﻿MANUAL 
  OF 
  FISH-CULTURE. 
  195 
  

  

  sPAWNma. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  spawning 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  cod 
  on 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  coast 
  

   is 
  winter, 
  but 
  the 
  season 
  begins 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  November 
  and 
  continues 
  

   until 
  April. 
  Spawning 
  fish 
  are 
  occasionally 
  caught 
  from 
  October 
  until 
  

   May. 
  The 
  spawning 
  period 
  for 
  an 
  individual 
  fish 
  is 
  greatly 
  prolonged, 
  

   and 
  probably 
  covers 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  weeks, 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  percentage 
  of 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  maturing 
  at 
  one 
  time. 
  The 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  cod 
  may 
  attain 
  

   sexual 
  maturity 
  when 
  weighing 
  only 
  3i 
  or 
  4 
  pounds. 
  The 
  ages 
  of 
  

   normal 
  fish 
  having 
  these 
  weights 
  are 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  three 
  to 
  four 
  

   years. 
  

  

  When 
  impelled 
  by 
  the 
  spawning 
  instinct, 
  the 
  cod 
  seek 
  the 
  shoal 
  

   waters 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  or 
  banks 
  in 
  schools 
  consisting 
  of 
  both 
  sexes. 
  The 
  

   female 
  is 
  less 
  active 
  than 
  the 
  male 
  at 
  this 
  period, 
  and 
  probably 
  rests 
  

   quietly 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  while 
  discharging 
  the 
  eggs. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  

   to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  sexes 
  are 
  paired 
  or 
  in 
  close 
  i)roximity 
  during 
  the 
  act 
  

   of 
  spawning. 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  it 
  seems 
  likely 
  that 
  fertilization 
  is 
  

   generally 
  accomplished 
  by 
  accidental 
  contact 
  of 
  the 
  sexual 
  products 
  

   as 
  they 
  are 
  swept 
  about 
  by 
  the 
  elements, 
  having 
  risen 
  to 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  

   surface 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  extruded. 
  

  

  The 
  cod 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  prolific 
  fishes. 
  The 
  ovaries 
  of 
  a 
  21-pound 
  

   fish 
  have 
  been 
  computed 
  to 
  contain 
  2,700,000 
  eggs, 
  and 
  a 
  75-pound 
  cod 
  

   has 
  been 
  estimated 
  to 
  have 
  9,100,000 
  eggs, 
  these 
  figures 
  being 
  deduced 
  

   by 
  careful 
  weighing 
  or 
  measuring 
  of 
  a 
  known 
  number 
  of 
  eggs. 
  The 
  

   egg 
  is 
  from 
  -^ 
  to 
  -^ 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  the 
  smallest 
  fishes 
  having 
  the 
  

   smallest 
  eggs; 
  the 
  average 
  size 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  iV 
  inch. 
  The 
  approxi- 
  

   mate 
  number 
  in 
  a 
  fluid 
  quart 
  is 
  337,000. 
  

  

  The 
  destruction 
  of 
  cod 
  eggs 
  in 
  nature 
  is 
  necessarily 
  large. 
  The 
  

   principal 
  loss 
  is 
  probably 
  through 
  failure 
  of 
  impregnation, 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   losing 
  their 
  ability 
  to 
  become 
  fertilized 
  and 
  the 
  milt 
  its 
  vitality 
  very 
  

   soon 
  after 
  being 
  thrown 
  from 
  the 
  fish. 
  Incalculable 
  numbers 
  are 
  thrown 
  

   on 
  the 
  shore 
  by 
  the 
  waves 
  and 
  there 
  die. 
  Cod 
  eggs 
  are 
  also 
  destroyed 
  

   by 
  numerous 
  animals, 
  including 
  fish, 
  birds, 
  and 
  invertebrates. 
  

  

  COMMERCIAL 
  IMPORTANCE 
  AND 
  FOOD 
  VALUE. 
  

  

  The 
  cod 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  valuable 
  of 
  all 
  food-fishes, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  ranks 
  as 
  the 
  most 
  prominent 
  commercial 
  fish. 
  In 
  the 
  

   matter 
  of 
  liersons 
  engaged, 
  vessels 
  employed, 
  capital 
  invested, 
  and 
  

   value 
  of 
  catch, 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  cod 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  is 
  more 
  extensiv^e 
  

   than 
  any 
  other 
  fishery 
  for 
  fish 
  proper.* 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  vessels 
  which 
  

   fish 
  wholly 
  for 
  cod 
  or 
  take 
  cod 
  in 
  noteworthy 
  quantities, 
  together 
  with 
  

   other 
  "ground 
  fish," 
  is 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  600, 
  of 
  over 
  25,000 
  net 
  tons 
  burden, 
  

   carrying 
  about 
  7,000 
  men, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $3,000,000, 
  besides 
  which 
  

   there 
  are 
  very 
  large 
  fisheries 
  carried 
  on 
  from 
  boats 
  and 
  small 
  vessels 
  

   of 
  less 
  than 
  5 
  tons 
  burden. 
  The 
  approximate 
  annual 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  cod 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  oyster 
  fishery 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States. 
  

  

  