﻿216 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  iuclemeut 
  and 
  cliaugeable 
  weather 
  occurs, 
  and 
  is 
  necessarily 
  somewhat 
  

   limited 
  in 
  extent 
  by 
  uncontrollable 
  physical 
  and 
  other 
  conditions. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  1895-96, 
  the 
  collections 
  of 
  flatfish 
  eggs 
  num- 
  

   bered 
  11,008,000, 
  which 
  yielded 
  8,472,000 
  fry; 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1896-97 
  

   84,591,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken, 
  from 
  which 
  64,095,000 
  fry 
  were 
  hatched. 
  

  

  The 
  flatfish 
  from 
  which 
  eggs 
  are 
  obtained 
  are 
  very 
  plentiful 
  during 
  

   February 
  in 
  the 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  region, 
  being 
  found 
  on 
  sandy 
  or 
  hard 
  clay 
  

   bottom, 
  and 
  taken 
  in 
  fyke 
  nets 
  set 
  in 
  water 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  14 
  feet 
  deep. 
  As 
  

   many 
  as 
  00 
  to 
  70 
  fish 
  are 
  sometimes 
  taken 
  at 
  one 
  lift 
  of 
  a 
  fyke 
  net, 
  but 
  

   as 
  a 
  rule 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  of 
  this 
  number 
  are 
  gravid 
  fish. 
  

   These 
  nets 
  are 
  usually 
  some 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  station, 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  

   carried 
  to 
  the 
  hatchery 
  in 
  transportation 
  cans, 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  being 
  put 
  

   in 
  one 
  can. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  this 
  trip 
  is 
  made 
  by 
  water 
  in 
  a 
  sail 
  or 
  row 
  

   boat, 
  while 
  at 
  other 
  times 
  it 
  is 
  made 
  overland 
  by 
  team. 
  The 
  fish 
  are 
  

   often 
  carried 
  10 
  or 
  12 
  miles 
  without 
  change 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  without 
  

   apparent 
  injury. 
  A 
  few 
  are 
  caught 
  while 
  the 
  water 
  temperature 
  is 
  

   as 
  low 
  as 
  33° 
  F., 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  numerous 
  after 
  the 
  temj)erature 
  

   reaches 
  34° 
  or 
  35° 
  F. 
  On 
  arriving 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  put 
  into 
  

   wooden 
  tanks 
  supplied 
  with 
  constantly 
  changing 
  water, 
  and 
  here 
  they 
  

   are 
  held 
  until 
  ripe. 
  It 
  is 
  customary 
  to 
  put 
  both 
  males 
  and 
  females 
  in 
  

   .the 
  same 
  box 
  or 
  tank. 
  The 
  fish 
  are 
  examined 
  daily 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  

   taken 
  from 
  all 
  which 
  are 
  found 
  to 
  have 
  ripened, 
  the 
  stripped 
  or 
  spent 
  

   fish 
  being 
  released. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  flatfish 
  are 
  quite 
  small, 
  there 
  being 
  30 
  in 
  a 
  linear 
  

   inch. 
  Unlike 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  cod, 
  haddock, 
  mackerel, 
  and 
  other 
  marine 
  

   fishes, 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  float, 
  but 
  sink 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  in 
  which 
  

   They 
  are 
  held. 
  They 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  heavy 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  lobster, 
  and 
  a 
  

   slight 
  current 
  causes 
  them 
  to 
  rise 
  and 
  carries 
  them 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  there 
  

   is 
  still 
  water, 
  when 
  they 
  again 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  bottom. 
  When 
  first 
  deposited, 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  are 
  very 
  adhesive 
  and 
  stick 
  together-in 
  one 
  mass 
  or 
  in 
  clusters 
  

   of 
  difi'erent 
  sizes. 
  This 
  adhesiveness 
  is 
  overcome, 
  in 
  a 
  measure, 
  by 
  

   thoroughly 
  washing 
  them, 
  and, 
  as 
  this 
  force 
  gradually 
  weakens 
  as 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  become 
  older, 
  usually 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  separate 
  when 
  they 
  

   begin 
  to 
  hatch. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  dry 
  powdered 
  starch 
  is 
  very 
  etiective 
  for 
  this 
  

   purpose; 
  this 
  mixes 
  readily 
  with 
  the 
  saltwater 
  and 
  admirably 
  over- 
  

   comes 
  the 
  glutinosity 
  of 
  the 
  eggs. 
  Its 
  action 
  is 
  purely 
  mechanical. 
  

  

  In 
  stripping, 
  it 
  is 
  customary 
  to 
  fill 
  a 
  Chester 
  jar 
  with 
  water 
  and 
  place 
  

   inside 
  the 
  jar 
  a 
  bag 
  made 
  of 
  cheese-cloth, 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  fall. 
  The 
  fish 
  is 
  grasped 
  by 
  the 
  head 
  with 
  the 
  left 
  hand, 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  being 
  in 
  the 
  palm 
  of 
  the 
  hand, 
  and 
  the 
  edge 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  vent 
  

   is 
  located 
  turned 
  from 
  the 
  spawn-taker. 
  The 
  right 
  grasps 
  the 
  fish 
  near 
  

   the 
  tail, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  moved 
  with 
  gentle 
  pressure 
  toward 
  the 
  vent, 
  at 
  the 
  

   same 
  time 
  that 
  the 
  left 
  thumb 
  is 
  moving 
  crosswise 
  and 
  exerting 
  similar 
  

   pressure, 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  extruded. 
  The 
  milt 
  is 
  then 
  exj^ressed 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  way; 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  stirred 
  slightly 
  with 
  the 
  hand 
  to 
  thoroughly 
  

   mix 
  them 
  with 
  the 
  milt, 
  and 
  after 
  allowing 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  for 
  the 
  action 
  

  

  