ZOOI.OGICAI. SOCIKTY lUl.I.KTIN 



U.S. FISHKRIES STEAMER. F\S\\ H.WVK 



There is little doubt that good flounder fish- 

 ing could be iiad in most of the deeper parts 

 of the Sound. A good many large hake were 

 taken in the deeper waters and it is possible 

 that hand-line and trawl-line fishing would 

 bring up many more than any kind of a beam 

 trawl could take. A small sized otter-trawl 

 was used with only fairly good results, being 

 too small for satisfactory tests. 



The dredgings show that many kinds of 

 fishes and invertebrates known to be abundant 

 in Long Island Sound are not found in the 

 deeper and cooler waters in mid-summer, but 

 move inshore and are then to be found in the 

 shoaler and warmer waters where most of them 

 spawn. 



The extensive areas occupied by oyster beds 

 were not of course dredged upon by the Fish 

 Hawk. Neither was the immediate shore region 

 examined with fishing nets. This can be done 

 later, without the use of the ship. The vessels 

 of oyster growers are at work in mid-summer 

 on the oyster areas taking up seed oysters and 

 dead shells to be distributed elsewhere, the stir- 

 ring u)) of the oyster beds by such work attracts 

 many kinds of fishes and there is often excellent 

 fishing on the oyster grounds. 



Among the fishes found there and also along 

 shore in summer are striped bass, weakfish. eel. 

 tom-cod. porgy, sea bass and fluke, not one of 

 which was taken in the Fish Hawk's beam trawl. 



Our deeji water dredgings. as we call them, 

 show mi/J-siimmcr conditions only. In winter 

 tiiey would be somewhat different, when freez- 

 ing weather drives the shore life ;iway and into 

 deeper waters. It would be interesting to have 

 some dredging done in winter to determine the 



number of shore forms in 

 the deeper parts of the 

 Sound at that season. 



It is too early to draw 

 cciiiclusions until the shoal 

 water aspects of the subject 

 1,111 be considered in their 

 rtl.ition to the deep water 

 (Irtdgings. Neither are the 

 (li ip waters fully explored. 

 ^ilK■e the dredging or rather 

 beam trawlnig work should 

 be supplemented by the use 

 of other devices better 

 ■idapted to fish catching. 



Large otter-trawls must 

 be used before we can speak 

 definitely as to the charac- 

 ter and abundance of fish 

 life at the bottom. When 

 the seasonal movements and distribution as 

 well as the food supply of these creatures is 

 ascertained, the subject will have a fishery as 

 well as a scientific interest. 



It is interesting to know that the muddy bot- 

 tom is full of worms and moUusks. and that 

 there are good fishes there for the angler. 

 Anchored trawl-lines, with many hooks, ought 

 to bring u)) fishes in abundance. 



The observations made at each station with 

 respect to temperature and salinity of the water, 

 show that there are almost always distmct dif- 

 ferences in these resjiects between surface and 

 bottom. 



U. S. S. FI.SII H.\WK— DETKK.MIMM; lidTKIM TKM 



1'i:k.\tire .^nd s.\i.iNnv 



