706 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



catch, and from this date until the 1st of June* the males numbered two 

 to one. From reliable fishermen we learned that the same was true of 

 the fish on the offshore banks, and that, though varying greatly in their 

 relative numbers, both males and females were always present. 



There is usually a great difference in the size of the individuals taken 

 by the fishermen on the shore feeding-grounds in a single day, for the 

 young and "ground-tenders" remain on these rocky ledges during the 

 entire year, and late in the season the school-fish come in upon the same 

 grounds and are naturally taken with them. But when the school-fish 

 visit a locality not frequented by the young, as they do in Ipswich Bay, 

 there is a noticeable absence of immature fish, and the catch is composed 

 almost wholly of individuals of large size. Thus, in the winter of lS78-'79 

 many trips of from twenty-five to forty thousand pounds were landed 

 ivith scarcely a small fish among them, while vessels fishing only a few 

 miles distant found young fish plenty, and there were occasional instances 

 where such vessels caught only small ones. Again, though the school-fish 

 may differ considerably in size, we have not found one, thought to belong 

 to their number, that had not reached maturity. Indications strongly 

 favor the idea that the young remain separate from the school-fish dur- 

 ing the first few years of their lives, and we are led to beheve that, 

 though they are often taken together, the occurrence is accidental and 

 the young will not follow the old in their migrations until they reach 

 maturity, though after this point is reached they seem to mingle freely 

 without regard to age. 



The cod-fish sometimes make long journeys from one bank to another, 

 and, indeed, from one region to a very distant one. It is, of coiu"se, 

 nearly impossible to trace their movements at such times, and one can 

 usually only guess at the place from whence they come or the distance 

 traveled. 



During the winter of 1877-78 an unusually large school visited the 

 coast of the United States. At this time cod were more plenty along 

 the shores of Xew England than for many years. Among the fish cap- 

 tured at Cape Ann and other points were quite a number with peculiar 

 hooks fastened in their mouths. These hooks gave a clew to the move- 

 ments of the fish, for they differed from any in use by the American 

 fishermen, and proved identical with those used by French trawl-fisher- 

 men on the Grand Banks, and indicated that the fish must at some time 

 have been in that locality, as the hooks probably came from no other 

 place. If the above be granted as proven, the fish must have traveled 

 a distance of five to eight hundred miles at least, and, as a portion of 

 the school continued well to the southward, some individuals must have 

 journeyed much farther. Most of the schools that visit the shore have 

 no such tag or mark whereby their former locality may be learned. 

 They are thought to come directly in fi-om the deep water and to depart 

 by the same route, but where they spend the summer months is not 

 known. 



