EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHEEIES. LXXV 



7/ The Spanish Mackerel (_ Scomber omor us maculatus). 



The Fish Haiclc Station. — An effor t was made during the present sum- 

 mer to. hatch eggs of the Spanish mackerel in the Chesapeake Bay on 

 board the steamer Fish Hawk, under the command of Lieut. VV, M. 

 Wood. The vessel was occupied in the work from June 21 to August 

 13, the first ripe spawn being obtained at Mobjack Bay on the first- 

 mentioned date. During the month of July the fishermen were very 

 successful with their nets in taking fish, but it was found difficult to 

 obtain ripe eggs among them. In all, 6,500,000 eggs were taken in 

 June and July and placed in the cones for hatching. The result was, 

 however, in every instance a loss of the eggs, except on July 4th, 250,000 

 hatched and were returned to the water. Lieutenant Wood, in his re- 

 port in the appendix, has given an account of the efforts made, and, to- 

 gether with Dr. Kite, has described the apparatus made use of for 

 hatching. 



c. The Rock'fish or Striped Bass {Boccus lineatua). 

 In view of the rapid decrease in the abundance and size of striped 



otliers considerably smaller. Although he has been iishing for seven or eight years, 

 never before 1882 did he find deep-sea cod in any numbers inside of Gloucester Harbor. 

 Taking into account this fact, Mr. Parsons feels confident that they can be no other 

 than the fish put into the harbor in 1879 ; and he wished me to say that he feels thank- 

 ful for the money he had made and the cbowders he has had, as he expressed it, at 

 the expense of the Fish Commission. Considerable enthusiasm is expressed among 

 the fishermen in regard to this matter, and they feel anxious that the work started 

 in 1878 shall be continued. Not only are these fish caught in the outer harbor, but 

 even in the innermost docks of the inner harbor, boys, while fishing for flounders, 

 Irequently land gray cod. This is extremely remarkable — that such cod should be 

 found in the very impure water of the docks. But still this is asserted by many. My 

 cousin, Mr. Spinney, who for many years was a practical fisherman and a good ob- 

 server, and now the head of a firm which handles thousands of cod every month, has 

 examined them critically and compared tbem with deep-sea cod, and said positively 

 that they were the same. The specimen sent by Mr. Wonson is G. morrhua. If you 

 wish specimens in alcohol, Mr. Spinney will obtain any that you want upon receiving 

 directions from you. Mr. Spinney sees nearly all the cod which enter Gloucester, 

 and upon being asked if the gray cod was found at other points along the coast he 

 said that the only instance that he knew of was the case of a vessel which had just 

 landed 15 barrels of cod taken in shallow water near Mount Desert. I went to the 

 wharf and found the fish, which proved to be morrhua, 14 inches long. I obtained 

 two specimens for the National Museum. They seemed to run about the same size, 

 varying about 1 inch in length, and correspond in size almost exactly with the speci- 

 mens taken at Gloucester. These may be a portion of the cod from Gloucester emi- 

 grating from their original home. As this was the only case which I could find'of the 

 G. morrhua being found in shallow water, outside of Gloucester, I am inclined to the 

 opinion that they are but an offshoot of the Gloucester cod. 



Another recognized good caused by the Fish Commission while at Gloucester is in 

 regard to the reddening of fish. I was informed by several fish-dealers who have 

 adopted your suggestion to use Trepaui salt instead of Cadiz, that not a single instance 

 of reddening has occurred during the j)ast summer. The butts used for pickling the 

 fish exhibited a tendency to turn red only when they had previously been saturated 

 with Cadiz salt. 



Washington, D. C, November 12, 1883. 



