728 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AXD FISHERIES. 



Magdalen Islands drew a large fleet to that region. The fall fishing is 

 most extensive in the vicinity of Wood Island (near Portland, Me.), and 

 on the south side of Cape Ann, where herring "strili:e in" along the 

 shore in immense schools, about the middle or last of September, for the 

 purpose of spawning. At such times small vessels, from almost every 

 fishing town Ijetween Cape Cod and Eastport, visit these localities with 

 gill-nets, and the fish are sometimes taken in such numbers as to sink 

 the net. At "Wood Island alone, in the fall of 1879, the herring fleet 

 numbered over 150 sail. 



While preparing for the cod work at the hatchery a small school of 

 spawning-fish arrived in the vicinity of Gloucester Harbor, and it was 

 decided to make experiments with their eggs. Accordingly, the Fish 

 Commission boats were provided with nets, and, for about two weeks 

 beginning with October 12, visited the spawning-grounds daily, settmg 

 their nets in the evening and fishing them over at intervals through the 

 night. Eipe males were always plenty, and 50 spawning females were 

 sometimes taken in a single night. Many thousands of eggs were se- 

 cured in this way, and after impregnation were taken to the building, 

 where large numbers were successfully hatched. 



The eggs of this species are adhesive, and when thrown into the water 

 by the fish fasten themselves to the first hard substance with which they 

 come in contact, this being usually the algae or the rocky bottom. On 

 account of their adhesiveness, when taken from the fish for hatching pur- 

 poses, they must at once be brought in contact with that particular ob- 

 ject on which they are to remain till hatched, as when they have become 

 fastened to any substance it is impossible to remove them without in- 

 jury. For the purpose of bringing them from the fishing-grounds, a wa- 

 ter-tight egg-box was made, with slits or grooves in the sides, to receive 

 movable panes of glass, and keep them in x)osition until they could be 

 transferred to the apparatus in the hatchery. 



As soon as the fish were taken from the water the eggs were pressed 

 from them upon these panes of glass, and, after the milt had been ap- 

 plied, were quickly spread over tlie surface by means of a feather. The 

 glasses were then placed in position in the egg-box and the water was 

 changed at short intervals until they arrived at the hatchery. 



A Clark hatching- trough (described on page 37) was arranged with 

 grooves on the sides of the compartments to receive the glasses of eggs, 

 these being three-fourths of an inch apart and placed at an angle with 

 the i^erpeudicular. The glasses were so arranged that every alternate 

 one should rest on the bottom, with the others half an inch above, so 

 that the water must pass over the top of the first pane, under the second, 

 over the third, &c., on its waj' through the trough, thus giving a con- 

 stant stream over each pane. A few eggs were taken on wire cloth 

 and others on mosquito netting, but the former rusted so badly as to in- 

 jure the eggs and the latter collected such quantities of sediment from 

 the water that the results were far from satisfactory. Those taken on 



