MIGRATIONS OF COD 
17 
The paucity of these recaptures, as compared to those from regions farther east 
or farther west, is partly explained by the fact that there are fewer boats per mile of 
coast line which fish for cod within this sector than from Fire Island to Cape May, 
and, also, cod may be less concentrated and therefore fewer are caught. 
Farther to the westward, from Fire Island to Barnegat Inlet, there is more sport 
fishing for cod along the shore than within any locality of equal area along our Atlantic 
coast. In addition, there is the usual commercial fishing with pound nets, hand lines, 
trawl lines, etc. Consequently, a relatively large number of tagged Nantucket cod 
have been recaptured there (Table 9), and useful data have been obtained from fish- 
ermen and from masters of fishing vessels. 
Table 9. — Recaptures of tagged Nantucket Shoals cod made within the region from west of Fire Island 
Inlet, N . Y ., to Barnegat Inlet, N. J. 
(A) TEMPORAL SUMMARY 
(B) REGIONAL SUMMARY 
Locality: Recaptures 
Jones Inlet, N. Y 9 
Cholera Bank 26 
Long Beach 6 
Freeport 1 
Rockaway and Ambrose Lightship 49 
Coney Island - 3 
Sandy Hook, N. J 2 
Seabright 6 
Galilee - 4 
Locality— Continued. Recaptures 
Long Branch 2 
Bradley Beach ___ 6 
Belmar. i 
Spring Lake 2 
Manasquan e 
Bay Head-. 2 
Seaside Park i 
Barnegat.- n 
1 This fish was caught in May in a lobster pot off Sandy Hook, N. J. 
Here, again, the numbers of tagged fish recaptured agree very well with the trend 
of the fishery, for by far the greater part of the season’s catch is taken in this region, 
during November and December. The sudden decline in the number of tagged fish 
taken in January, as compared with December, is in agreement with the big drop in 
the catch which takes place at that time. While this may be due in some measure 
to a curtailment of fishing, brought about by weather conditions, experience has 
shown that cod are much less abundant after the first of the year than they are just 
before then. 
The data obtained from one fishing ground in this region, the Cholera Bank, 
deserves special discussion, for from them unusually complete and desirable informa- 
tion regarding the coming and going of the cod have been obtained. They serve, 
therefore, as one of our best checks on the progress of the cod between Nantucket 
Shoals and North Carolina. 
The Cholera Bank lies about 18 miles S. 78° E. true from Sandy Hook Point in the 
path of cod migrating along shore. It is strategically situated opposite the apex 
where Long Island joins New Jersey and where cod going westward along the coast 
must turn southward to continue their journey. It is a relatively small ground, 
good fishing being limited to perhaps less than a square mile; but in contrast to the 
