﻿EEPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  19 
  

  

  and 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  the 
  time 
  is 
  approaching 
  when 
  the 
  Bureau 
  mil 
  not 
  

   be 
  compelled, 
  as 
  at 
  present, 
  to 
  rely 
  solely 
  on 
  its 
  own 
  efforts 
  in 
  obtain- 
  

   ing 
  brood 
  fish 
  of 
  this 
  species. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  nonappearance 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  inshore 
  run 
  of 
  cod 
  along 
  

   the 
  Maine 
  coast 
  the 
  efforts 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  to 
  secure 
  eggs 
  in 
  Casco 
  Bay 
  

   and 
  at 
  Cape 
  Elizabeth 
  proved 
  nearly 
  futile. 
  A 
  small 
  run 
  of 
  fish 
  

   appeared 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Boothbay 
  

   Harbor 
  station, 
  and 
  had 
  fishing 
  operations 
  in 
  these 
  waters 
  been 
  con- 
  

   ducted 
  \vith 
  gill 
  nets 
  there 
  is 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  considerable 
  col- 
  

   lections 
  of 
  eggs 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  made. 
  Equipped 
  as 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   were, 
  however, 
  with 
  short 
  trawl 
  lines, 
  they 
  met 
  with 
  poor 
  results. 
  

   The 
  egg 
  collections 
  from 
  all 
  points 
  amounted 
  to 
  9,089,000 
  and 
  the 
  

   fry 
  distributed 
  numbered 
  5,611,000, 
  

  

  The 
  year's 
  work 
  at 
  the 
  Gloucester 
  station 
  involved 
  the 
  handling 
  of 
  

   1,431,588,000 
  eggs 
  of 
  four 
  species 
  of 
  marine 
  fishes 
  and 
  the 
  lobster 
  and 
  

   the 
  distribution 
  of 
  825,050,000 
  fry 
  hatched 
  therefrom. 
  Fish-cultural 
  

   operations 
  were 
  continued 
  uninterruptedly 
  from 
  November 
  1 
  to 
  the 
  

   close 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year, 
  and 
  at 
  many 
  times 
  during 
  this 
  period 
  eggs 
  of 
  

   the 
  various 
  species 
  were 
  received 
  in 
  such 
  quantities 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  handle 
  them 
  all 
  with 
  the 
  limited 
  facilities 
  available. 
  

   The 
  surplus 
  eggs 
  were 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  station 
  when 
  

   practicable, 
  but 
  plants 
  of 
  eggs 
  of 
  pollock, 
  cod, 
  and 
  haddock 
  aggregat- 
  

   ing 
  198,407,000 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  harbor 
  off 
  Gloucester, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   lack 
  of 
  hatching 
  facilities 
  at 
  either 
  station. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  pollock 
  spawning 
  season, 
  extending 
  from 
  November 
  1 
  

   to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  January, 
  856,680,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  collected 
  from 
  fish 
  taken 
  

   by 
  a 
  fleet 
  of 
  giil-net 
  steamers, 
  and 
  430,060,000 
  fry 
  of 
  good 
  quality 
  

   were 
  hatched 
  and 
  distributed 
  on 
  the 
  natural 
  spawning 
  grounds 
  oflF 
  

   Cape 
  Ann. 
  

  

  Eggs 
  of 
  the 
  cod 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  began 
  coming 
  in 
  imme- 
  

   diately 
  after 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  pollock 
  season, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  

   of 
  four 
  days, 
  lots 
  were 
  received 
  daily 
  from 
  February 
  16 
  to 
  April 
  7, 
  the 
  

   total 
  collections 
  amounting 
  to 
  170,840,000. 
  This 
  noteworthy 
  record 
  

   is 
  attributed 
  to 
  the 
  mild 
  weather 
  prevailing 
  throughout 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   period. 
  The 
  eggs 
  were 
  generally 
  of 
  good 
  quality, 
  and 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  

   the 
  transfer 
  of 
  13,096,000, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  crowded 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  

   hatchery, 
  105,150,000 
  fry 
  were 
  produced 
  for 
  distribution 
  along 
  the 
  

   Massachusetts 
  coast. 
  

  

  Haddock 
  eggs 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  135,800,000 
  were 
  received 
  between 
  

   March 
  17 
  and 
  April 
  15, 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  hatchery 
  was 
  so 
  crowded 
  

   that 
  only 
  about 
  half 
  of 
  them 
  could 
  be 
  handled 
  with 
  the 
  apparatus 
  

   available. 
  The 
  77,932,000 
  eggs 
  retained 
  yielded 
  45,290,000 
  fry. 
  

  

  On 
  account 
  of 
  inability 
  to 
  obtain 
  brood 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  usual 
  numbers, 
  

   the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  flatfish 
  work 
  were 
  only 
  two-thirds 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  