2800 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



the cod has been found to contain from three to seven million eggs by 

 actual count. Turbot, I think, are one of the very few fish that can 

 beat it. They run up to twelve millions. 



Q. We do not have the real turbot ? A. No. From three to five mil- 

 lion might be considered a fair annual estimate of the eggs of the cod- 

 fish. From three to five millions of ripe eggs have been found in the 

 ovary of one single cod, and more. 



Q. What becomes of these eggs when discharged ? A. The question 

 of the spawning places for codfish has been one that was originally very 

 uncertain. The researches of naturalists have shown that these eggs 

 are discharged in the open sea on the Lofoden Banks. Some miles from 

 the shore they can be found floating at the surface, and can be taken 

 up by the bushel in towing nets. The eggs are very small, from one- 

 twentieth to one fiftieth of an inch in diameter, and they have a small 

 globule of oil to make them float. 



Q. Now, do these eggs all produce fish unless they are injured in some 

 way ? No ; there are a great many contingencies. It is not likely that a 

 very large percentage will be fertilized by the male. There is always an 

 uncertainty about that. Then, as they are floating in the water, every 

 fish that may be fond of that kind of sustenance devours them very 

 greedily, and by the time they are hatched out, a large percentage is 

 destroyed in this way. Then, the young fry, while in a helpless state, 

 are devoured in large numbers. I should think it extremely probable 

 that not one hundred thousand out of the three millions possibly not 

 ten thousand attain to a condition in which they are able to take care 

 of themselves. It is entirely impossible to make any estimate. We 

 know, however, from the analogy of other fish from the facts in regard 

 to salmon, shad, and that kind of fish we can make an approximation. 



Q. These eggs rise to the surface ? A. They float at various distances 

 from the surface down. Some are a little heavier and some a little 

 lighter. I mean that they are not attached to the bottom. Their 

 specific gravity is very nearly that of the water. Of course when the 

 water is cold they will float better, because the density is greater, but 

 when the water is warm they will sink. 



By Hon. Mr. Kellogg : 



Q. Before you leave this subject I would like to ask whether the 

 spawn are visible in the ocean, that is, cod-spawn. What is the color! 

 A. It is transparent, with a little spot of oil in one corner. You would 

 not notice it under ordinary circumstances, but you might if you were 

 looking for it. 



Q. The ocean might be full and a common man would not see itf A.. 

 Certainly. 



By Mr. Dana : 



Q. Be kind enough now to tell us what are the principal modes of 

 capturing cod ! A. The modes of capture vary with the regions. For 

 commercial purposes, the fish are caught with hand-lines and the trawl- 

 line, or long line as it should be called. It is taken very largely in gill- 

 nets on the coast of Norway and in some other regions. I believe it is 

 so taken on the coast of Labrador, but I don't think it is taken fre- 

 quently on our own coast in nets. 



Q. To what extent is the trawl-line used ! A. It is used all over the 

 world. It is one of the oldest methods of catching fish. 



Q. From your investigation, do you think the capture of fish gen- 

 erally, or codfish, or other kinds, by some contrivance like the trawl, 



