424 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND VISHERIES. [80] 
explains this by saying that the eggs of the mackerel do not fully de- 
velop until the female has passed into the warmer water; his opinion 
being that the region was too near the capes. 
Puncoteague Creek, Onancock, or even Crisfield, Md., would scarcely 
be open to these objections, as they are considerably farther up the bay, 
and also nearer the spawning grounds. Any of these would furnish fair 
anchorage for the steamer, and would be a convenient point from which 
to visit the various fisheries. In case the tendency for the mackerel 
to throw their eggs when long confined should prove a serious obstacle 
in the way of securing sufficient quantities from the pound-nets, these 
places would possess a great advantage over those first named, as they 
are in the center of the gill-net fisheries, where the nets are hauled so 
frequently that the fish would usually be secured before many of their 
eggs had been lost. In case it should be found necessary to depend 
on the gill-net catch, no place could be more favorable than Crisfield 
or Tangier Island. 
The fishermen of the Chesapeake manifest the most friendly dispo- 
sition toward the Fish Commission, and fully appreciate the benefits 
already derived by them from the artificial propagation of the shad. 
They are thoroughly interested in the propagation of the mackerel, and 
realize the importance of this work. Many of them have not only con- 
sented to allow an examination of their fish for the purpose of securing 
eggs, but have kindly volunteered every possible assistance. 
Sandy Hook, N. J., presents some advantages for the location of a 
hatchery not offered by the Chesapeake Bay towns, though there are 
drawbacks that may render it less desirable. In the first-named lo- 
cality the mackerel are quite abundant; and those taken, being of large 
size, would yield a much larger number of eggs than the smaller fish 
of the South—a matter that may prove to be of great importance, for 
we must remember that thequestion of keeping the mackerel in con- 
finement, and of stripping them from time to time until all of the eggs 
have been secured, is still unsettled. If the question of the transporta- 
tion of the fry should become important, Sandy Hook would be especially 
suited for the work, for the young mackerel could be readily shipped to 
New York, from which point they could be sent to any portioneof the 
coast where it might be thought desirable to introduce them. 
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, January 10, 1882. 
