REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 157 
Granting that the increase of codfish, indicated by the above and 
previous announcements, has resulted from the hatching work of the 
U.S. Fish Commission, and that fact seems now to have been settled 
beyond any question, it is interesting to note the extent of sea coast 
which can be covered from a single station without the need of making 
a wide distribution of the fry, as nearly all of the plantings have 
been made in the immediate vicinity of Woods Holl. . As to the increase 
recorded on Nantucket Shoals and off the outer coast of Cape Cod, it 
is inpossible to say at present whether this was brought about by the 
operations at Woods Holl or at Gloucester, but it is probable that the 
plantings made from the former station were instrumental in this re- 
spect, to some extent at least. As the Fish Commission has not had 
the means of obtaining careful observations regarding the presence 
and abundance of young fish north of Cape Cod, there is less positive 
information at hand to show the outcome of the hatching work at Glou- 
cester, but there is every reason to believe that it has been entirely suc- 
cessful. One instance of the survival and growth of the young planted 
from that station has been reported as follows: Writing from Kingston, 
Mass., July 26, 1889, Mr. H. M. Jones stated that he had had forty years’ 
experience in fishing in the waters adjoining Plymouth Harbor, but cer- 
tain schools of fish, which he describes as having white bellies and dark 
spots on the back, had appeared during the summer, and were entirely 
new to him. They averaged 4 pounds in weight, and had been plentiful 
all summer. Although he considered them to be cod, they differed from 
those ordinarily found in that vicinity. A specimen forwarded to 
Washington was found to represent the variety of cod propagated at 
the Gloucester Station, and there seemed to be no doubt that these 
schools had originated in the plantings made from that place. 
During the winter of 1890-91, Dr. H. V. Wilson began the study of 
the embryology of the cod, in connection with the hatching operations 
at the Woods Holl Btadn, and before the end of the year he had 
made considerable progress in this work. 
The Sea Bass (Serranus atrarius). 
The experiments with respect to the spawning of the sea bass made 
at Woods Holl in 1888 and 1889 were continued by Mr. Edwards dur- 
ing 1890. From 4,270,000 eggs obtained during May and June of the 
latter year, 3,890,000 embryos were secured, an exceedingly large per- 
centage, showing that the propagation of this species could be carried 
on without difficulty. Ripe fish were first taken on the spawning- 
grounds off Hyannis on May 10, and eggs were obtained as late as 
June 23, in the vicinity of Woods Holl. Ripe milters, according to Mr. 
Edwards, are found two weeks in advance of ripe females, and he re- 
ports the same also with respect to the scup, mackerel, and squeteague. 
If sea bass are held in the traps over thirty-six hours their eggs are 
always found to be dead when the fish are examined. 
