REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 159 
termine suitable places for obtaining the spawning fish, the means 
necessary for securing them in good condition, and the apparatus best 
adapted to the hatching of the eggs. The scientific inquiries were to 
be directed chiefly towards ascertaining those facts respecting the nat- 
ural history of the parent fish and of the embryos which could be turned 
to practical advantage in the artificial propagation of the species. The 
work continued until the end of July, 1891, and, therefore, only the pro- 
gress made during the last half of June belongs appropriately to this 
report. 
The vicinity of Cape Charles City was found to offer good facilities 
for the work, but breeding fish in suitable condition were very difficult 
to obtain. By the ordinary methods of capture in the pound nets, the 
fish are held in captivity over night, and those which do not spawn before 
morning (they are supposed to be mainly nocturnal spawners) are sub- 
jected to so much pressure and rough handling when the nets are 
emptied on the next day that, as a rule, they lose not only what ripe 
eggs they contain, but. also many immature ones. An attempt was 
made to secure them by means of gill nets, but only a few were so 
taken, and the nets were almost invariably torn by sharks and gars. 
It is suggested that several pound nets might be run exclusively for 
the benefit of the hatching work, in which case they could be hauled at 
night, and in such a manner as to retain the spawning fish in good con- 
dition. 
It was ascertained that the ovaries of this species mature slowly and 
not at the same rate in all parts. Consequently, ova in very different 
stages of development were found in the same fish. The largest num- 
ber of ripe eggs taken from a single fish at one time was 60,000. The 
movements of the schools were much influenced by the physical condi- 
tions of the water and atmosphere, but precisely to what extent was not 
determined. The fry were planted soon after hatching, and it was found 
impossible to keep them alive in the small compass of an aquarium for 
more than a week at the most. As young fish, especially alewives, are 
very abundant at the surface at this season, it is considered that the 
embryo mackerel stand a poor chance of escaping such enemies while 
in their earliest and most helpless stages, and it is suggested that some 
means of confining them along the shore might prove advantageous in 
case the hatching work should be undertaken upon a large scale. 
The tidal or cod jars were employed successfully for this species. 
The eggs were found to be buoyant in the bay water of ordinary den- 
sity, but sank and afforded poor results if the water became too brack- 
ish. Up to July 1, 1,090,000 fertilized eggs had been taken from 30 
female fish, producing 366,000 embryos, which were planted in the 
vicinity of Cape Charles City. The length of time required for hatch- 
ing after the eggs had been impregnated was about twenty-four hours, 
