XXIV EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



distance. Apart from its aid to the work of the Commission it enabled 

 the large iieet of Gloucester fishermen to regulate their departure to sea 

 with great advantage. 



As usual, the Commission had many visitors during the summer ; some 

 for the purpose of taking a special part in its work, and others to famil- 

 iarize themselves with its general operations. 



Among the visitors were a number of gentlemen belonging to the 

 Boston Fish Bureau, and familiar with the coast fisheries, to whom I 

 had the pleasure of exhibiting the Pole flounder, seen by them for the 

 first time. A similar experience was had with fish merchants and skip- 

 pers of Gloucester. Reporters from the princiiml Boston papers, and 

 some from New York, were also included in the number of those receiv- 

 ing the attention of the Commission. 



A special incident of the season was a call from the Secretary of the 

 Navy, Hon. E. W. Thompson, on the Taltepoosa, on the 25th of July. 

 The Secretary was accompanied by several of the ofiicers of the depart- 

 ment, as the chief naval constructor,the chief engineer, the Paymaster- 

 General, the attending surgeon, &c. The vessel remained in jjort for 

 two days, and the occasion was taken to show the Secretary and party 

 the operations of the Commission on the Speedwell, in the way of trawl- 

 ing and dredging. 



For the i^urpose of determining more particularly the character of the 

 animal life on the Grand Banks, especially of the ocean birds, which are 

 used in great numbers by the fishermen for bait; I made arrangements 

 with Captain Collins to carry Mr. R. L. Newcomb on a halibut trip to 

 the banks. He was absent from the 28th of August to the 18th of Sep- 

 tember, and brought back many interesting specimens of birds as well 

 as of marine invertebrates. It was found that the birds serving as bait 

 were for the most part a species of petrel, of which many hundreds are 

 often taken on a single trip by means of the hook and line. 



The most active field-work of the Commission closed for the season 

 on the departure of Professor Verrill on the 12th of September ; but 

 other branches were continued until the deiiarture of the Speedwell for 

 Washington on the 30th of that month. She reached her station in good 

 season and was laid up in the Washington navy -yard for the winter. 



I remained in Gloucester until the 15th of October for the purpose of 

 finishing up certain statistical inquiries and of making the necessary 

 arrangements for the propagation of codfish, to which reference will be 

 made in a succeeding section of the report. Leaving on the 15th, I 

 reached Washington with my party on the 24th. Mr. Milner, with Mr. 

 R. E. Earll, Frank N. Clark, and Capt. H. C. Chester remained behind 

 in connection with the last-mentioned interest. 



