﻿36 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Altliougii 
  the 
  season 
  was 
  quite 
  far 
  advanced 
  when 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  

   undertaken, 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  any 
  better 
  results 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  

   attained 
  had 
  operations 
  been 
  commenced 
  earlier, 
  as 
  the 
  small 
  number 
  

   of 
  eggs 
  was 
  not 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  had 
  spawned 
  at 
  an 
  earlier 
  

   date, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  died 
  before 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  handled 
  by 
  the 
  sj^awu- 
  

   takers. 
  As 
  this 
  work 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  an 
  experiment, 
  three 
  forms 
  

   of 
  api)aratus 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  hatching 
  — 
  the 
  McDonald 
  jar, 
  with 
  bottom 
  

   feed 
  and 
  overflow 
  through 
  cheese-cloth 
  at 
  the 
  top; 
  the 
  McDonald 
  tidal 
  

   box, 
  and 
  the 
  Chester 
  cod 
  box. 
  The 
  McDonald 
  box 
  gave 
  the 
  best 
  results. 
  

   The 
  first 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  June 
  24, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  month 
  

   6,935,000 
  had 
  been 
  secured. 
  A 
  few 
  additional 
  collections 
  were 
  made 
  

   early 
  in 
  July, 
  and 
  operations 
  were 
  discontinued 
  on 
  the 
  13th, 
  the 
  total 
  

   number 
  of 
  fry 
  hatched 
  and 
  liberated 
  being 
  only 
  213,000. 
  At 
  the 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  fertilized 
  by 
  the 
  wet 
  method, 
  and 
  as 
  

   it 
  was 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  success 
  might 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  this 
  fact, 
  care- 
  

   ful 
  experiments 
  were 
  conducted 
  with 
  both 
  the 
  wet 
  and 
  the 
  dry 
  methods, 
  

   but 
  without 
  affecting 
  the 
  result. 
  Later 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  dry 
  method 
  

   was 
  adopted 
  for 
  general 
  use. 
  

  

  As 
  already 
  stated, 
  it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  poor 
  results 
  were 
  due 
  

   more 
  to 
  the 
  conditions 
  under 
  which 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  collected 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  

   methods 
  employed 
  in 
  hatch 
  hig 
  them. 
  When 
  received 
  at 
  the 
  vessel 
  

   they 
  were 
  apj)arently 
  all 
  impregnated, 
  and 
  development 
  proceeded 
  

   normally 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  days, 
  by 
  which 
  time 
  the 
  embryo 
  would 
  be 
  

   perfectly 
  formed. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  a 
  small 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  would 
  

   hatch 
  and 
  live 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  8 
  hours, 
  but 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  development 
  was 
  usually 
  

   as 
  follows: 
  The 
  embryo 
  was 
  first 
  noticeable 
  48 
  hours 
  after 
  iilacing 
  in 
  

   the 
  jars; 
  after 
  CO 
  hours 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  well 
  formed, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  72 
  

   hours 
  develoiJmeiit 
  stopped, 
  the 
  eggs 
  dying 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  84th 
  

   hour. 
  In 
  cases 
  where 
  they 
  hatched, 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  required 
  was 
  

   5 
  days, 
  in 
  an 
  average 
  temperature 
  of 
  58°. 
  It 
  soon 
  became 
  evident 
  that 
  

   the 
  fry 
  hatched 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  retained, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  liberated 
  at 
  once 
  

   in 
  Merry 
  coneag 
  Sound. 
  

  

  The 
  nets 
  producing 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  which 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  secured 
  

   were 
  set 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  10 
  miles 
  oftshore. 
  They 
  were 
  examined 
  regularly 
  

   at 
  sunset 
  and 
  again 
  the 
  next 
  morning, 
  the 
  best 
  eggs 
  being 
  obtained 
  

   from 
  the 
  fish 
  taken 
  at 
  sunset. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  recommended 
  that 
  the 
  work 
  be 
  undertaken 
  earlier 
  next 
  season, 
  

   and 
  that 
  Casco 
  Bay 
  be 
  made 
  the 
  headquarters 
  for 
  mackerel 
  operations, 
  

   as 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  pounds 
  and 
  traps 
  are 
  fished 
  there, 
  and 
  because 
  of 
  

   its 
  facilities 
  for 
  comnuinication 
  Avith 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  

  

  Lobster. 
  — 
  Permission 
  having 
  been 
  granted 
  by 
  the 
  Maine 
  Commission 
  

   of 
  Sea 
  and 
  Shore 
  Fisheries 
  to 
  collect 
  and 
  hold 
  egg-bearing 
  lobsters, 
  

   Mr. 
  M. 
  B. 
  Spinney, 
  of 
  Small 
  Point, 
  Me., 
  was 
  engaged 
  during 
  the 
  mack- 
  

   erel 
  season 
  to 
  interview 
  the 
  lobster 
  men 
  operating 
  between 
  Portland 
  

   and 
  Boothbay 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  to 
  arranging 
  for 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  seed 
  

   lobsters, 
  he 
  having 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  and 
  

   being 
  well 
  acquainted 
  along 
  the 
  coast. 
  By 
  the 
  30th 
  of 
  June 
  100,000 
  

  

  