﻿XXVIIt 
  REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  more 
  obscuro 
  forms 
  of 
  marine 
  life. 
  No 
  traces 
  of 
  tile-fish, 
  however, 
  

   were 
  found. 
  The 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  search 
  of 
  the 
  Albatross 
  for 
  this 
  fish 
  

   during 
  the 
  year, 
  taken 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  similar 
  results 
  of 
  other 
  

   investigations 
  made 
  since 
  1882, 
  by 
  this 
  vessel 
  and 
  others, 
  seems 
  to 
  

   indicate 
  that 
  the 
  tile-fish 
  have 
  been 
  entirely 
  exterminated, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  

   have 
  abandoned 
  our 
  coast. 
  The 
  search 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  for 
  them 
  with 
  

   much 
  care, 
  as 
  they 
  promised 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  fish 
  of 
  great 
  commercial 
  value, 
  and 
  

   had 
  been 
  taken 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  during 
  the 
  seasons 
  of 
  1880 
  and 
  

   1881, 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  unprecedented 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  March 
  

   and 
  April 
  of 
  18S2. 
  

  

  On 
  October 
  8 
  the 
  A 
  lbatross 
  left 
  Wood's 
  Holl, 
  and 
  stopped 
  at 
  New- 
  

   port 
  and 
  New 
  York, 
  before 
  going 
  on 
  a 
  short 
  trip 
  of 
  investigation 
  off 
  

   the 
  capes 
  of 
  the 
  De 
  laware 
  and 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  farther 
  

   south. 
  On 
  the 
  24th 
  she 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  navy-yard 
  at 
  Washington, 
  

   where 
  she 
  remained 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  engaged 
  in 
  refitting 
  and 
  

   preparing 
  for 
  future 
  work. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  appended 
  report 
  of 
  Captain 
  Tanner 
  on 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  Al- 
  

   batross 
  in 
  1885' 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  full 
  details 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  officers 
  and 
  specialists 
  

   on 
  board, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  trips 
  made 
  ; 
  while 
  added 
  to 
  his 
  re- 
  

   port 
  in 
  general 
  on 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  reports 
  of 
  

   the 
  navigator, 
  engineer, 
  surgeon, 
  naturalist, 
  and 
  several 
  valuable 
  tables 
  

   containing 
  statistical 
  and 
  other 
  details. 
  

  

  B.— 
  The 
  Steamer 
  Fish 
  Hawk. 
  

  

  As 
  stated 
  in 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  1884, 
  Lieutenant 
  Wood 
  was 
  relieved 
  from 
  

   the 
  command 
  of 
  this 
  steamer 
  December 
  31. 
  Lieut. 
  L. 
  W. 
  Piepmeyer 
  

   s 
  ucceeded 
  him 
  at 
  that 
  date 
  and 
  remained 
  in 
  command 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   yea 
  r. 
  From 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  January 
  to 
  the 
  25th 
  of 
  April 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  vario 
  us 
  duties 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  Havre 
  de 
  Grace 
  

   Station, 
  and 
  work 
  in 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay. 
  On 
  the 
  7th 
  of 
  May 
  the 
  American 
  

   Fisher.es 
  Society, 
  which 
  was 
  holding 
  its 
  annual 
  meeting 
  in 
  Washing- 
  

   ton, 
  was 
  invited 
  to 
  a 
  trip 
  upon 
  the 
  Fish 
  Hawk 
  to 
  witness 
  the 
  shad 
  

   work 
  at 
  Fort 
  Washington. 
  The 
  excursion 
  occupied 
  the 
  entire 
  after- 
  

   noon, 
  furnishing 
  the 
  members 
  ample 
  opportunity 
  for 
  witnessing 
  the 
  

   hauling 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  and 
  the 
  manipulation 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  hatching 
  

   house. 
  From 
  the 
  lGth 
  to 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  May 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  moored 
  at 
  

   Fort 
  Washington 
  and 
  the 
  crew 
  were 
  instructed 
  in 
  spawn-taking. 
  She 
  

  

  then 
  proceeded 
  to 
  the 
  Delaware, 
  arriving 
  at 
  Gloucester 
  Point 
  May 
  23, 
  

   and 
  remained 
  in 
  those 
  waters 
  until 
  June 
  10, 
  visiting 
  the 
  fisheries 
  and 
  

  

  collecting 
  shad 
  eggs. 
  Of 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  10,000,000 
  eggs, 
  over 
  8,000,000 
  were 
  

   hatched 
  and 
  the 
  fry 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  Delaware 
  Eiver. 
  On 
  the 
  11th 
  of 
  

   June 
  the 
  steamer 
  was 
  placed 
  on 
  exhibition 
  at 
  Burlington 
  to 
  enable 
  

  

  those 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  to 
  inspect 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  handling 
  and 
  

   hatching 
  eggs. 
  The 
  vessel 
  was 
  then 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  for 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  continuing 
  shad 
  work, 
  where 
  4,500,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  and 
  1,370,000 
  young 
  fish 
  hatched. 
  During 
  August 
  the 
  Fish 
  

  

  