REPORT OP COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. CVII 



FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS IN CHESAPEAKE BAY AND ADJACENT 



WATERS. 



In tlie latter part of Juue, 1892, the schooner Grampus was detailed 

 to conduct investigations in the lower part of Chesapeake Bay and in 

 the adjacent waters of the open ocean, with the special object of deter- 

 mining the distribution and abundance of fishes throughout that region. 

 The inquiry was in charge of Capt. A. C. Adams, commanding the 

 Grampus, with Mr. W. C. Kendall as naturalist, and it was confmued 

 into the next fiscal year. The vessel has been fitted out with dredges, 

 beam trawls, trawl and hand lines, and with the necessary instruments 

 for observing the temperature and density of the waters. Being with- 

 out steam power, however, it is not expected that very effective work 

 can be accomplished by dredging, and collecting will chiefly be carried 

 on by the ordinary methods of the fishermen. Scarcely anything has 

 hitherto been done in the region indicated in the way of stnulying the 

 bottom fishes, altliough the field is one of great importance in view of the 

 extensive commercial fisheries which it has supported for a long period. 

 Occasional dredgings were made some years ago within the limits of 

 the bay by the steamer Fish Hatrlc, and on the ocean bottom outside 

 by the steamer Albatross, but those investigations contributed little 

 information of direct practical importance. 



PHYSICAL INQUIRIES. 



The physical inquiries which had been carried on off the southern 

 coast of New England during the previous two summers, under the 

 direction of Prof. William Libbey, jr., of Princeton College, were con- 

 tinued during the season of 1891, from June 30 until September 1. As 

 the Coast Survey steamer Blalce could not be spared again for this 

 work, the lines of observing stations were run exclusively by the 

 schooner Grampus, the light-ship on IS'antucket New South Shoal being 

 also utilized as before, through the courtesy of the Light-House Board, 

 for the taking of supplementary observations. Prof. Libbey remained 

 in charge of operations, and was assisted by Prof. M. McNeill, Prof. 

 C. G. Eockwood, Prof. H. B. Thomson, Mr. S. T. Dodd, Mr. L. S. Mudge, 

 and Mr. W. H. Dodd. 



The work was conducted on essentially the same plan as in 1889 and 

 1890, but as only one vessel was employed the scope of the observa- 

 tions was materially less than in the latter year. A complete account 

 of the methods pursued will be found in the last annual report. The 

 principal object of the investigation is to determine the physical charac- 

 teristics of the belt of water bordering the coast through which many 

 important fishes pass during their seasonal migrations north and south, 

 the changes occurring therein, and the causes producing such changes. 

 To accomplish this purpose i^ is necessary to obtain at difierent times 

 of the season many parallel series of surface and intermediate tem- 



