﻿212 
  EEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   ARTIFICIAL 
  PEOPAGATION. 
  

  

  The 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  mackerel 
  was 
  more 
  extensively 
  prose- 
  

   cuted 
  in 
  1896 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  previous 
  year. 
  The 
  long-continued 
  scarcity 
  

   of 
  mackerel 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  seemed 
  to 
  

   warrant 
  some 
  efiorts 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  

   sup])ly 
  by 
  artificial 
  means. 
  The 
  limitations 
  of 
  mackerel 
  culture 
  depend 
  

   on 
  the 
  erratic 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  season 
  or 
  on 
  a 
  given 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  and 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  securing 
  healthy 
  eggs 
  in 
  large 
  

   quantities 
  from 
  fish 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  commercial 
  fishermen. 
  During 
  the 
  

   summer 
  of 
  1896, 
  24,000,000 
  mackerel 
  eggs 
  were 
  collected. 
  The 
  work 
  

   was 
  largely 
  experimental 
  and 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  percentage 
  of 
  fry 
  was 
  hatched, 
  

   but 
  the 
  outlook 
  is 
  good 
  for 
  a 
  great 
  expansion 
  of 
  mackerel 
  propagation. 
  

  

  The 
  egg 
  of 
  the 
  mackerel 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  smallest 
  dealt 
  with 
  by 
  the 
  fish- 
  

   culturist, 
  being 
  only 
  o-q 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter. 
  Being 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  

   oil-globule, 
  it 
  floats 
  at 
  the 
  surface, 
  like 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  many 
  other 
  marine 
  

   fishes. 
  Within 
  48 
  hours 
  after 
  fertilization 
  it 
  generally 
  begins 
  to 
  sink, 
  

   remains 
  in 
  suspension 
  a 
  short 
  while, 
  and 
  then 
  falls 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  

   where 
  it 
  remains 
  until 
  hatching 
  ensues. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  inability 
  to 
  retain 
  mackerel 
  in 
  ponds 
  or 
  live-cars 
  pend- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  ripening 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  as 
  is 
  done 
  with 
  the 
  cod, 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   depend 
  for 
  the 
  egg 
  supply 
  on 
  the 
  nets 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  The 
  eggs 
  

   collected 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  are 
  secured 
  from 
  fish 
  captured 
  in 
  pound 
  nets 
  

   near 
  Chatham 
  and 
  at 
  other 
  points 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  Massachusetts 
  coast; 
  

   at 
  Gloucester 
  traps 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  furnish 
  the 
  eggs. 
  As 
  the 
  nets 
  are 
  

   usually 
  hauled 
  only 
  once 
  or 
  twice 
  a 
  day, 
  the 
  fish 
  have 
  often 
  been 
  caught 
  

   for 
  many 
  hours, 
  and 
  the 
  tender 
  eggs 
  have 
  undergone 
  considerable 
  loss 
  

   of 
  vitality; 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  direct 
  relation 
  to 
  

   the 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  the 
  fish 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  nets. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  grounds 
  for 
  collecting 
  mackerel 
  spawn 
  is 
  

   Casco 
  Bay, 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Maine. 
  Mackerel 
  are 
  taken 
  chiefly 
  in 
  drag 
  

   nets 
  set 
  about 
  4 
  o'clock 
  p. 
  m., 
  and 
  hauled 
  from 
  9 
  o'clock 
  p 
  m. 
  to 
  day- 
  

   light. 
  Eggs 
  from 
  fish 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  hauls 
  of 
  the 
  nets 
  are 
  of 
  much 
  

   better 
  quality 
  than 
  those 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  lifts. 
  

  

  In 
  collecting 
  eggs 
  from 
  pound 
  nets 
  the 
  spawn-takers 
  accompany 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  when 
  they 
  visit 
  their 
  nets 
  and 
  overhaul 
  the 
  mackerel 
  as 
  they 
  

   are 
  taken 
  into 
  the 
  boats. 
  The 
  collection 
  of 
  eggs 
  from 
  the 
  drag-net 
  

   fishermen 
  requires 
  the 
  spawn-takers 
  to 
  remain 
  on 
  the 
  fishing-grounds 
  

   from 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  until 
  the 
  next 
  morning. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  nothing 
  peculiar 
  in 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  stripping 
  the 
  fish, 
  mixing 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  and 
  milt, 
  and 
  transferring 
  the 
  eggs 
  from 
  the 
  field 
  to 
  the 
  hatch- 
  

   ery. 
  Although 
  both 
  the 
  wet 
  and 
  the 
  dry 
  methods 
  of 
  fertilization 
  have 
  

   been 
  practiced, 
  the 
  latter 
  apparently 
  gives 
  better 
  results. 
  The 
  average 
  

   number 
  of 
  eggs 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  fish 
  is 
  probably 
  about 
  40,000. 
  Three 
  

   mackerel, 
  stripped 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  in 
  1893, 
  yielded 
  434,500 
  ripe 
  eggs, 
  an 
  

   average 
  of 
  144,833 
  eggs. 
  As 
  many 
  as 
  546,000 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  

   from 
  a 
  l^-j)ound 
  fish, 
  and 
  the 
  largest 
  fish 
  i^robably 
  yield 
  fully 
  1,000,000 
  

  

  