New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-11-05
WOBK or THE FISH OOMMIssroy
IMPORTANT RESULTS OF THE sr,co,

IPROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT THE TR,nr~.,
GLOUCESTER, Mass, Oct 29.-At numero,.
times during the past summer articles have aDpe,,
In the columns of the detailing the proer.. 49,.
the mode oi work Of the United States Fish Comm,ss,
at Gloucester Ii is. however only after the exen.,
experimenting and collecting OF the season have h.
finished that true idea be formed Of the e,,..
and value OF its labors and discoveries Tai syaso. .
collecting over has giyea place subject Of "a,
greater practical interest 20 the hshermaIthe hath
ing OF cod; but II IL early 10 annoupce a.
the marked results. although enough 4, kpov
to prove that the has been u unusual ar.
GERS, both from practical ana scientific staDdpot
Much time required in systematiEing the resul,s 49,
studying aud comparing the many new anmals a..
covered and In reducing the physical ara
fast this work completed, IL will be pubhedt
suitable form
Year after year. from the time Of Its organzstion 4,
1871. the commission has constantly enlarged s snhe
OF usefulness under the sk1lful management OF Pr
fessOr Baird but time has irs position been Al
clearly marked or the Importance OF its Nork 30 FULLY
demonstrated as at present pending the rght settle
merit Of tho fishery question between the United stair.
and Canada. Our experience at Halifax in 1877 TAUGHT
lesson shall not be slow TO forget While tho
Canadian Government was provided with tboroughly
digesled or statistics reaching back over period
OF twelve fifteen years, had scarcely anything.
could well define the extent OF fishing inter
csts. Thus, poorly prepared, paid heavy penalty
the convention of 1884, great stress was put
upon the obtaining of statistics this year by
the Fish Commission, and that field of labor
was made one OF the most important features tho
commission at Gloucester. A grand beginning was
made toward collecting all the material that would aid
in forming just estimate OF tho state Of American
fisheries, and plans devised by which Official
record OF every voyage Of the fishing vessels OF our
coast should be accurately kept An immense amOGnt
Of valuable information obtained frOm the intell-
gent Gloucester fishermen, and the earlier issues Of tho
Gloucester papers, covering many years back In
addition to the above aud 10 the purely scientific
researches OF the commission detailed study Of the
natural and statistical history OF OF the
pOrtant food shes-the cod. herring and mackere-has
been carried on Exhaustive reports these subjects
being prepared, to follow those already published
on the American whale fishery by Mr.. Alexander
starbuck, and the menhaden by Professor @.
Goode. The collection OF objects OF practical
interest the coast fisheries. forming such prominent
feature the natural history exhibit the Centennial
has been largely added to and 10 Is the intention
thoroughly to reOrganizs this department OF the Ma
tiondl Museum at Washington grand museum OF the
fisheries OF the world.
SCOPE OF THE EXPLORATIONS.
Gloucester was chosen the station for this years
work. because Of its being by far the largest and most
important fishing port in North America and the only
one where all OF the deepsea fisheries could
be fully studied But important place as 1t was for
obtaining Statistics it has proved 10 be OF no less i'm
porianee the other objects Of the Fish Commission
and as a marine geological station 1t is Of the finest
on the New England coast Within few hours VI the
town comparatively deep water Is reached, and
short areas great in the character othe bot
tom which varies from soft mud 70 sand and gravel and
solid rock The operations for 1873 Of the United States
steamship speedwel Commander Beardslee attaehedto
the commission, extended the northern part OF
Massachusetts, Bay and Stelwagen Bank and TO the
deeper waters Of the Gulf Of Maine about forty-nyo
miles east Cape where dredging and trawmg we're
carried on depth of IT'S fathoms. The temperature
OF the bottom water $3.50 Fahrenheit, and the
spos though not bulky, very rich in rare forms
The lowest bottom temperature obtained during the
season was $50 F., the surface temperature varying
from TO ESQ., at the various localities. Up TO the
present time the explorations OF the commission have
extended along the entire NewEngand coast, from the
deeper water Off Nova Scotia nearly 20 NewYork. this
years laDors filing gap in the series that existed be-
tween former working grounds Of tho Northern New
England coast aud those Of the South With the many
recent impro vements 10 the apparatus. tine work OF
dredging and trawling is now being performed moro
RAPIDLY and thoroughly than formerly, ana CON-
parison of the United States Fish Commission
dredging with those Of similar expeditions
on the European coast reveals the faet
that We are fully up them In the amount Of work
complshed every season. in the quantity Of material
procured and the and rapdity with which results
arc attained and published Last year the Speedwei
made 1913 naus Of the dredge and trawi, mainly in tho
deeper water between coast and Nova Scotia, and
this year the number Of haus Ito, resulting In the
addition OF many new species to the North American
marine fauna For greatest treasures Of the year.
however they we're indebted TO the Banks fishermen.
whose facilities TOR obtaining the rarees OF the deep
are very great. Fishing IS they do over regions tna'
have never been much Investigated by the naturalist.
the curious creatures that come up caught upon ther
hooks or eugns to the lines aud cables, are many Oh
~ Krear hnQ
the finding in tho shallow water around Cape
Ann OF many forms hitherto only known from
the south Of Cape Cod This was undoubtedly
the result Of careful research than had been maas
befpre and indicates that Cape COD Is not so COED
barrier between the Northern and Southern New-Eng
land coast fauna formerly supposed The add
tiops OF Arctic and North European species to ths
deeper waters of Capo Ann have been equally greai
nroyins that there still much ROOM for discovery Oh
the best known portions OF our coast
The PRINCIPAL Discoveries.
The principal made by the fishermen and,
speedwe this year about as follows; The ranSeoi
svep or eight species fish, formerly supposed to %
limited on the north by Cape Cod has been EXTENDED
CaDe Ann anon these are knghsh the squetesgnc
ar fish SOUP or porgy. and the torpedo ensDeees
~ fab hitherto known only from the coasts o.
Greenland or from the deeper waters OF eou'n'i
Fnrope were obtained from the Banks Iaey 'hoa"esl
Two r,acies OF dog-fsh snipeee ana the European
uo;ftsh The most important additions OK nsn "elc
,no,a Of four species new to seence bake WIN mueh
more extended Alament than the common species
and called Phyeis Chesteri blue hake, HaiopeP.r
riola; a new eelke fish, ana new nemoer -, " ~
pepus ArQeat,na The additional SPECIES Is, o. 90 arsra
sa,ss ars very numerous, but probably DOT ~ sscn
DaTecatIg e are new among the ns! iot INC tayesf-
mat mole time generally been gwen 20 Tor OBJ
cation OF the Invertebrates, and the T te how
tanning them been more perfected; no s paus.
v Of tne small animals, brought VI III bnehs0 - sna
sJ nsary every haul OF the dredRe, are new ne
wrk Of years but able 70 record here many three
Isy,r linda Five new cOrals were dlse0S , lam
en1rely new 20 science tho Others before and
otner waters THree OF The 6ofSohhh SaVue' nmrs