﻿24 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [22] 
  

  

  On 
  her 
  way 
  out, 
  however, 
  a 
  sloop 
  was 
  boarded 
  which 
  had 
  made 
  a 
  haul 
  

   during 
  the 
  day, 
  and 
  2,500 
  menhaden 
  in 
  flue 
  condition 
  were 
  procured 
  

   from 
  her. 
  They 
  were 
  iced 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  we 
  received 
  them 
  on 
  board. 
  The 
  

   boat 
  returned 
  at 
  G 
  p. 
  m., 
  and 
  at 
  6.15 
  we 
  got 
  under 
  way 
  and 
  proceeded 
  

   to 
  sea. 
  The 
  weather 
  was 
  clear 
  and 
  pleasant, 
  with 
  a 
  smooth 
  sea. 
  

  

  Two 
  trawl-lines 
  were 
  baited 
  during 
  the 
  night 
  and 
  preparations 
  made 
  

   for 
  prosecuting 
  our 
  investigations 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  and 
  at 
  5.53 
  a. 
  m., 
  

   June 
  3, 
  we 
  lowered 
  the 
  trawl 
  in 
  latitude 
  37° 
  07' 
  N., 
  longitude 
  74° 
  34' 
  

   30" 
  W., 
  in 
  04 
  fathoms, 
  flue 
  gray 
  sand 
  and 
  pebbles, 
  bottom 
  temperature 
  

   54°. 
  It 
  came 
  up 
  at 
  0.33 
  a. 
  m. 
  with 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  Munidas, 
  many 
  

   crabs, 
  hermit-crabs, 
  starfish, 
  and 
  several 
  small 
  fish, 
  among 
  them 
  four 
  

   pole 
  flounders. 
  It 
  was 
  emphatically 
  a 
  "live 
  bottom," 
  where 
  tile-fish 
  

   should 
  be 
  found, 
  if 
  they 
  inhabit 
  this 
  region. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  trawl 
  was 
  

   landed 
  on 
  deck, 
  and 
  the 
  favorable 
  nature 
  of 
  its 
  contents 
  observed, 
  the 
  

   trawl 
  line, 
  having 
  1,000 
  baited 
  hooks, 
  was 
  set 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  ground 
  over 
  

   which 
  the 
  trawl 
  had 
  passed, 
  the 
  weather 
  buoy 
  being 
  planted 
  in 
  61 
  

   fathoms, 
  coarse 
  gray 
  sand 
  and 
  pebbles, 
  latitude 
  37° 
  08' 
  N., 
  longitude 
  74° 
  

   34' 
  45" 
  W., 
  bottom 
  temperature 
  54°. 
  The 
  line 
  was 
  taken 
  up 
  at 
  9.25 
  a. 
  

   m. 
  without 
  a 
  single 
  fish, 
  and, 
  what 
  was 
  more 
  remarkable, 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  

   baits 
  had 
  been 
  touched. 
  Even 
  the 
  hake, 
  skate, 
  and 
  dogfish 
  seemed 
  to 
  

   have 
  abandoned 
  the 
  ground. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  on 
  April 
  5 
  

   this 
  locality 
  was 
  swarming 
  with 
  dogfish, 
  which 
  took 
  the 
  hooks 
  as 
  fast 
  

   as 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  put 
  over. 
  

  

  We 
  stood 
  off 
  shore 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  deepen 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  put 
  the 
  beam- 
  

   trawl 
  over 
  again 
  at 
  9.55 
  a. 
  m. 
  in 
  82 
  fathoms, 
  the 
  same 
  character 
  of 
  bot- 
  

   tom, 
  latitude 
  37° 
  08' 
  30" 
  N., 
  longitude 
  74° 
  33' 
  30" 
  "VV., 
  and 
  the 
  catch 
  was 
  

   practically 
  the 
  same, 
  with 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  four 
  small 
  spotted 
  sharks. 
  

   The 
  trawl-line 
  was 
  set 
  again 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  was 
  up 
  iu 
  75 
  

   fathoms, 
  same 
  character 
  of 
  bottom, 
  and 
  the 
  bottom 
  temperature 
  52.5°, 
  

   agreeing 
  very 
  nearly 
  with 
  the 
  so-called 
  tile-fish 
  ground 
  off 
  Martha's 
  

   Vineyard. 
  There 
  were 
  no 
  fish 
  of 
  any 
  kind 
  taken 
  on 
  this 
  set, 
  but 
  the 
  

   baits 
  were 
  nearly 
  all 
  gone, 
  having 
  been 
  eaten 
  probably 
  by 
  crabs. 
  

  

  Another 
  haul 
  of 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  w 
  r 
  as 
  made 
  at 
  3.04 
  p. 
  m. 
  in 
  143 
  fathoms, 
  

   green 
  mud 
  and 
  fine 
  sand, 
  latitude 
  37° 
  10' 
  15" 
  N., 
  longitude 
  74° 
  32' 
  W., 
  

   bottom 
  temperature 
  51.5°. 
  Large 
  numbers 
  of 
  Munidas, 
  crabs, 
  worm- 
  

   tubes, 
  hermit-crabs, 
  pole-flounders, 
  corals, 
  sea-anemones, 
  &c, 
  were 
  

   taken, 
  marking 
  the 
  locality 
  as 
  an 
  excellent 
  feeding 
  ground 
  for 
  fish. 
  

   We 
  trawled 
  inshore 
  to 
  103 
  fathoms, 
  green 
  mud, 
  sand, 
  and 
  black 
  specks, 
  

   latitude 
  37° 
  11' 
  30" 
  1ST., 
  longitude 
  74° 
  32' 
  30" 
  W., 
  when 
  we 
  commenced 
  

   laying 
  out 
  the 
  trawl 
  line 
  again, 
  standing 
  iu 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  position 
  

   given 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  trawling 
  station 
  and 
  in 
  fact 
  covering 
  practically 
  the 
  

   same 
  ground. 
  Four 
  hake 
  were 
  caught 
  on 
  the 
  line 
  during 
  this 
  set, 
  the 
  

   baits 
  being 
  nearly 
  all 
  taken 
  as 
  before. 
  

  

  Two 
  large 
  sharks 
  were 
  taken 
  with 
  a 
  hook 
  during 
  the 
  day; 
  one 
  of 
  

   them 
  measured 
  10 
  feet 
  4 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  weighed 
  400 
  pounds. 
  

   They 
  were 
  both 
  preserved, 
  one 
  skinued 
  and 
  the 
  hide 
  salted, 
  and 
  the 
  

   other 
  placed 
  on 
  ice. 
  

  

  