﻿65 
  : 
  . 
  

  

  cially 
  since 
  they 
  spawn 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  coast, 
  or 
  

   since 
  the 
  adults, 
  when 
  about 
  to 
  spawn, 
  cannot 
  be 
  reached 
  

   by 
  any 
  kind 
  of 
  fishery 
  apparatus. 
  Their 
  fecundity 
  is 
  

   beyond 
  comprehension, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  their 
  eggs 
  

   float 
  free 
  near 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  are 
  quickly 
  disseminated 
  

   over 
  broad 
  areas. 
  The 
  conclusions 
  gained 
  by 
  Professor 
  

   Baird 
  tally 
  exactly 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  Professor 
  Huxley, 
  that 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  any 
  one 
  kind 
  of 
  oceanic 
  fish 
  killed 
  by 
  man 
  

   is 
  perfectly 
  insignificant 
  when 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  destruc- 
  

   tion 
  effected 
  by 
  their 
  natural 
  enemies. 
  

  

  Their 
  movements 
  are 
  no 
  more 
  to 
  be 
  anticipated 
  than 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  instances, 
  with 
  no 
  

   intelligible 
  cause, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  species, 
  the 
  

   blue-fish, 
  the 
  chub-mackerel, 
  the 
  little 
  tunny, 
  the 
  scuppang, 
  

   and 
  the 
  bonito, 
  have 
  absented 
  themselves 
  for 
  considerable 
  

   periods 
  of 
  years. 
  

  

  The 
  chart 
  showing 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  mackerel 
  fishery 
  

   for 
  the 
  past 
  eighty 
  years, 
  hanging 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  court, 
  

   is 
  an 
  illustration 
  of 
  this 
  statement. 
  The 
  variations 
  in 
  

   abundance 
  cannot 
  be 
  explained 
  by 
  any 
  facts 
  in 
  our 
  posses- 
  

   sion 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  yield 
  in 
  1882 
  was 
  greater 
  than 
  ever 
  before, 
  

   notwithstanding 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  ten 
  

   years 
  have 
  been 
  prosecuted 
  with 
  unusual 
  vigour. 
  The 
  

   remarkable 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  habitat 
  of 
  the 
  menhaden, 
  occur- 
  

   ring 
  in 
  1880, 
  and 
  promising 
  to 
  be 
  permanent, 
  was 
  certainly 
  

   not 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  over-fishing, 
  though 
  fifteen 
  years 
  ago 
  it 
  

   would 
  have 
  been 
  regarded 
  as 
  such. 
  When 
  the 
  production 
  

   of 
  a 
  region 
  falls 
  in 
  two 
  successive 
  summers 
  from 
  617,000 
  to 
  

   550 
  barrels, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  nature, 
  not 
  man, 
  is 
  the 
  cause. 
  

  

  The 
  variations 
  in 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  cod 
  and 
  haddock 
  

   along 
  the 
  coast 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  half 
  

   century 
  have 
  been 
  equally 
  inexplicable. 
  

  

  Almost 
  any 
  piece 
  of 
  water, 
  be 
  it 
  a 
  bay 
  or 
  sound, 
  or 
  be 
  it 
  

   [I] 
  F 
  

  

  