REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. LXXXI 



tion of cod and their transfer to limits further south than their present 

 habitats, could be done at comparatively small cost, and to an almost 

 unlimited extent. 



Preliminary arrangements were also made looking to the transfer of 

 the live parent cod direct from the fishing banks where they were taken, 

 to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, where they could be 

 kept in cars until the eggs became mature in the ovaries. This had 

 been attempted the previous season at Wood's Holl, but the forming of 

 "anchor" ice in the Little Harbor (which is fatal to the fish) had in- 

 terrupted the work. This last experiment was postponed, as it was 

 attended with considerably more cost than the hatching operations con- 

 templated in Washington and on the Fish Hawk. 



On the 14th of February, among the cod captured in the neighbor- 

 hood of Block Island, were found several with the ovaries sufiBciently 

 mature and about four millions of eggs were taken on that date, but a 

 comparatively small number of these proved to be properly impregnated, 

 as ripe male fish were exceedingly scarce. 



The first lot of eggs, received February 16, at Central Station, was 

 a total loss. This was attributed to the apparatus in which they were 

 transmitted from New York. Several lots in hermetically sealed vessels 

 at a very low degree of temperature arrived in a very much better con- 

 dition. The development was carried forward eleven days, at which 

 time the fish were plainly visible in the eggs. Although lost at this 

 stage it was considered quite encouraging that eggs which had been 

 transported so far and subjected to such varying conditions attained 

 this degree of maturity. 



About this time Prof. John A. Eyder was sent to New York to watch 

 the development of the eggs, with instructions to reserve samples from 

 the different lots for development on the spot, and ascertain, if possible, 

 the cause of the mortality, and to learn with accuracy the stage at which 

 the eggs died. 



On the 25th of February the Fish Hawk was ordered to proceed from 

 Washington to the mouth of the Potomac Eiver, with instructions to 

 examine certain oyster beds of Chesapeake Bay in that neighborhood, 

 and set her nets in order to ascertain whether there was any movement 

 of fish in the bay. Her tanks having been supplied with salt water, 

 advantage was taken of this opportunity for testing the second experi- 

 ment. She sailed on the above-mentioned date with a large number of 

 cod eggs immediately after their arrival from New York. These died 

 within twenty-four hours of their transfer to the hatching apparatus. 

 The full details of this experiment will be found in the extract given 

 below from Captain Tanner's report.* 



* On the 25th of February there were received on board 1,000,000 cod eggs from the 

 United States Fish Commission, which were placed in spawning pans with artificial 

 Bea water for transportation to Chesapeake Bay, when they were to be placed in the 



S. Mis. 40 VI 



