340 
Part III. — Tenth Annual Report 
We have in Newfoundland a Fisheries Commission appointed by an 
Act of the Legislature, consisting of about sixty members, which has 
been in existence three years. The executive consists of seven members, 
chosen annually by the other members ■ of the Commission. The 
work the Commission is charged with is to investigate the conditions of 
the various fisheries with a view to their protection and improvement ; 
also to restore exhausted waters to their former abundance by artificial 
propagation, and to work for the improvement in the cure of edible fishes. 
A hatchery for marine fishes is erected in Dildo, Trinity Bay, which 
has been in operation for three years ; besides, floating incubators for 
hatching lobsters artificially are placed in every bay around the country. 
Last season 30 to 40 millions of codfish and over 551 millions of lobsters 
were hatched, and the fry planted in the sheltered fine bays of Newfound- 
land. A small hatchery for fresh-water fishes has been in operation for 
four years by a private society, at their own expense, in the vicinity of 
St John's, and has turned out annually about 100,000 fry of ova imported 
from foreign countries, in order to introduce foreign fish into Newfouncl- 
and waters. 
In their Annual Report for last year * the Newfoundland Commis- 
sioners discuss a number of matters of interest. The improvement and 
development of the herring fishery have occupied largely the attention of 
the Commission. A number of barrels were cured and packed under the 
supervision of Mr Nielsen, and brought good prices in New York, 
Chicago, and Hamburg. At the latter place the herrings realised 7 dols. 
and 20 cents per barrel, and were highly approved ; and it is stated that 
the prospects of establishing a trade with European Newfoundland cured 
herrings are good. Mr Nielsen strongly condemns the practice of hauling 
herring during the spawning season, except for bait purposes ; the seine- 
net is largely used. Rules for the curing and packing of herring were 
drawn up by Mr Nielsen, printed, and circulated. An expedition to 
discover, if possible,' the summer resorts of the herring was made, with 
partial success. On the West Coast an extensive bank, 115 miles long, 
was found to be a resort of herring of good quality all through the 
summer. 
At the hatchery for sea-fish at Dildo, large sea-water enclosures capable 
of containing 1000 spawning fish have been constructed. Last season 
39,650,000 cod ova were hatched, and the fry planted. The number of 
adult fish being retained to form a stock of spawners with which to begin 
operations in the spring is 588. A new spawning pond, in which the 
fish will be allowed to spawn in the natural w T ay, has been constructed ; 
it is 47 feet long and 23 in breadth, and built of stone and Portland 
cement. The number of lobster eggs hatched and planted last year was 
10,274,300 at the hatchery, and 541,195,580 in the floating incubators, 
making a grand total of 551,469,880. To produce this enormous output 
the ova from 28,369 lobsters were required, which otherwise would have 
been destroyed in the various canning factories— and the cost of output was 
only one cent for 2760 lobsters. Little doubt can be entertained of the 
great value and advantage to the fisheries of these operations. But in 
basing a calculation upon the probability of 10 per cent, reaching 
maturity, I think an error is involved. Ten per -cent, becoming mature 
"would represent 1500 or 2000 reaching maturity from the ova borne by 
one female. f Lobster culture and sea-fish, e.g., cod, culture, have very 
* Annual Report of the Newfoundland Fisheries Commission for the Year 1-892, 
St John's, 1892. 
t Vide my paper on Reproduction, &c, p. 190 of the present Report. 
