of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



337 



the principal investigation on the Pacific Coast related to the fur-seal 

 fishery of the North Pacific Ocean and Behring Sea, with reference to 

 the preparation of the United States' case before the Tribunal of Arbitra- 

 tion at Paris. This was undertaken by the steamer ' Albatross,' which, 

 later, was occupied in an investigation of the fishery resources of Puget 

 Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. On the Atlantic coast the 

 principal investigation was made, through the agency of the schooner 

 1 Grampus,' into the distribution and abundance of the fishes in Chesapeake 

 Bay and adjacent waters, and the conduct of inquiries off the southern coast 

 of New England to determine the physical characteristics of the belt of water 

 bordering the coast, through which, in their seasonal migrations north and 

 south, so many important fishes pass. Investigations were also carried on 

 by the steamer ' Fish-Hawk ' as to the oyster-beds in Chesapeake Bay, 

 on the food of the oyster, and for the purpose of determining some 

 practical system for the collection of oyster-spat, so as to permit the 

 utilisation of areas of muddy bottom not suitable for oyster-planting by 

 methods now employed. The more important investigations, carried on 

 at the Woods Holl Marine Laboratory, were in relation to the embryology 

 of certain sponges; the anatomy, embryology, and habits of certain 

 important crustaceans and molluscs ; and continuous observations through- 

 out the entire year in reference to the habits, abundance, and movements 

 of the fishes of the New England Coast, and the temperature conditions 

 existing aud which influence their movements. In the department of 

 statistics and methods of the fisheries, special information was obtained 

 regarding the fisheries of the Great Lakes. In connection with fish- 

 culture no less than 22 Stations were operated, aud the total distribution 

 of eggs, fry, adults, and yearlings amounted to 305,918,346. The 

 number of pike perch (Stizostedion vitreum) reached 94,300,000, 

 shad (Clupea sapidissima) 70,424,000, white-fish (Coregonus clupeiformis) 

 65,267,000, and cod (Gadus morrhua) 52,795,000. Sea-fish were dealt 

 with at two Stations, namely, Gloucester and Woods Holl, Massachusetts. 

 At the former, cod and pollock were hatched, and at the latter sea-bass 

 cod, flat-fish, and lobster. The total number of the eggs of the cod, in 

 good condition, obtained at Gloucester in the course of the season, was 

 about 51,600,000, besides 5,475,000 eggs of the pollock. Of 51,597,400 

 eggs of the cod incubated, 19,519,900 succumbed in the process, the 

 number of fry hatched and distributed being 32,077,500. Of the 

 5,475,000 eggs of the pollock, 3,001,600 were lost in incubation, and 

 2,473,600 were successfully hatched. The best results were obtained 

 when the temperature of the water was between 38° Fahr. and 45° Fahr. 

 Towards the latter end of January the temperature of the water sank to 

 34° 5 Fahr., causing retardation and non-uniformity in the development 

 of the eggs ; but this was met by utilising the warm water of the 

 condenser of the boiler to heat the sea-water passing through. Unex- 

 pected difficulties were experienced in procuring a supply of cod-spawn ; 

 ripe fish were not procurable at Gloucester until the end of March, and 

 most of the spawn obtained in Ipswich Bay died within 24 hours. At 

 the Woods Holl Station cod were chiefly dealt with. An agreement was 

 entered into with a fish-dealer to furnish 3000 live cod between 25th 

 October and 25th December, but owing to a succession of severe storms 

 which interfered with the fishing, only 1620 fishes were delivered. The 

 number of eggs obtained by stripping the females was 45,627,200, from 

 which 25,671,500 fry were obtained, 19,955,000 being lost. The 

 number of eggs of the flat-fish procured was 8,527,800, which yielded 

 3,510,000 fry; and from 7,600,900 eggs of the lobster, 5,799,500 fry 

 were hatched, and experiments were made as to the best time to procure 

 the eggs for incubation. 



