﻿196 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  catch 
  in 
  recent 
  years 
  is 
  about 
  $3,000,000, 
  a 
  sum 
  representing 
  the 
  first 
  

   value 
  of 
  the 
  fish. 
  Tlie 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  as 
  lauded 
  from 
  the 
  vessels 
  

   (fresh^ 
  split, 
  and 
  salted) 
  is 
  about 
  1(>0,000,000 
  pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  cod 
  fishery 
  is 
  prosecuted 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  coastal 
  States 
  from 
  Maine 
  

   to 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  being 
  most 
  imx^ortant 
  in 
  Massachusetts 
  and 
  Maine. 
  

   Gloucester 
  and 
  Boston 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  fishing 
  centers. 
  On 
  the 
  

   Pacific 
  coast 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  fishery 
  in 
  Alaska, 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  San 
  

   Francisco 
  vessels. 
  

  

  Cod 
  are 
  taken 
  with 
  hand 
  and 
  trawl 
  lines, 
  baited 
  with 
  fish, 
  squid, 
  etc., 
  

   and 
  fished 
  from 
  small 
  boats 
  or 
  the 
  vessel's 
  deck. 
  The 
  jirincipal 
  grounds 
  

   in 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  are 
  the 
  famous 
  "banks" 
  — 
  Grand, 
  Georges, 
  Western, 
  

   Quereau, 
  etc. 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  the 
  Shumagin 
  Islands 
  are 
  the 
  chief 
  

   grounds. 
  Small 
  quantities 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  traps 
  at 
  places 
  on 
  the 
  New 
  

   England 
  shore. 
  

  

  ARTIFICIAL 
  PROPAGATION. 
  

  

  The 
  cod 
  is 
  propagated 
  artificially 
  on 
  a 
  more 
  extensive 
  scale 
  than 
  

   any 
  other 
  marine 
  fish. 
  Artificial 
  hatching 
  was 
  first 
  undertaken 
  at 
  

   Gloucester, 
  Massachusetts, 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1878-79, 
  and 
  has 
  since 
  been 
  

   regularly 
  prosecuted 
  on 
  an 
  increasingly 
  large 
  scale 
  at 
  both 
  Gloucester 
  

   and 
  Woods 
  Hole. 
  Up 
  to 
  and 
  including 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1896-97, 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  cod 
  fry 
  liberated 
  by 
  the 
  Commission 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  was 
  

   449,701,000. 
  The 
  output 
  of 
  fry 
  in 
  the 
  last-named 
  year 
  was 
  98,000,000. 
  

   The 
  unmistakable 
  economic 
  results 
  which 
  have 
  attended 
  these 
  eflbrts 
  

   warrant 
  all 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  money 
  devoted 
  to 
  them 
  and 
  justify 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   possible 
  expansion 
  of 
  the 
  work. 
  

  

  COLLECTING 
  EGGS 
  ON 
  THE 
  FISHING-GROUNDS. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  methods 
  are 
  pursued 
  in 
  collecting 
  cod 
  eggs 
  for 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  station 
  at 
  Gloucester. 
  

  

  As 
  cod 
  are 
  abundant 
  in 
  Ipswich 
  Bay 
  during 
  the 
  winter, 
  vessels 
  from 
  

   Gloucester, 
  varying 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  70 
  tons, 
  engage 
  in 
  fishing 
  there, 
  

   starting 
  from 
  Kittery 
  Point, 
  Maine, 
  or 
  Portsmouth, 
  New 
  Hampshire, 
  

   where 
  they 
  market 
  their 
  catch, 
  secure 
  bait, 
  and 
  obtain 
  supplies. 
  At 
  

   the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  cod 
  season 
  (which 
  usually 
  oi)ens 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  

   to 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  November) 
  arrangements 
  for 
  the 
  board 
  of 
  the 
  men, 
  dory 
  

   and 
  building 
  hire, 
  transportation 
  of 
  eggs, 
  etc., 
  are 
  made 
  with 
  persons 
  

   at 
  Kittery 
  Point 
  and 
  i^ermission 
  to 
  place 
  spawn-takers 
  aboard 
  the 
  

   fishing 
  vessels 
  is 
  obtained, 
  with 
  the 
  understanding 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  take 
  eggs 
  from 
  the 
  fish 
  secured, 
  that 
  they 
  be 
  given 
  the 
  

   freedom 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  i)roperly 
  care 
  for 
  the 
  eggs, 
  and 
  that 
  

   no 
  charges 
  be 
  made 
  against 
  the 
  Commission 
  except 
  that 
  25 
  cents 
  be 
  

   paid 
  for 
  each 
  meal 
  furnished 
  the 
  spawn-takers. 
  After 
  these 
  arraaige- 
  

   ments 
  are 
  made 
  the 
  men 
  are 
  directed 
  to 
  board 
  such 
  of 
  the 
  fleet 
  as 
  are 
  

   at 
  the 
  time 
  meeting 
  with 
  the 
  best 
  fishing, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  not 
  of 
  

   uniform 
  abundance 
  in 
  the 
  bay 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  keep 
  a 
  vigilant 
  watch 
  

   on 
  each 
  vessel's 
  catch 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  landed, 
  daily, 
  to 
  know 
  where 
  to 
  place 
  

   the 
  spawn-takers 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  advantage. 
  

  

  