﻿30 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Maclerel. 
  — 
  With 
  the 
  view 
  to 
  collectiug 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  mackerel 
  

   eggs 
  the 
  schooner 
  Gramjms 
  was 
  detailed 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  the 
  work, 
  and 
  

   reported 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  early 
  in 
  May. 
  Small 
  numbers 
  of 
  eggs 
  had 
  

   been 
  collected 
  and 
  hatched 
  at 
  the 
  Gloucester 
  and 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  stations 
  

   in 
  past 
  years, 
  but 
  the 
  handling 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  quantity 
  was 
  a 
  new 
  depar- 
  

   ture. 
  Arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  collecting 
  eggs 
  from 
  the 
  traps 
  

   and 
  pounds 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  cape, 
  and 
  between 
  May 
  24 
  and 
  June 
  19 
  there 
  

   were 
  secured 
  10,870,000, 
  from 
  which 
  801,000 
  fry 
  were 
  produced. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  eggs 
  were 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  Grampus 
  on 
  May 
  24. 
  They 
  

   were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  McDonald 
  hatching-box 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  day, 
  and 
  

   development 
  progressed 
  until 
  the 
  forming 
  of 
  the 
  embryo, 
  5 
  days 
  after 
  

   fertilization. 
  The 
  following 
  night 
  a 
  heavy 
  thunderstorm 
  occurred, 
  and 
  

   immediately 
  afterward 
  all 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  house 
  began 
  to 
  assume 
  a 
  

   sickly 
  appearance, 
  and 
  in 
  48 
  hours 
  all 
  were 
  dead. 
  Whether 
  or 
  not 
  

   this 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  thunderstorm 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  definitely 
  determined, 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  eggs 
  of 
  other 
  animals 
  have 
  been 
  killed 
  in 
  

   this 
  way. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  9,930,000 
  collected 
  by 
  the 
  Gramp^ts^ 
  which 
  was 
  stationed 
  

   off 
  Chatham, 
  Mass., 
  only 
  210,000 
  fry 
  were 
  produced. 
  The 
  balance 
  of 
  

   the 
  output 
  was 
  hatched 
  from 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  828,000 
  eggs 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  trap 
  

   at 
  Squipnocket 
  on 
  June 
  3. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  season 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  apparatus 
  were 
  tried 
  in 
  hatching 
  

   eggs, 
  but 
  they 
  failed 
  to 
  produce 
  any 
  better 
  results 
  than 
  the 
  McDonald 
  

   tidal 
  box. 
  At 
  first 
  it 
  was 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  poor 
  percentage 
  of 
  fry 
  

   hatched 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  imperfect 
  fertilization, 
  as 
  the 
  wet 
  method 
  was 
  

   used, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  season 
  advanced 
  it 
  became 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  failure 
  was 
  

   due 
  not 
  so 
  mucli 
  to 
  the 
  methods 
  employed, 
  but 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  not 
  healthy 
  when 
  taken, 
  the 
  parent 
  fish 
  having 
  been 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  

   nets 
  too 
  long. 
  The 
  pound 
  nets 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  apparatus 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  

   from 
  which 
  spawning 
  fish 
  can 
  be 
  secured, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  customary 
  to 
  ov^er- 
  

   haul 
  these 
  only 
  once 
  in 
  24 
  hours. 
  The 
  828,000 
  eggs 
  referred 
  to 
  above 
  

   were 
  transported 
  over 
  14 
  miles 
  of 
  rough 
  road, 
  being 
  over 
  4 
  hours 
  en 
  

   route, 
  but, 
  notwithstanding 
  this, 
  75 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  them 
  hatched. 
  

  

  Though 
  the 
  dry 
  method 
  of 
  fertilization 
  was 
  used 
  on 
  them, 
  the 
  good 
  

   results 
  are 
  attributed 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  nets 
  only 
  a 
  

   few 
  hours. 
  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  mackerel 
  are 
  very 
  small 
  and 
  measure 
  24 
  to 
  

   the 
  linear 
  inch. 
  They 
  are 
  kept 
  afloat 
  by 
  a 
  large 
  oil 
  globule 
  for 
  the 
  firsS 
  

   24 
  hours. 
  After 
  that 
  they 
  leave 
  the 
  top 
  and 
  remain 
  in 
  suspension 
  for 
  

   a 
  short 
  time, 
  when 
  they 
  sink 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  remaining 
  there 
  until 
  they 
  

   hatch 
  or 
  die. 
  

  

  Scup 
  and 
  sea 
  bass. 
  — 
  Arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  collecting 
  scup 
  and 
  

   sea-bass 
  eggs 
  at 
  Hyannis 
  and 
  other 
  points, 
  but 
  none 
  were 
  secured, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  total 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  this 
  spring. 
  

  

  The 
  station 
  was 
  visited 
  several 
  times 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  by 
  Commis- 
  

   sioner 
  Brice, 
  who 
  personally 
  directed 
  the 
  lobster 
  and 
  mackerel 
  work 
  

   and 
  arranged 
  for 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  scup, 
  sea 
  bass, 
  and 
  tautog 
  eggs. 
  

  

  