33 6 
AMERICAN PISHES. 
♦ 
each stretch of coast line within variable but tolerably well-defined limits, 
are indigenous to the sea area adjacent to the sea-coast which they 
frequent. 
44 Thus the winter haunts of the Codfish on the Northern Labrador 
coast are slopes of the great range of outside banks on that coast. The 
summer haunts of the 4 Winter Cod’ caught on the coast of Norway 
during the winter season, are on the slope of the 4 Storegg ’ and its con¬ 
tinuations which lie seawards from the Norwegian coast, following the 
edge of the barrier separating the 4 polar deeps ’ from the shallower 
costal seas. The seasonal movements of the Cod are reversed in this 
case, purposely introduced, but have afforded a beautiful illustration of 
the principles adopted and confirmed by Prof. Baird and the influence of 
marine climate on fish-life.” 
The depth at which Codfish are found varies greatly with the season 
and locality. It is stated by Mr. Earll that they seem to prefer water 
less than seventy fathoms deep, and that by far the greater numbers are 
caught in from eight to forty fathoms. This generalization will doubtless 
hold true for the whole coast of North America. Many of our corre¬ 
spondents state that they are occasionally seen in the water two or three 
feet in depth. In the course of some recent explorations by Prof. Agassiz, 
Cod were found three hundred fathoms below the surface. 
In February, 1879, there was good fishing in three fathoms of water, 
within a few rods of the shore in Ipswich Bay, while in May of the same year 
large numbers were taken in one hundred and ten fathoms in the 
channel near Clarke’s Bank. 
It would be extremely interesting to know the extent of the migrations 
of Codfish, from deep to shallow water and back again, on different parts 
of the coast. This, however, varies with local conditions. There have 
already been many observations made, the study of which will doubtless 
aid in the solution of this problem, but it is exceedingly important that 
there should be systematic exploration at a distance from the shore both 
in winter and summer. This is one of the tasks proposed for the Fish 
Commission schooner 44 Grampus,” recently constructed. Mr. Marcus A. 
Hanna, of Bowery Beach, Me., states that he knows certain places on the 
coast of Maine where Cod are found in mid-summer not more than two 
miles from land, in water from forty to fifty,fathoms deep, and upon soft 
bottom. A portion of the Gloucester George’s Bank fleet continues 
fishing through the winter months, though at this season the vessels do 
not, as in spring and summer, fish upon the shallow parts of the bank,. 
