﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  LV 
  

  

  culture 
  and 
  use 
  of 
  fish, 
  the 
  rivers 
  and 
  the 
  sea 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  fulfill 
  their 
  

   office 
  with 
  the 
  laud 
  in 
  supplying 
  nutriuieut 
  for 
  nian." 
  

  

  17. 
  — 
  TURCOT 
  AND 
  SOLES. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  excellent 
  marine 
  fish 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  necessary 
  only 
  to 
  consider 
  the 
  question 
  

   of 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  turbot 
  and 
  sole, 
  both 
  fish 
  of 
  world-wide 
  

   reputation, 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  European 
  epicure 
  promptly 
  

   offers 
  as 
  an 
  offset 
  to 
  the 
  pompano, 
  the 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  the 
  sheeps- 
  

   head, 
  and 
  our 
  other 
  esteemed 
  varieties. 
  The 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  has 
  

   frequently 
  been 
  urged 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  necessary 
  steps 
  to 
  acclimate 
  these 
  

   fish 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Uuited 
  States; 
  and 
  several 
  successive 
  efforts 
  

   have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  that 
  direction, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  failed 
  entirely, 
  

   and 
  others 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  individuals 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  sea 
  

   off 
  Boston 
  Harbor 
  and 
  New 
  York. 
  As 
  no 
  care 
  could 
  be 
  exercised 
  over 
  

   these 
  fish, 
  and 
  there 
  was 
  nothing 
  to 
  prevent 
  their 
  being 
  devoured, 
  al- 
  

   most 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  planted, 
  by 
  predaceous 
  fish, 
  no 
  definite 
  result 
  could 
  be 
  

   expected 
  from 
  what 
  has 
  been 
  done, 
  in 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  localities 
  that 
  could 
  

   be 
  completely 
  controlled. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  preparations 
  at 
  the 
  Wood's 
  Holl 
  Station 
  

   for 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  sea 
  fishes, 
  it 
  has 
  become 
  possible 
  to 
  provide 
  for 
  

   permanent 
  inclosures 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  where 
  the 
  fish, 
  while 
  having 
  their 
  

   natural 
  surroundings, 
  can 
  be 
  watched 
  and 
  cared 
  for, 
  and 
  from 
  which 
  

   they 
  can 
  be 
  removed 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  taking 
  and 
  fertilizing 
  the 
  eggs, 
  

   to 
  be 
  subsequently 
  hatched 
  out. 
  

  

  For 
  this 
  purpose 
  arrangements 
  were 
  initiated 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   year 
  to 
  obtain 
  from 
  England 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  these 
  fish, 
  and 
  the 
  services 
  

   of 
  a 
  skilled 
  attendant 
  were 
  bespoken. 
  In 
  the 
  mean 
  time 
  the 
  authorities 
  

   of 
  the 
  National 
  Fish 
  Culture 
  Association, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  Commission 
  had 
  

   sent 
  some 
  highly-valued 
  lots 
  of 
  eggs 
  and 
  young 
  of 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  

   American 
  fishes, 
  asked 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  permitted 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  trans- 
  

   mission 
  in 
  return, 
  and 
  this 
  proposition 
  was 
  gladly 
  accepted. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  found 
  impossible 
  to 
  obtain 
  any 
  turbot 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  brill, 
  a 
  large 
  

   flounder 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  turbot, 
  was 
  substituted 
  in 
  its 
  place. 
  Sev- 
  

   eral 
  hundred 
  young 
  soles, 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  hand, 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   brill 
  were 
  accordingly 
  gathered 
  and 
  stored 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  En- 
  

   gland, 
  and 
  the 
  necessary 
  arrangements 
  made 
  for 
  their 
  shipment 
  per 
  

   steamer 
  Eepublic 
  from 
  Liverpool 
  on 
  September 
  1. 
  The 
  fish 
  were 
  sent 
  

   to 
  Liverpool 
  the 
  day 
  before, 
  but, 
  being 
  overcrowded 
  in 
  their 
  tanks, 
  most 
  

   of 
  them 
  died 
  in 
  transit. 
  The 
  survivors 
  being 
  very 
  much 
  weakened, 
  

   all 
  the 
  efforts 
  of 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  T. 
  Silk, 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  deputed 
  by 
  the 
  National 
  

   Fish 
  Culture 
  Association 
  to 
  care 
  for 
  them, 
  were 
  unavailing, 
  and 
  the 
  en- 
  

   tire 
  number 
  died 
  before 
  being 
  put 
  on 
  board. 
  The 
  experiment 
  will, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  be 
  renewed 
  another 
  season, 
  as 
  the 
  stake 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  one, 
  and 
  is 
  

   worthy 
  of 
  continued 
  experiment 
  until 
  success 
  is 
  secured. 
  

  

  