Dec. ii, 188. 



NA TURE 



129 



young placed in the water only when they are old enough 

 to partially take care of themselves, the proportion that 

 would arrive at maturity would be vastly increased. By 

 constant work at hatching these fish it was thought that 

 much practical good might result. Many difficulties stood 

 in the way, the most important being that the eggs floated 

 ;md clogged the overflow screen. After much experiment- 

 ing this was overcome. It was found, however, that the 

 place chosen, Gloucester, was by no means fitted for the 

 work because of impure water and extreme cold ; but the 

 object of the present work was merely experimental, and 

 it mattered little whether the fish which were hatched 

 lived after being placed in the water. Several millions of 

 young cod were thus successfully hatched and placed in 

 the waters of Gloucester Harbour, but, because of the 

 impurity of these waters, it was hardly expected that the 

 lish would be heard of again. But early in the spring 

 of 1SS2 reports began to be circulated that young cod- 

 fish of the deep-sea species (Gadus morrhud) were abun- 

 dant in Gloucester Harbour. Subsequent investigation 

 proved this report to be true. Since the cod first left our 

 coast they have not been found in the Massachusetts 

 harbours in any abundance, but at this time, even in the 

 impure docks of Gloucester Harbour, it was not infrequent 

 for boys fishing for perch and flounders to catch young 

 cod. Several generations were distinguishable, and as 

 there is but one other place where a similar abundance is 

 reported, there is every reason to believe that they are 

 Fish Commission cod, and that the other school is but an 

 offshoot of the original group which was placed in 

 Gloucester Harbour. It is, of course, expected that they 

 will migrate, in time, to purer, cooler waters outside. 

 There are fishermen now who are making good catches 

 of these cod in the harbour itself — a thing unprecedented 

 in late years. Thus the experiments, though primarily 

 successful, have met with an additional success which was 

 not in the least expected. Gloucester not being naturally 

 suited for hatching cod, the Commission has begun the 

 building of extensive hatching-houses at Wood's Holl, 

 where in a few years artificial hatching of deep-sea fish 

 will be carried on extensively. While at Gloucester the 

 members of the Commission made extensive inquiries 

 into the statistics of American fisheries, and complete 

 reports upon the results have been published in the Fish 

 Commission publications. 



The summer of 1879 was spent at another large fishing 

 port, Provincetown, Mass., where additional studies of the 

 fishing apparatus were carried on. In 1880 the Commis- 

 sion was at Newport, Rhode Island ; 1SS1 , 1882, 1883, 

 and 1884 were spent at Wood's Holl, Mass., which has 

 been chosen as the permanent summer station of the 

 Commission, because of the many natural advantages 

 offered by the location. At present extensive buildings 

 are in progress at this station. A large hotel for the use 

 of the Fish Commission employes is already built, and 

 was for the first time occupied during the past summer. 

 1 '!i one side of this hotel the new laboratory and hatching- 

 station is being built. It will be a very large affair, the 

 lower story being intended for use as a hatching-room, 

 the upper for a laboratory in which the scientific work 

 "ill be done. In the cellar there are some large stone- 

 walled tanks which will have direct connection with the 

 outside water. A steam pumping-station will supply 

 "iter to the aquaria and hatching-tanks. In front of these 

 buildings is a large breakwater wall which will serve the 

 purpose of a wharf for the larger vessels, and will also 

 !". rm a harbour for the smaller boats. It is expected that 

 u tual operations in fish-hatching at this station will begin 

 in the spring of 1S86, and that after that time each year 

 millions of young fish will be sent out from the station to 

 all parts of the New England coast and placed in the 

 water to take care of themselves. It is hoped by these 

 means to at least make an appreciable difference in the 

 lumber of cod after years of work, and in part make up 



for the decrease. In the laboratory not only the regular 

 employes of the Fish Commission will be allowed to work, 

 but in the future a limited number of general students 

 will be admitted to a table in the laboratory. By special 

 arrangement with several of the leading American col- 

 leges, two students from each will be allowed to work 

 each year in the new laboratory. This will be a chance 

 that will be eagerly sought after because of the great ad- 

 vantages for study offered at the station. Under these 

 improved advantages, it is expected that much better work 

 will be done in the future than has been done in the past, 

 when all the work had to be carried on in an old shed-like 

 building poorly fitted for the work. 



In 1SS0 an appropriation was obtained from Congress 

 for the purpose of building a steamer, which was to serve 

 as a floating shad-hatching station to work in the Chesa- 

 peake. This was the first large steamer owned by the 

 Commission, and was named the Fish-Hawk. Although 

 intended for shad-hatching, at the end of each shad- 

 hatching season she proceeded to the summer station to 

 engage in dredging. On account of her shallow build she 

 was not fitted for dredging, and the Fish Commission was 

 greatly inconvenienced while she was used for this pur- 

 pose. The remarkable results obtained by this steamer 

 on the Gulf Stream slopes have long since become known 

 to the scientific world. Several hundred species were 

 found which were new to American waters. 



It was not long before the Fish Commission became 

 convinced of the necessity of having a new steamer in 

 which they could go to sea at any time, and one which 

 was perfectly adapted for deep-sea dredging. Accord- 

 ingly, in 1883, the Albalross, a 1000-ton iron steamer, 

 234 feet long and drawing 12 feet of water, was launched 

 and immediately began work. That she is very nearly 

 perfect in all respects, both in build and outfit, has been 

 proved by her two years of nearly steady work. She is 

 without doubt the most perfect dredging-steamer ever 

 owned by any Government, and she is achieving the most 

 remarkable results. 



In the spring of 1879 a new fish, the tile-fish (Lop/10- 

 latilus chamcelionticeps), was found in abundance in the 

 deep water south of New England, which promised to 

 become an addition to our east coast food-supply. It was 

 abundant and had a fine flavour. In the early spring of 

 18S2 it was found dead in immense numbers on the 

 surface just above the places where it was found in such 

 abundance. In the official report it is estimated that there 

 were at least 71,936,000 dead fish, of an average weight 

 of ten pounds each, in an area of 5620 square statute miles. 

 This estimate was arrived at by taking the largest trust- 

 worthy report of the numbers of dead fish given by the 

 numerous captains and dividing it by 400, thus allowing 

 that there was only one fish where 400 were reported to 

 be. This wholesale destruction attracted much attention 

 at the time, and the Fish Commission has since made a 

 careful study of the subject, and although many trials 

 have been made, not a single tile-fish has ever been taken. 

 A few other species of animals have also disappeared 

 from the same bank, and it is the theory that a cold wave 

 of water from the inlying shallower region was driven 

 across the warm bank inhabited by these fish by the 

 strong northerly winds which prevailed at the time. The 

 tile-fish being naturally a delicate fish, was killed by this 

 sudden change of temperature, while less delicate animals 

 survived. Whether they are entirely extinct or not cannot 

 be told. Certain it is that, although many expeditions 

 have been sent out and days spent in search of this fish, 

 not a single specimen has been taken since that great 

 mass of dead fish were found covering an immense area 

 off the American shore. It is by far the most interesting 

 problem as yet studied by the Fish Commission. An in- 

 teresting history of this fish is given by Captain Collins 

 in the Annual Report of the U.S. Commissioner of Fish 

 and Fisheries for 1882, pp. 237-292, with a figure of the 



