﻿54 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  PISHERIES. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  relieve 
  the 
  crowded 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  Gloucester 
  hatchery, 
  

   the 
  steamer 
  Gannet 
  was 
  utilized 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  winter 
  in 
  transferring 
  

   surplus 
  pollock 
  eggs 
  from 
  that 
  point 
  to 
  the 
  Boothbay 
  Harbor 
  station, 
  

   some 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  carried 
  in 
  scrim 
  boxes 
  in 
  the 
  lobster 
  tank 
  of 
  the 
  

   vessel 
  and 
  some 
  in 
  transportation 
  cans. 
  While 
  the 
  final 
  results 
  — 
  a 
  

   total 
  output 
  of 
  19,233,422 
  fry 
  from 
  the 
  88,600,000 
  eggs 
  handled— 
  

   would 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  justify 
  further 
  operations 
  along 
  similar 
  lines, 
  it 
  is 
  

   believed 
  the 
  experience 
  gained 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  practicable 
  methods 
  of 
  

   handling 
  and 
  transferring 
  the 
  eggs 
  will 
  make 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  prosecute 
  

   the 
  work 
  on 
  a 
  better 
  basis 
  another 
  season. 
  

  

  Encouraged 
  by 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  the 
  haddock 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  

   two 
  years, 
  preparations 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  

   on 
  an 
  extensive 
  scale. 
  The 
  season 
  was, 
  however, 
  a 
  failure. 
  Practi- 
  

   cally 
  no 
  brood 
  haddock 
  were 
  seen, 
  though 
  small 
  immature 
  fish 
  were 
  

   abundant, 
  and 
  some 
  very 
  good 
  hauls 
  of 
  that 
  size 
  were 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  

   fishermen. 
  Numerous 
  trips 
  to 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  in 
  quest 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   terminated 
  in 
  a 
  total 
  collection 
  of 
  6,178,000 
  of 
  very 
  poor 
  quality. 
  

   From 
  them 
  894,000 
  fry 
  were 
  hatched 
  and 
  distributed. 
  

  

  The 
  cod 
  operations 
  at 
  Boothbay 
  Harbor 
  were 
  likewise 
  unsuccessful 
  

   and 
  for 
  similar 
  reasons. 
  Spawning 
  fish 
  were 
  very 
  scarce 
  on 
  the 
  fisliing 
  

   grounds 
  within 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  station, 
  and 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  cod 
  of 
  other 
  

   sizes 
  was 
  so 
  small 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  unprofitable 
  to 
  the 
  few 
  fisherman 
  conduct- 
  

   ing 
  operations. 
  The 
  season 
  closed 
  with 
  a 
  total 
  collection 
  of 
  10,523,000 
  

   eggs, 
  which 
  yielded 
  5,859,000 
  fry. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  past 
  years 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  of 
  brood 
  flatfish 
  have 
  been 
  

   turned 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  Bureau 
  by 
  the 
  cod 
  and 
  haddock 
  fishermen 
  on 
  the 
  

   Maine 
  coast. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  limited 
  extent 
  of 
  these 
  fisheries 
  the 
  past 
  

   season 
  no 
  flatfish 
  from 
  that 
  source 
  were 
  available, 
  and 
  the 
  4,852 
  

   spawners 
  constituting 
  the 
  station's 
  brood 
  stock 
  were 
  secured 
  from 
  

   nets 
  installed 
  and 
  operated 
  by 
  the 
  station 
  force 
  in 
  coves 
  adjacent 
  

   to 
  Boothbay 
  Harbor 
  and 
  Linekin 
  Bay. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  per- 
  

   mitted 
  to 
  spawn 
  naturally 
  in 
  the 
  tables, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  lack 
  of 
  sufficient 
  

   table 
  room 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  were 
  stripped 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  artificially 
  

   fertilized. 
  No 
  difference 
  in 
  results 
  was 
  discernible; 
  the 
  607,785,000 
  

   eggs 
  handled 
  were 
  of 
  uniformly 
  fine 
  quality, 
  and 
  the 
  losses 
  in 
  hatching 
  

   amounted 
  to 
  only 
  9 
  per 
  cent. 
  There 
  being 
  more 
  eggs 
  on 
  hand 
  at 
  the 
  

   height 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  than 
  could 
  be 
  properly 
  cared 
  for 
  with 
  the 
  available 
  

   hatching 
  facilities, 
  100,000,000 
  were 
  developed 
  in 
  a 
  10-foot 
  box, 
  which 
  

   had 
  been 
  divided 
  into 
  five 
  compartments, 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  scrim 
  

   lining 
  and 
  scrim 
  bottom, 
  and 
  anchored 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  wharf 
  where 
  

   there 
  was 
  sufficient 
  wave 
  motion 
  to 
  secure 
  a 
  good 
  water 
  circulation 
  

   tlirough 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  the 
  perforated 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  box. 
  While 
  these 
  

   eggs 
  developed 
  more 
  slowly 
  than 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  hatchery, 
  owing 
  to 
  

   difference 
  in 
  water 
  temperature, 
  they 
  hatched 
  just 
  as 
  well 
  and 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  fry 
  of 
  excellent 
  quality. 
  

  

  Extensive 
  repairs 
  and 
  improvements, 
  increasing 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  

   Gloucester 
  hatchery 
  by 
  about 
  65 
  per 
  cent, 
  were 
  completed 
  during 
  the 
  

   early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  pollock 
  spawning 
  

   season 
  in 
  November 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  the 
  station 
  force 
  was 
  

   constantly 
  occupied 
  in 
  the 
  propagation 
  and 
  distribution 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  

   of 
  the 
  five 
  species 
  handled. 
  The 
  total 
  o^gg 
  collections 
  and 
  the 
  output 
  

   of 
  fry 
  were 
  the 
  largest 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  station, 
  notwithstanding 
  

   the 
  shortage 
  which 
  occurred 
  in 
  the 
  cod 
  work. 
  

  

  