June 
  14 
  and 
  the 
  vessel 
  pro- 
  

   ceeded 
  to 
  Woods 
  Hole, 
  arriving 
  there 
  June 
  16. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  intention 
  to 
  

   remain 
  here 
  for 
  a 
  time, 
  to 
  cooperate 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  niockerel 
  eggs 
  

   near 
  Edgartown, 
  but 
  after 
  waiting 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  and 
  failing 
  to 
  secure 
  

   auy 
  eggs 
  she 
  proceeded 
  on 
  June 
  24 
  to 
  Casco 
  Bay 
  and 
  anchored 
  in 
  Orr 
  

   Island 
  Harbor. 
  This 
  location 
  was 
  selected 
  as 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  operations 
  

   on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  being 
  the 
  headquarters 
  of 
  the 
  mackerel 
  fishermen; 
  it 
  

   was 
  also 
  in 
  easy 
  communication 
  with 
  Portland, 
  where 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   lobsters 
  are 
  collected. 
  Arrangements 
  were 
  at 
  once 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  spawn- 
  

   takers 
  to 
  attend 
  the 
  pound 
  nets 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  and 
  to 
  accompany 
  the 
  

   drag-net 
  tishermen 
  regularly 
  on 
  their 
  trips. 
  The 
  weather 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  

   was 
  so 
  bad 
  that 
  the 
  drag-netters 
  were 
  often 
  prevented 
  from 
  going 
  out, 
  

   and 
  on 
  July 
  13 
  a 
  southwesterly 
  gale 
  completely 
  wrecked 
  the 
  pounds 
  at 
  

   two 
  of 
  the 
  tislieiies. 
  As 
  a 
  result 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  mackerel 
  eggs 
  

   secured 
  amounted 
  to 
  only 
  999,880, 
  most 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  

   pounds 
  on 
  Jaquish 
  Island. 
  The 
  period 
  of 
  collection 
  extended 
  from 
  

   June 
  25 
  to 
  July 
  8. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  difficulties 
  experienced 
  the 
  i)ast 
  season 
  in 
  hatching 
  

   eggs 
  of 
  the 
  mackerel. 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  P. 
  Moore 
  was 
  employed 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  special 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  egg, 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  to 
  suggesting 
  some 
  

   practical 
  improvements 
  in 
  the 
  hatching 
  methods. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  hatching 
  processes 
  

   experimented 
  with 
  : 
  Increase 
  of 
  density 
  from 
  the 
  normal 
  1.0224 
  to 
  1.0252 
  

   by 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  salt; 
  floating 
  box 
  in 
  supply 
  tank; 
  McDonald 
  jar 
  

   with 
  supply 
  covered; 
  inverted 
  cod-jar 
  with 
  tidal 
  flow; 
  jar 
  with 
  bottom 
  

   feed 
  aud 
  cheese-cloth 
  top; 
  jar 
  containing 
  salt 
  water 
  to 
  which 
  new 
  water 
  

   was 
  added 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time; 
  and, 
  finally, 
  the 
  tidal-box 
  system. 
  There 
  

   appeared 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  marked 
  improvement 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  methods 
  over 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  tidal-box 
  system, 
  which 
  last 
  year 
  hatched 
  over 
  70 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  

   one 
  instance. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  could 
  be 
  observed 
  the 
  difficulty 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  

   with 
  the 
  egg 
  and 
  not 
  with 
  the 
  hatching 
  apparatus. 
  Many 
  fish 
  were 
  

   found 
  to 
  be 
  spent 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  operations, 
  and 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  found 
  in 
  all 
  stages 
  of 
  development 
  throughout 
  the 
  season. 
  At 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  July 
  fish 
  were 
  noticed 
  that 
  had 
  not 
  yet 
  spawned. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  

   difliculty 
  in 
  fertilizing 
  the 
  eggs, 
  as 
  all 
  taken 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  impregnated. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  been 
  stated 
  in 
  previous 
  reports 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  lacked 
  sufficient 
  

   vitality 
  to 
  produce 
  healthy 
  fry, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  good 
  

   eggs 
  were 
  given 
  up 
  while 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  endeavoring 
  to 
  escape 
  from 
  the 
  

   net. 
  Nothing 
  occurred 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  to 
  disprove 
  this, 
  but 
  from 
  

   further 
  investigations 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  

   nmckerel 
  spawn 
  offshore. 
  This 
  view 
  is 
  substantiated 
  by 
  the 
  condition 
  

   of 
  the 
  fish 
  when 
  taken, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  only 
  with 
  offshore 
  winds 
  

  

  