﻿28 
  

  

  REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  developed 
  sores, 
  wliicU 
  apparently 
  resulted 
  from 
  bruises 
  on 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  parts 
  of 
  tlie 
  bead 
  and 
  body. 
  This 
  was 
  not 
  considered 
  of 
  much 
  

   importance 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  as 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  had 
  occurred 
  before, 
  but 
  

   these 
  on 
  close 
  examination 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  gangrenous 
  character, 
  and 
  

   by 
  Xoveml)cr 
  25 
  au 
  unusual 
  number 
  had 
  died. 
  Even 
  fish 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  

   hooked 
  in 
  the 
  lip 
  were 
  affected 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  and 
  many 
  were 
  lost 
  before 
  

   their 
  eggs 
  (!ould 
  be 
  collected. 
  The 
  water 
  duiing 
  the 
  time 
  was 
  full 
  of 
  

   ctcnophores, 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  prevented 
  the 
  healing 
  of 
  the 
  affected 
  

   parts 
  by 
  irritating 
  and 
  inflaming 
  the 
  exposed 
  flesh, 
  thus 
  encouraging 
  

   the 
  growth 
  of 
  fungus 
  and 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  ulcers. 
  In 
  many 
  instances 
  

   on 
  opening 
  the 
  dead 
  fish 
  the 
  air 
  bladder 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  partially 
  or 
  

   entirely 
  destroyed 
  by 
  ulcer, 
  which 
  gave 
  off" 
  an 
  offensive 
  odor. 
  Some 
  

   were 
  found 
  with 
  ruptured 
  egg 
  sac, 
  which 
  allowed 
  the 
  eggs 
  to 
  escape 
  

   from 
  the 
  ovaries 
  into 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  cases 
  internal 
  hemor- 
  

   rhage 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  death. 
  

  

  The 
  (juantity 
  and 
  quality 
  of 
  eggs 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  at 
  a 
  station 
  of 
  

   this 
  chara(;ter 
  depends 
  on 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  parent 
  fish, 
  the 
  number 
  pro 
  

   ducing 
  eggs, 
  and 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  weather. 
  Some 
  seasons 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   scarcity 
  of 
  males 
  and 
  at 
  other 
  times 
  egg-producing 
  females 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  

   minority, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  difticult 
  to 
  avoid 
  this, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  when 
  

   the 
  fish 
  are 
  received 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  tell 
  from 
  their 
  condition 
  whether 
  

   or 
  not 
  they 
  will 
  produce 
  eggs. 
  No 
  fish 
  are 
  received 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  

   which 
  weigh 
  less 
  than 
  5 
  pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  table 
  shows 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  brood 
  fish 
  from 
  which 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  collected, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  ripe 
  fish 
  used, 
  and 
  the 
  yield 
  per 
  fish 
  for 
  

   a 
  series 
  of 
  years 
  from 
  1889 
  to 
  189G 
  : 
  

  

  Flatjisli 
  [nnnter 
  flounder). 
  — 
  The 
  si^awning 
  season 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  

   varies 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  the 
  i)revailiug 
  

   state 
  of 
  the 
  weather, 
  from 
  February 
  10 
  to 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  April. 
  

   This 
  year 
  the 
  first 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  February 
  24, 
  and 
  the 
  last 
  on 
  April 
  

   18. 
  The 
  fish 
  were 
  obtained 
  from 
  fyke 
  nets 
  set 
  in 
  Great 
  Harbor 
  and 
  

   Waquoit 
  Bay, 
  and 
  the 
  41 
  females 
  stripi;)ed 
  yielded 
  11,008,000 
  eggs, 
  from 
  

   which 
  8,472,000 
  fry 
  were 
  hatched 
  and 
  planted. 
  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  

   measure 
  30 
  to 
  the 
  linear 
  inch, 
  and 
  are 
  very 
  glutinous. 
  Heretofore 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  difticult 
  to 
  separate 
  them, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  only 
  accomplished 
  by 
  

   thoroughly 
  washing 
  and 
  stirring 
  for 
  some 
  time, 
  but 
  this 
  season 
  starch 
  

   was 
  very 
  etfectively 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  

   fertilization 
  of 
  pike-perch 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes. 
  It 
  dissolved 
  

   quickly 
  and 
  mixed 
  readily 
  with 
  the 
  salt 
  water, 
  coating 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  

  

  