﻿104 
  liEPOliT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Eiigliiiid, 
  between 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fuiidy 
  iiud 
  Block 
  Islaud. 
  During 
  this 
  

   period 
  tlie 
  cruises 
  were 
  made 
  partly 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  the 
  fishing 
  ves- 
  

   sels 
  and 
  partly 
  independently, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  largest 
  possible 
  

   area. 
  The 
  observations 
  related 
  to 
  all 
  subjects 
  which 
  have 
  customarily 
  

   been 
  covered 
  by 
  these 
  investigations, 
  including 
  the 
  physical 
  conditions 
  

   of 
  the 
  sea, 
  the 
  distribution, 
  abundance, 
  habits, 
  sizes, 
  and 
  food 
  of 
  tlie 
  

   mackerel, 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  their 
  methods, 
  extent 
  and 
  

   character 
  of 
  catch, 
  etc. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  that 
  extensive 
  inquiries 
  

   had 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  offshore 
  waters 
  of 
  northern 
  New 
  England, 
  and 
  

   many 
  important 
  results 
  were 
  secured. 
  While 
  in 
  port, 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  

   time, 
  advantage 
  was 
  also 
  taken 
  of 
  the 
  opportunity 
  to 
  keep 
  track 
  of 
  the 
  

   operations 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  fleet 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   complete 
  the 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  the 
  information 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  being 
  

   obtained 
  from 
  the 
  returning 
  vessels. 
  

  

  The 
  spring 
  cruise 
  in 
  1896 
  began 
  on 
  April 
  11, 
  on 
  which 
  date 
  the 
  

   Grampus 
  left 
  Gloucester, 
  Mass., 
  reaching 
  Lewes, 
  Del., 
  on 
  the 
  IGth 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  mouth. 
  The 
  instructions 
  issued 
  for 
  the 
  guidance 
  of 
  the 
  vessel, 
  

   which 
  were 
  carried 
  out 
  in 
  all 
  particulars 
  as 
  closely 
  as 
  the 
  circumstances 
  

   permitted, 
  were 
  essentially 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  previous 
  years. 
  The 
  general 
  

   purpose 
  of 
  the 
  cruise 
  was 
  to 
  observe 
  and 
  record 
  the 
  principal 
  events 
  

   connected 
  with 
  the 
  first 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  mackerel 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  

   Atlantic 
  coast, 
  and 
  with 
  their 
  subsequent 
  movements 
  northward 
  into 
  

   the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence. 
  The 
  schooner 
  remained 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  in 
  

   company 
  with 
  the 
  fishing 
  fleet, 
  as 
  affording 
  the 
  best 
  meaus 
  of 
  keeping- 
  

   track 
  of 
  the 
  schools 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  of 
  obtaining 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  specimens 
  

   for 
  examination. 
  Occasionally, 
  however, 
  trips 
  were 
  made 
  back 
  and 
  

   forth 
  across 
  the 
  area 
  traversed 
  by 
  the 
  mackerel, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  determine 
  

   the 
  width 
  of 
  territory 
  which 
  they 
  occupy, 
  and 
  every 
  effort 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  

   keep 
  track 
  of 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  advance 
  schools 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  

   center 
  of 
  their 
  abundance, 
  with 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  ascertaining, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  

   possible, 
  the 
  i)rincipal 
  influences, 
  physical 
  and 
  biological, 
  which 
  control 
  

   their 
  movements. 
  Some 
  fishing 
  was 
  done 
  directly 
  from 
  the 
  Grampus, 
  

   and 
  hourly 
  observations 
  were 
  made 
  respecting 
  the 
  temperature 
  and 
  

   density 
  of 
  tlie 
  sea, 
  meteorological 
  conditions, 
  and 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  life 
  

   present 
  at 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  Lewes 
  was 
  made 
  the 
  headquarters 
  until 
  May 
  8, 
  the 
  vessel 
  returning 
  

   to 
  port, 
  however, 
  only 
  when 
  the 
  weather 
  was 
  too 
  stormy 
  to 
  continue 
  

   operations. 
  The 
  first 
  mackerel 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  fieet 
  this 
  year 
  were 
  caught 
  

   in 
  a 
  purse 
  seine 
  on 
  April 
  G, 
  in 
  latitude 
  37° 
  north, 
  on 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  

   soundings. 
  The 
  species 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  usually 
  abundant 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  season, 
  a 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  fish 
  being 
  seen 
  and 
  a 
  greater 
  quantity 
  

   captured 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  one 
  spring 
  during 
  a 
  considerable 
  period. 
  The 
  

   total 
  quantity 
  obtained 
  was 
  about 
  ten 
  times 
  greater 
  than 
  in 
  1895. 
  

   After 
  leaving 
  Lewes 
  on 
  the 
  8th, 
  the 
  Grampus 
  worked 
  northward 
  along 
  

   the 
  New 
  Jersey 
  coast, 
  and 
  thence 
  eastward 
  off 
  Long 
  Island 
  and 
  Block 
  

   Island, 
  reaching 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  on 
  the 
  14th. 
  

  

  The 
  regular 
  cruising 
  closed 
  at 
  this 
  time, 
  the 
  vessel 
  being 
  detailed 
  to 
  

   engage 
  in 
  the 
  collecting 
  of 
  mackerel 
  eggs 
  for 
  hatching 
  purposes. 
  This 
  

  

  