﻿[29] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  245 
  

  

  hermit, 
  and 
  other 
  kinds 
  of 
  crabs, 
  small 
  octopods, 
  &c. 
  Many 
  stones, 
  

   wave- 
  worn 
  and 
  of 
  various 
  kinds, 
  came 
  up, 
  these 
  having 
  the 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  beach 
  rocks, 
  or 
  such 
  as 
  one 
  sometimes 
  sees 
  pulled 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  bot- 
  

   tom 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  fishing 
  banks. 
  There 
  were 
  also 
  many 
  specimens 
  

   of 
  a 
  hard, 
  clayey 
  substance, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  perforated 
  with 
  holes 
  of 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  size, 
  but 
  just 
  what 
  this 
  is, 
  or 
  rather 
  what 
  causes 
  such 
  a 
  forma- 
  

   tion, 
  I 
  believe 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  determined. 
  Taken 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  this 
  

   bottom 
  must 
  be 
  excellently 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  support 
  of 
  many 
  kinds 
  

   offish 
  life, 
  particularly 
  such 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  of 
  commercial 
  importance. 
  

  

  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  trawl 
  was 
  up, 
  several 
  fishing 
  lines 
  were 
  put 
  out 
  in 
  67 
  

   fathoms 
  (hit. 
  37° 
  3' 
  N., 
  long. 
  74° 
  33' 
  W.), 
  and 
  we 
  continued 
  fishing 
  for 
  

   about 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  an 
  hour. 
  Eight 
  dogfish 
  (Sqaalus 
  acanthias) 
  were 
  

   caught. 
  These 
  were 
  so 
  plenty 
  that 
  several 
  pairs 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  a 
  single 
  line. 
  

   Nothing 
  else 
  was 
  caught 
  on 
  the 
  lines, 
  however, 
  and 
  little 
  else 
  could 
  be 
  

   expected 
  where 
  these 
  pests 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  are 
  abundant. 
  For 
  

   such 
  is 
  their 
  pugnacity 
  and 
  greediness 
  that 
  they 
  generally 
  prevent 
  all 
  

   other 
  species 
  from 
  taking 
  the 
  hooks, 
  and 
  not 
  uncommonly, 
  when 
  they 
  

   swarm 
  in 
  a 
  locality, 
  they 
  drive 
  other 
  fish 
  from 
  it. 
  This 
  being 
  the 
  case, 
  

   it 
  will 
  readily 
  be 
  understood 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  yet 
  difficult 
  to 
  say 
  precisely 
  what 
  

   kino's 
  and 
  what 
  quantities 
  of 
  fish 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  here, 
  when 
  the 
  region 
  

   is 
  not 
  infested 
  by 
  dogfish, 
  which 
  is 
  probably 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  

   and 
  fall. 
  

  

  Another 
  matter 
  that 
  should 
  be 
  considered 
  is 
  this: 
  we 
  had 
  only 
  salt 
  

   bait 
  to 
  use, 
  and 
  as 
  tilefish 
  have 
  always, 
  when 
  taken, 
  been 
  caught 
  on 
  

   fresh 
  bait, 
  we 
  are 
  left 
  in 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  they 
  would 
  bite 
  at 
  any 
  

   other. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  such 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  live 
  food 
  that 
  is 
  suita- 
  

   ble 
  for 
  them 
  would 
  lead 
  one 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  bite 
  at 
  salt 
  

   material. 
  However, 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  important 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  case 
  as 
  it 
  

   might 
  be 
  under 
  other 
  conditions, 
  since, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  explained, 
  the 
  pres- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  dogfish 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  would 
  doubtless 
  render 
  abortive 
  

   all 
  attempts 
  to 
  catch 
  other 
  fish, 
  whatever 
  bait 
  was 
  used. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  trial 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  98 
  fathoms, 
  about 
  2 
  miles 
  northeasterly 
  

   from 
  the 
  position 
  given 
  above, 
  but 
  nothing 
  was 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  lines. 
  

  

  The 
  ship 
  then 
  headed 
  for 
  the 
  Chesapeake, 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  taking 
  se- 
  

   rial 
  temperatures 
  was 
  resumed. 
  The 
  importance 
  of 
  making 
  these 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  on 
  temperatures 
  at 
  this 
  season 
  will 
  be 
  apparent 
  to 
  any 
  one 
  at 
  all 
  

   familiar 
  with 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  our 
  migratory 
  fishes. 
  About 
  

   this 
  time, 
  or 
  a 
  little 
  earlier, 
  the 
  mackerel, 
  shad, 
  and 
  river 
  herring 
  or 
  

   alewivc, 
  make 
  their 
  appearance 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  in 
  the 
  latitude 
  of 
  the 
  Ches- 
  

   apeake 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  north 
  of 
  it, 
  while 
  the 
  menhaden, 
  bluefish, 
  and 
  other 
  

   species 
  come 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  after. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  a 
  well 
  recognized 
  fact 
  that 
  

   the 
  varying 
  conditions 
  of 
  ocean 
  temperature 
  influence 
  the 
  movements 
  

   of 
  fish 
  in 
  a 
  remarkable 
  degree. 
  This 
  being 
  the 
  case, 
  it 
  need 
  scarcely 
  

   be 
  added 
  that 
  the 
  observations 
  made 
  must 
  materially 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  scien- 
  

   tific 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  referred 
  to. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  remarked 
  that 
  we 
  saw 
  no 
  schools 
  of 
  fish 
  of 
  any 
  kind 
  while 
  

  

  