Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-04-30
The Cod.

The Cod.
Besides being the most prolific Of food
fishes he is large, easily taken, and quick
ly perpared for market, while his differ
ent parts are utilised as generally as those
Of his land rival the hog. Prof. Baird
says that besides the muscular parts, the
sounds and rOes are used as food, the oil
is valuable for medical, and MECHANICAL
purposes, the Offal is converted into val
liable manure, the bones make good fuel,
while the skins serve many nations for
leather and clothing. This fish, like the
more prominent Ofhis relatives, is at home
only in cold water, the latitude Of Cape
May being the extreme southern bOun-
darv. while he lives as close % the pole
as he can without risk of being frozen in.
He probably exists farther south than the
line indicated above, but if so, it is in
cool depths too retired TO admit Of success
fully interviewing. At certain points off
the Massachusetts, coast he finds a sufti-
ciently low temperature in shallow water,
and at these places he is frequently seen
and caught by the fishermen, but his IA
vorite Aemerican haunts, are the semi-in-
closed waters Of the coast Of Canada, and
adjacent Islands. Fond, however, as he is
of very cold water, there are temperatures
which he will under no circumstances en-.
dure, even though they be but two or three
degrees removed from the normal. Among
these is the water that comes from melting
salt ice, and slowly sinks to the leYel which
specific gravity entities it. In such water
the cod will not remain; he will not 60
| through it, even. though his dinner. IS on
the opposite side, the distance very short
and cod very hungry. He prefers to cir
eunnayigate such an inhOspitable region,
| even il he has business on the other side,
as fishermen have learned to their own eX-
ceeding profit.
There are different varieties Of cod, and
| the entire lack Of evidence Of mixed blood,
and the rarity with which more than var
iety is found in any given locality, prove
either that the cod is a non-migratory fish,
| or that he regards the preservation Of caste
as a paramOuntduty. Like aristocrats ev-
! erywhere. he is an omuiverOus feeder.
The "dredge" is considered by naturalists
to be the best implement with which to
obtain information upon deep-sea life; but
| Professor Baird says that the stomach OF
the cod is the best Of all dredges, for it
generally contains morsels Of every sort OF
marine resident within reach. With
hiph-born contempt Of the requirements
of trade. the cod leeds largely upon her
ring and mackerel. but he is partial to
crabs lobsters. and most other shell fish.
As his digestion is not equal to the task of
assimilating these last named items OF the
ocean menu. he slows them away in the
side OF his stomach, and when the quantity
becomes burdelsOme, he disposes OF them
according to the method to which Jonah
| owed his escape from submarine lodgings.
While not migratory by inclination, any
failure or deterioration Of his haoltuai lar
der will cause him to remove to the nearest
resort Of good livers. Years ago goldfish
were ouite plentiful off Newburybort, Mass,
bnt disappeared as the Merrimack was de-
pleted OF fish since the restocking OF tho
river, with shad aud alewives, the cod has
re-appeared at his old dining place, glad
deninq the hearts Of the fishermen, and
grazing the Sunday breakfast table oil the
defendants Of the puritans,
The cod resorts to the shore for feeding
purposes; but who that is not a cook or a
scuilion cares always to be in the vicidity
Of the dining room? Naturally he is an Otf
shore, deep water fish, for at distance
from the land he is always sure OF finding
those stratas of cold water in which he
delights. There are times when he Will
not leave these, even for food; but the
seasons in which fresh-Water fish revisit the
the scenes of their childhood arelalso the
seasons when the water is cool in shore.
While hot weather remains. with sea wat
er warm enough to lure human beings IN
the surf. the cod abhors the beach, and
takes what food is nearest at hand, prefer
ring, like summer dodgers elsewhere, to en-
dure the plainest fare for the sake OF cool
quarters. When, however, the tempera'
ture of the water allows him to follow the
shad and other fish to the shore, he nevel
travels alone; if he is not accompanied oy
! a family, he takes so much company Win
, him that those who extend hospitable seine:
to receive him, take sometimes as many
as thirty thousand fish in a single haul.
} The cod is wonderfully prolific, deposit
ting from three to seven millions OF eggs at
a time. 1t not only prefers TO spawn in the
winter months, but in the coldest water II
can fnd, and yet avoid an icy cover: TEN
perature of 80 : is the favorite, while moth
, inc above 40 Q is tolerated. The largest
snswning grounds of the cod are in the Vi
cinity of the Loffoden Islands. Though thu
D American members Of the family put NJ
with such accommodations as they can tnC
near home. The domestic arrangement
Of this fish are so informal that the egg
have no special abiding place nor any pro
lection whatever OF the millions o.
eggs that are deposited by. a sin
gle female, not more than hundred thou
sand, probably not more than ten thou
sand, result il full grown fish. Like th'
small bow, who if he could not whip
larger boy, could at least make faces a
bis sister. the smaller fish upon which th'
e cod preys finds delicious revenge in eating
. the eggs Of the latter, while the mass ol
I Glow down" inhabitants Of the ocean arr
{ true to the insects Of low-downers every
I, where to prey upon aristoeracy' paItlcqIiaii ~ !
4 ly upon the younger selons thereof ~
s escape the keen eyes Of searehers after del
IS icasies do not become fertilized.
John Habberton, in Harper's Magazine
d