﻿104 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  commissionp:r 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  fisheries. 
  

  

  The 
  cod 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  Ocean 
  is 
  found 
  from 
  Bering 
  Sea 
  south 
  to 
  

   Oregon 
  and 
  Japan. 
  

  

  The 
  movements 
  of 
  cod 
  are 
  not 
  well 
  understood. 
  They 
  go 
  in 
  schools, 
  

   but 
  in 
  much 
  less 
  dense 
  bodies 
  than 
  do 
  mackerel, 
  herring, 
  and 
  men- 
  

   haden, 
  and 
  when 
  moving 
  from 
  one 
  ground 
  to 
  another 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  more 
  

   compact 
  schools 
  than 
  when 
  on 
  the 
  feeding-grounds. 
  Tlie 
  movements 
  

   on 
  and 
  ofl" 
  shore 
  and 
  from 
  bank 
  to 
  bank 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  several 
  causes, 
  

   among 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  water 
  temperature, 
  the 
  presence 
  or 
  

   absence 
  of 
  food, 
  and 
  the 
  si^awning 
  instinct. 
  In 
  the 
  winter 
  months 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  well-marked 
  movement 
  of 
  large 
  bodies 
  of 
  codfish 
  to 
  the 
  

   shores 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  and 
  Middle 
  States, 
  and 
  important 
  fisheries 
  

   are 
  there 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  regions 
  from 
  which 
  cod 
  are 
  absent 
  at 
  other 
  

   times. 
  This 
  movement 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  chiefly 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  finding 
  

   shallow 
  grounds 
  for 
  spawning. 
  That 
  the 
  cod 
  sometimes 
  makes 
  very 
  

   long 
  journeys 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  their 
  capture 
  on 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  coast 
  

   with 
  peculiar 
  hooks 
  in 
  their 
  bodies 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  identified 
  as 
  

   similar 
  to 
  the 
  hooks 
  employed 
  by 
  the 
  French 
  cod 
  fishermen 
  on 
  the 
  

   Grand 
  Banks. 
  

  

  Although 
  sometimes 
  found 
  in 
  shallow 
  water, 
  cod 
  are 
  essentially 
  deep- 
  

   water 
  fish, 
  preferring 
  water 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  70 
  fathoms 
  deei) 
  and 
  being 
  

   found 
  even 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  300 
  fathoms. 
  Those 
  caught 
  for 
  market 
  are 
  

   usually 
  taken 
  at 
  depths 
  of 
  20 
  to 
  40 
  fathoms. 
  

  

  The 
  cod 
  takes 
  its 
  food 
  on 
  the 
  bottom, 
  at 
  the 
  surface, 
  or 
  at 
  intermediate 
  

   points. 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  omnivorous 
  and 
  extremely 
  voracious 
  feeder, 
  consuming 
  

   all 
  marine 
  animals 
  of 
  suitable 
  size. 
  Favorite 
  articles 
  are 
  bivalve 
  

   moUusks, 
  crabs, 
  lobsters, 
  starfish, 
  and 
  fish. 
  Among 
  the 
  fish 
  consumed 
  

   in 
  large 
  quantities 
  are 
  capelin. 
  Lint, 
  herring, 
  alewives, 
  menhaden, 
  

   mackerel, 
  and 
  haddock, 
  although 
  many 
  others 
  are 
  also 
  eaten. 
  The 
  

   abundance 
  and 
  movements 
  of 
  such 
  fish 
  have 
  an 
  imi)ortant 
  relation 
  to 
  

   the 
  presence 
  and 
  abundance 
  of 
  cod 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  region. 
  

  

  WEIGHT 
  AND 
  aKOWTH 
  OF 
  COD. 
  

  

  The 
  largest 
  cod 
  recorded 
  from 
  New 
  England 
  waters 
  weighed 
  211i 
  

   pounds 
  and 
  was 
  over 
  G 
  feet 
  long; 
  it 
  was 
  taken 
  on 
  a 
  trawl 
  off 
  the 
  

   northern 
  Massachusetts 
  coast 
  in 
  May, 
  1895. 
  The 
  capture 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  

   weighing 
  from 
  100 
  to 
  175 
  pounds 
  could 
  be 
  cited, 
  but 
  those 
  exceeding 
  100 
  

   I)ounds 
  in 
  weight 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  common, 
  and 
  even 
  75-pound 
  cod 
  are 
  

   not 
  numerous. 
  The 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  large-size 
  cod 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  

   shore 
  waters 
  of 
  New 
  England 
  is 
  about 
  35 
  pounds; 
  on 
  Georges 
  Bank, 
  

   25 
  pounds; 
  on 
  the 
  Grand 
  Banks 
  and 
  other 
  eastern 
  grounds, 
  20 
  pounds; 
  

   the 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  small-size 
  fish 
  caught 
  on 
  all 
  these 
  grounds 
  is 
  

   about 
  12 
  i)ounds. 
  

  

  Observations 
  in 
  Massachusetts 
  of 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  cod 
  show 
  

   that 
  those 
  1^ 
  to 
  3 
  inches 
  long 
  are 
  about 
  G 
  months 
  old; 
  those 
  to 
  13 
  

   inches 
  long, 
  and 
  weighing 
  7 
  or 
  8 
  ounces, 
  are 
  l.J 
  years 
  old 
  ; 
  those 
  18 
  inches 
  

   long, 
  and 
  weighing 
  2 
  to 
  2^ 
  pounds, 
  are 
  2^ 
  years 
  old; 
  and 
  those 
  about 
  22 
  

   inches 
  long, 
  and 
  having 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  4 
  to 
  5 
  pounds, 
  are 
  3J 
  years 
  old. 
  

  

  