204 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
taken, and the vessel returned home in June, 1891, after a cruise that 
was not on the whole successful, although important. 
Increase of shore cod as a result of artificial propagation.—Few sub- 
jects that have recently come up in connection with the New England 
fisheries possess greater interest and importance than the results 
which have been achieved by the planting by the U.S. Fish Commis- 
sion of cod in the inshore waters of the southern New England coast 
during the past few years. Very few of the fishermen of the region had 
much confidence in the feasibility of this attempt to increase the supply 
of codfish, and they were much surprised, as well as pecuniarily bene- 
fited, by the appearance of young cod in great abundance on grounds 
on which the fish have been scarce or absent for years. The fishery 
began in 1889, when a few small vessels made good fares, one schooner 
landing 300,000 pounds of small fish. The inquiries conducted by the 
office showed that in 1890, by the last of July, about 4,000,000 pounds 
of small and medium sized cod were taken in the inshore waters of 
southern New England, which even the most skeptical fishermen were 
willing to acknowledge were fish that had been artificially propagated 
at the government hatcheries at Woods Holl and Gloucester. As a 
result of this single fishery over $100,000 was added to the income of 
the fishermen, and there is reason to believe that a permanent summer 
fishery has been inaugurated that promises good returns. ~ 
Other fishery matters.—Various other events of importance to the 
economic fisheries during the périod covered by this repert at- 
tracted more or less attention, which need only be mentioned and 
not discussed. Among these were the Bering Sea dispute and the 
seizures of American and Canadian sealing vessels for violating the 
regulations of the United States regarding the capture of fur seals in 
that region, the fish paragraphs in the new tariff law and in the reci- 
procity treaties made with countries of Central and South America, 
the agitation of the oyster question in Maryland and Virginia, the 
seizures of Rhode Island menhaden vessels for fishing in Massachusetts 
waters in Buzzards Bay, ete. 
