174 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



shore. That is to say, the fish are off the coast in the cooler water in the summer, and 

 as the temperature falls approaching autumn, and the shores are cooled down to a 

 certain degree, they come in and are taken within a few miles of the coast. In the 

 northern waters, as far as I can understand from the writiugs of Professor Hind, the 

 fish generally go off-shore in the winter time, excepting on the south side of New- 

 foundland, where, I am informed, they maintain their stay, or else come in in large 

 ahundance; hut in the Bay of Fundy, on the coast of Maine, and still further north, 

 they don't remain as close to the shore in winter as in other seasons. 



Q. Take them as a whole, then, they are deep-sea fish ? I don't mean f he deep sea 

 as distinguished from the banks. — A. An outside fish ? "Well, they are to a very con- 

 siderable extent. The largest- catches are taken off-shore, and what are taken iushore 

 are in specially favored localities, perhaps on the coast of Labrador, and possibly off 

 Newfoundland. They bear a small proportion generally to what is taken outside, 

 where the conveniences of attack and approach are greater. 



Q. Now, what is known about the spawning-grounds of codfish? — A. We lack 

 positive information in regard to the spawning-grounds of this fish, except that we 

 know single localities. We know the Lofoden Islands are great spawning-grounds. 

 We know that the fish come there almost exclusively for the purpose of spawning. They 

 are not there in the ordinary times of the year. They come in December aud Jan- 

 uary, and spawn in February and March, and are there in most overwhelming abun- 

 dance. 



Q. But on the coast of America ? — A. Weknow there is one large spawning-ground 

 in Cape Cod Bay. 



Q. You mean Massachusetts Bay inside ? — A. Yes ; there is said to be there a long 

 reef about 4 miles wide and about 20 miles long, and the cod go in there and furnish a 

 very important winter fishery. 



Q. Then I presume there are similar spofs along the whole American coast 1 — A. 

 Probably they spawn at the Georges, and undoubtedly in a great many localities in 

 the Bay of Saint Lawrence, and on the Banks, although I cannot speak of that, be- 

 cause I haven't had an opportunity of knowing. 



Q. What are the relations of cod to other fish ? — A. They are friends and enemies. 

 They are warriors aud victims. They are extremely voracious, and devour every- 

 thing that is small enough, without any kind of consideration, and in turn are con- 

 sumed in all their stages by such fish as can master them. The adult fish are princi- 

 pally interfered with by horse-mackerel, the bluefish, the porpoise, and by sharks, 

 and anything else big enough to swallow them, instead of beiug swallowed by them. 

 It is merely a question of size whether the codfish is the active or passive agent. 



Q. Now what fish do they devour mostly? — A. They eat everything, but they live 

 very largely on herring or mackerel, or any of the small fish found on the sea bot- 

 toms. They devour crabs and small lobsters. The stomach of the cod is oue of the 

 best dredges you can have. You find there sometimes rare specimens that are never 

 found elsewhere. 



Q. Do they digest the shells? — A. No; they digest the nutriment and then throw 

 out the shells. Sometimes you find the shells packed solid one inside of another like 

 saucers iu a pile. The wonder is how they empty them out. 



Q. But they do? — A. I suppose they must. 



By Hon. Mr. Kellogg : 

 Q. They devour them whole aud then when the meal is digested they eject the 

 shells? — A. The mouth is quite large, and the shell goes out as easily as it goes in. 



By Mr. Dana : 



Q. What do you think are the seasons for spawning on the American coast ? — A. 

 I presume that, like many other fish, they may spawn over quite a rauge of time. 

 But, so far as our own observation on the American coast goes, their season is from 

 November until March. In Cape Cod Bay they spawn about December and January. 



