BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
In discussing the dispersal and movements of the tagged cod Smith (pp. 199-200) 
states that: 
Shortly or immediately after their release, there was a well-marked southerly and westerly 
movement to the shores of New York and New Jersey, where they remained during the first four 
months of the year. 
The fish showed but a slight tendency to go to the eastward of Cape Cod or of Nantucket 
Shoals. A few were taken between May and August, southeast of Chatham, but only one was 
reported from South Channel and one from Georges * * *. 
None of the tagged fish has been taken north of Cape Cod. If the schools with which the tagged 
fish mingled on Nantucket Shoals and elsewhere behaved as did the tagged fish, it is evident that 
the cod inhabiting the grounds off southern New England, New York, and New Jersey belong to 
a distinct body, and are not simply a part of the vast shoals found in Massachusetts Bay and on 
the coast of Maine. 
The conclusion seems legitimate that the cod which resort to the shores of New York and 
New Jersey in winter do not represent an independent body of fish which have come from some off- 
shore grounds at this season, but are a part of the great schools of shore cod which also frequent 
the southern New England coast. 
Some fish released side by side became widely separated in a short time, while other lots ap- 
peared to keep together for several months. Some were moved by individual instincts, others 
seemed to act en masse. * * * 
The tagged cod were found along the Rhode Island shores from November to 
June and on Nantucket Shoals from April to September. In October and November 
only 1 tagged cod was reported from Nantucket Shoals despite the fact that the 
Grampus fishing there at that time caught 4,000 to 6,000 cod annually, and commer- 
cial fishermen were active there during the same period each of the years from 1897 
to 1901. Because of this Smith suggested that the fish which frequent Nantucket 
Shoals in the spring and summer, when 41 tagged cod had been caught there, rep- 
resented a different body than was present in the fall when only 1 tagged cod had 
been caught. 
Bigelow and Welsh (1924, p. 419) concur with Smith’s views on the movements 
of the cod in the southern part of its range, for during the period 1901 to 1922 no 
further experiments were carried on and no information had come to light that 
could alter the preceding conclusions. 
DEFINITION OF TERMS USED 
At this time it is desirable to define the terms used in this book which deal with 
the movements of the fish, for these terms often are broadly interpreted and might 
easily lead to confusion. 
A migration applies to a movement of a body of fish from one region to another 
and back again. 
The term emigration is used to designate a movement of a body of fish away 
from a region, presumably not to return. 
Similarly, immigration is a movement into a region, presumably to remain. 
Individuals which appear to leave the main contingents are referred to as strays 
or stragglers. 
The word “shoals” standing alone always refers to Nantucket Shoals. 
METHODS 
The study of migrations was carried on chiefly by tagging experiments. It was 
found that by concentrating on restricted parts of the larger fishing grounds, such 
as Nantucket Shoals, instead of continually searching for new places to fish, there 
