﻿26 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Another 
  experiment 
  was 
  commeuced 
  ou 
  the 
  20th 
  and 
  coutinned 
  until 
  

   the 
  24th, 
  when 
  the 
  fry 
  began 
  to 
  die, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  

   was 
  becoming 
  impure. 
  A 
  third 
  attempt 
  was 
  made 
  between 
  February 
  

   25 
  and 
  March 
  2, 
  but 
  no 
  results 
  were 
  obtained. 
  The 
  exi)eriments 
  were 
  

   then 
  discontinued. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  this 
  system 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  used 
  longer 
  than 
  three 
  

   days 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  with 
  the 
  apparatus 
  now 
  in 
  use. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  question 
  whether 
  either 
  of 
  these 
  methods 
  has 
  had 
  a 
  fair 
  trial, 
  

   as 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  undertaken 
  until 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  when 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  

   quality 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  was 
  poor, 
  but 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  harbor 
  Avas 
  at 
  its 
  

   most 
  impure 
  stage, 
  owing 
  to 
  frequent 
  storms. 
  Further 
  efforts 
  in 
  this 
  

   line 
  will 
  be 
  made 
  next 
  season. 
  

  

  Lobster. 
  — 
  Immediately 
  after 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  cod 
  season 
  on 
  April 
  l-I 
  

   arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  lobster 
  eggs 
  from 
  points 
  

   between 
  Boston 
  and 
  York, 
  Me., 
  the 
  commissioners 
  of 
  the 
  States 
  of 
  

   Massachusetts, 
  Maine, 
  and 
  ]S'ew 
  Hampshire 
  having 
  granted 
  permission 
  

   to 
  collect 
  and 
  pen 
  egg-bearing 
  lobsters. 
  An 
  agent 
  was 
  stationed 
  at 
  

   Kittery 
  Point, 
  Me., 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  collecting 
  eggs 
  from 
  lobsters 
  

   caught 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  between 
  Rye, 
  N. 
  H., 
  and 
  York 
  Harbor, 
  Me. 
  ; 
  

   he 
  obtained, 
  in 
  addition, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  egg-bearing 
  lobsters 
  which 
  had 
  

   been 
  caught 
  at 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Shoals 
  and 
  shipped 
  to 
  Portsmouth, 
  N. 
  H. 
  

   A 
  small 
  steamer 
  was 
  also 
  chartered 
  for 
  the 
  work 
  and 
  used 
  for 
  a 
  mouth 
  

   in 
  visiting 
  the 
  lobstermen 
  between 
  Gloucester 
  and 
  Boston. 
  The 
  first 
  

   eggs 
  were 
  received 
  on 
  April 
  22 
  and 
  the 
  last 
  ou 
  July 
  13, 
  Avhen 
  operations 
  

   were 
  discontinued. 
  The 
  14,534:,000 
  eggs 
  obtained 
  were 
  hatched 
  as 
  

   usual 
  in 
  the 
  McDonald 
  universal 
  hatching 
  jar, 
  and 
  13,050,000 
  fry 
  were 
  

   produced 
  from 
  them. 
  Several 
  shipments 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  York 
  Harbor, 
  

   Me., 
  Kittery 
  Point, 
  Me., 
  and 
  Newcastle, 
  N. 
  H., 
  but 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  

   stock 
  was 
  liberated 
  between 
  Marblehead 
  and 
  Gloucester. 
  The 
  poor 
  

   results 
  attained 
  with 
  this 
  species 
  were 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   territory 
  was 
  new, 
  and 
  the 
  season 
  was 
  almost 
  over 
  before 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   became 
  sufficiently 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  to 
  save 
  their 
  egg-bearing 
  

   lobsters 
  for 
  the 
  Commission. 
  The 
  stormy 
  weather 
  prevailing 
  during 
  

   the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  also 
  tended 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  catch 
  very 
  

   materially. 
  

  

  Made 
  ret. 
  — 
  Arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  April 
  

   to 
  collect 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  from 
  the 
  traps 
  fishing 
  within 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  

   miles 
  of 
  Gloucester, 
  also 
  from 
  the 
  drag 
  or 
  drift 
  nets; 
  but 
  the 
  catch 
  

   proved 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  light, 
  400 
  fish 
  being 
  the 
  largest 
  take. 
  The 
  first 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  collected 
  on 
  June 
  27, 
  and 
  between 
  that 
  time, 
  and 
  July 
  17, 
  the 
  close 
  

   of 
  the 
  season, 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  taken 
  was 
  1,720,000. 
  The 
  eggs 
  were 
  

   hatched 
  in 
  the 
  McDonald 
  tidal 
  box, 
  and 
  the 
  897,000 
  fry 
  produced 
  from 
  

   them 
  were 
  liberated 
  in 
  the 
  harbor 
  outside 
  of 
  Eastern 
  Point. 
  The 
  

   results 
  attained 
  in 
  this 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  were 
  very 
  discouraging, 
  as 
  

   operations 
  were 
  pushed 
  energetically 
  and 
  visits 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  traps 
  

   in 
  the 
  harbor 
  and 
  to 
  Magnolia 
  and 
  Manchester 
  every 
  morning 
  between 
  

   June 
  23 
  and 
  July 
  17, 
  when 
  the 
  weather 
  permitted. 
  

  

  