﻿62 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  edge 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  grounds, 
  early 
  life, 
  and 
  food 
  of 
  certain 
  species. 
  

   The 
  physical 
  and 
  chemical 
  data 
  are 
  also 
  of 
  value 
  to 
  navigation 
  through 
  

   the 
  Hght 
  wliich 
  they 
  throw 
  on 
  the 
  direction 
  and 
  velocity 
  of 
  ocean 
  

   currents. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  only 
  Government 
  agency 
  having 
  personnel 
  and 
  equipment 
  

   for 
  such 
  duty, 
  the 
  Bureau 
  was 
  called 
  on 
  m 
  the 
  sprmg 
  of 
  1914 
  to 
  

   place 
  an 
  oceanographical 
  observer 
  on 
  the 
  revenue 
  cutter 
  Seneca 
  

   engaged 
  m 
  ice 
  patrol 
  and 
  observation 
  on 
  the 
  trans-Atlantic 
  steam- 
  

   ship 
  lanes 
  m 
  accordance 
  with 
  an 
  international 
  agreement. 
  The 
  

   importance 
  of 
  this 
  work 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  strongly 
  appreciated 
  

   by 
  those 
  participating 
  m 
  the 
  International 
  ]\Iaritime 
  Conference 
  in 
  

   London, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  eventually 
  do 
  much 
  to 
  clear 
  

   up 
  the 
  source 
  and 
  movements 
  of 
  icebergs 
  under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  

   currents. 
  The 
  biological 
  observations 
  as 
  they 
  accumulate 
  and 
  are 
  

   studied 
  and 
  digested 
  will 
  possibly 
  be 
  better 
  criteria 
  than 
  the 
  physical 
  

   data, 
  for 
  the 
  plankton 
  organisms, 
  floathig 
  plants, 
  and 
  animals, 
  m 
  

   effect 
  are 
  so 
  many 
  myriad 
  "drift 
  bottles," 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  identified 
  

   and 
  traced 
  to 
  their 
  source 
  wherever 
  found, 
  while 
  the 
  physical 
  and 
  

   chemical 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  become 
  confused 
  and 
  blended 
  by 
  the 
  

   interference 
  and 
  fusion 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  oceanic 
  currents. 
  As 
  most 
  

   of 
  this 
  work 
  is 
  conducted 
  on 
  or 
  adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  

   Grand 
  Banks 
  of 
  Newfoundland, 
  the 
  information 
  acquired 
  will 
  be 
  

   valuable 
  to 
  the 
  fisheries 
  themselves. 
  

  

  The 
  various 
  phases 
  of 
  work 
  indicated 
  m 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  report 
  

   have 
  been 
  so 
  coordinated 
  that, 
  supplemented 
  by 
  the 
  similar 
  investiga- 
  

   tions 
  m 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  and 
  m 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  elsewhere 
  referred 
  to, 
  

   they 
  cover 
  practically 
  the 
  whole 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  from 
  the 
  Grand 
  

   Banks 
  to 
  Key 
  West, 
  and 
  constitute 
  the 
  most 
  complete 
  and 
  consistent 
  

   work 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  which 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  undertaken 
  iia 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  

   the 
  western 
  Atlantic. 
  

  

  INVESTIGATIONS 
  OF 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS. 
  

  

  Oceanographic 
  investigations 
  by 
  the 
  fishery 
  schooner 
  Grampus 
  

   having 
  mdicated 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  large 
  scallop 
  beds 
  off 
  the 
  southern 
  

   New 
  England 
  and 
  middle 
  Atlantic 
  coasts, 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  detailed 
  for 
  

   a 
  more 
  thorough 
  exammation, 
  which 
  divulged 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  this 
  

   valuable 
  mollusk 
  in 
  commercial 
  quantities 
  hi 
  several 
  places. 
  One 
  of 
  

   the 
  most 
  productive 
  beds 
  reaches 
  to 
  within 
  40 
  mUes 
  of 
  Sandy 
  Hook, 
  

   and 
  as 
  it 
  covers 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  and 
  is 
  readily 
  accessible, 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  

   that 
  it 
  will 
  eventually 
  support 
  a 
  lucrative 
  fishery. 
  A 
  circular 
  calluig 
  

   attention 
  to 
  the 
  possibilities 
  was 
  issued 
  and 
  widely 
  distributed. 
  

  

  In 
  1902 
  the 
  Bureau 
  made 
  a 
  reconnoissance 
  of 
  a 
  fishmg 
  bank 
  off 
  

   Beaufort, 
  N. 
  C, 
  which 
  demonstrated 
  the 
  abundance 
  thereon 
  of 
  sea 
  

   bass 
  or 
  blackfish. 
  The 
  mformation 
  was 
  not 
  specificaUy 
  called 
  to 
  

   the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  and 
  was 
  not 
  availed 
  of, 
  but 
  durmg 
  

   1913 
  certam 
  fishermen 
  were 
  mduced 
  to 
  try 
  this 
  bank. 
  As 
  an 
  indica- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  these 
  grounds 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  two 
  fisher- 
  

   men, 
  between 
  June 
  18 
  and 
  November 
  22, 
  made 
  23 
  trips 
  20 
  miles 
  to 
  

   sea 
  in 
  a 
  20-foot, 
  open, 
  power 
  dory, 
  and 
  although 
  they 
  could 
  remam 
  

   but 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  on 
  the 
  grounds, 
  they 
  averaged 
  about 
  600 
  pounds 
  of 
  

   fish 
  to 
  the 
  trip. 
  Their 
  mmmium 
  catch 
  was 
  170 
  pounds, 
  the 
  maxi- 
  

   mum 
  1,000 
  pounds; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  week 
  ending 
  November 
  22, 
  in 
  four 
  

   trips, 
  they 
  took 
  3,400 
  pounds, 
  for 
  which 
  they 
  received 
  an 
  equivalent 
  

  

  