﻿244 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [28] 
  

  

  About 
  1 
  p. 
  in., 
  April 
  2, 
  another 
  attempt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  catch 
  fish 
  in 
  95 
  

   fathoms, 
  at 
  station 
  2417 
  (lat. 
  33° 
  18' 
  30" 
  K, 
  long. 
  77° 
  07' 
  00" 
  W.), 
  but 
  

   none 
  were 
  taken. 
  

  

  A 
  haul 
  with 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  was 
  made 
  near 
  this 
  place 
  ; 
  sea 
  urchins, 
  

   of 
  the 
  "sand-dollar" 
  type, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  fish 
  (of 
  which 
  little 
  skates 
  

   and 
  flounders 
  formed 
  the 
  chief 
  part) 
  being 
  the 
  principal 
  material 
  taken. 
  

   Tliis 
  is 
  probably 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  "barren 
  bottom." 
  Another 
  dredging 
  and 
  

   trial 
  for 
  fish 
  with 
  hand-lines 
  were 
  made 
  about 
  G 
  p. 
  m., 
  in 
  107 
  fathoms 
  

   (lat. 
  33o, 
  31' 
  N., 
  long. 
  70°, 
  40', 
  30" 
  W.), 
  but 
  we 
  caught 
  no 
  fish, 
  and 
  a 
  

   limited 
  quantity 
  of 
  spiny 
  sea 
  urchins 
  was 
  nearly 
  all 
  that 
  the 
  trawl 
  

   brought 
  up. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  time 
  until 
  10.01 
  p. 
  m., 
  April 
  3, 
  the 
  ship 
  was 
  under 
  way, 
  

   steaming 
  up 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream. 
  At 
  the 
  hour 
  above 
  mentioned 
  the 
  offi- 
  

   cers 
  began 
  taking 
  a 
  set 
  of 
  serial 
  temperatures 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  20 
  miles, 
  

   beginning 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream, 
  in 
  2,340 
  fathoms 
  (lat. 
  36° 
  30' 
  N., 
  long. 
  

   73° 
  14' 
  W.), 
  and 
  running 
  in 
  a 
  west-northwesterly 
  direction. 
  This 
  work 
  

   was 
  continued 
  uninterruptedly 
  until 
  G.20 
  p. 
  m. 
  on 
  the 
  4th, 
  when 
  the 
  ship 
  

   was 
  in 
  lat. 
  37° 
  9' 
  23" 
  N, 
  long. 
  74° 
  30' 
  30" 
  W. 
  Not 
  far 
  from 
  this 
  posi- 
  

   tion, 
  in 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  G5 
  to 
  100 
  fathoms, 
  it 
  was 
  deemed 
  desirable 
  to 
  try 
  for 
  

   fish, 
  since 
  here, 
  on 
  previous 
  dredgings 
  last 
  year, 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  life 
  

   had 
  been 
  found 
  abundant 
  that 
  were 
  known 
  to 
  exist 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  

   on 
  the 
  grounds 
  where 
  the 
  tilefish 
  (Lopltolatihts 
  chamcvleonticeps) 
  was 
  

   found 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  remarkable 
  mortality 
  that 
  occurred 
  to 
  that 
  species 
  

   in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1882, 
  since 
  which 
  time 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  individual 
  has 
  been 
  

   seen. 
  Among 
  these 
  different 
  animals 
  a 
  peculiar 
  kind 
  of 
  Crustacea, 
  known 
  

   as 
  Munida, 
  was 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  tilefish 
  bank 
  in 
  great 
  abundance, 
  but, 
  

   strange 
  as 
  it 
  may 
  seem, 
  this 
  also 
  practically 
  disappeared 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   time 
  that 
  the 
  Lopliolatilus 
  was 
  destroyed 
  in 
  such 
  numbers. 
  As 
  these 
  

   would 
  be 
  excellent 
  food 
  for 
  large, 
  voracious, 
  bottom 
  -feeding 
  species, 
  

   like 
  the 
  tilefish, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  inferred 
  that 
  where 
  the 
  Munida 
  is 
  found 
  

   plentiful 
  there 
  also 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  (or 
  possible) 
  that 
  the 
  Lopholatilus 
  

   may 
  be 
  caught. 
  Therefore, 
  the 
  fact 
  having 
  been 
  determined 
  by 
  pre- 
  

   vious 
  investigation 
  that 
  this 
  particular 
  species 
  (as 
  well 
  as 
  some 
  others 
  

   that 
  were 
  contemporary 
  with 
  the 
  tilefish) 
  were 
  plentiful 
  just 
  inside 
  the 
  

   Gulf 
  Stream, 
  in 
  the 
  locality 
  named, 
  the 
  importance- 
  of 
  ascertaining 
  

   what 
  kiuds 
  offish 
  could 
  be 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  ground 
  will 
  be 
  apparent. 
  

  

  But 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  proper 
  locality, 
  on 
  the 
  4th, 
  the 
  wind 
  

   blew 
  up 
  so 
  strong 
  from 
  the 
  westward 
  that 
  it 
  kicked 
  up 
  a 
  choppy 
  sea 
  

   and 
  made 
  it 
  impracticable 
  to 
  do 
  any 
  fishing. 
  The 
  ship, 
  therefore, 
  lay 
  

   by, 
  steaming 
  to 
  windward 
  only 
  enough 
  to 
  hold 
  her 
  own, 
  or 
  a 
  little 
  

   more, 
  until 
  the 
  next 
  morning. 
  About 
  G 
  a. 
  m., 
  on 
  the 
  5th, 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  104 
  

   fathoms 
  was 
  obtained, 
  and 
  a 
  haul 
  was 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  (sta- 
  

   tion 
  2420 
  ; 
  hit. 
  37o 
  03' 
  20" 
  K, 
  long. 
  74° 
  31' 
  40" 
  W.). 
  

  

  The 
  trawl 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  only 
  a 
  short 
  time, 
  but 
  nevertheless 
  

   brought 
  up 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  Munida, 
  eighteen 
  specimens 
  of 
  small 
  

   hake 
  (P. 
  regius 
  [?] 
  ), 
  several 
  small 
  tiger 
  sharks, 
  some 
  small 
  skate 
  (Rata), 
  

  

  