The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1898-03-30
TAGS ON THEIR FINS.
LETTING MARKED COD LOOSE TO
STUDY THEIR HABITS,

Curious and Interesting Experience Al
United States Fish IIatching sta
tion-Each Liberated Fish Swims In
the Atlantic with a Metal Tag Attached
According to the Boston Globe an
experiment which is being viewed
with the keenest interest by the fish
ermen along the Atlantic coast is now
being carried on at the United States
fish Matching station at Woods Holl,
Mass, under the supervision of Com
missioner J. J. Brice.
For years and ever since the estab-
lishment of fish Matching station at
Woods Holl continuous observations
have been made through the year in
reference to the habits, abundance
and movements of the important
fishes of the New England coast.
At this station, as at all others, the
product has been from time to time
seriously affected by the presence OF
parasitic animals and diseases peculiar
to the finny tribes. OF the food fish,
the cod has suffered much from the
parasite animals as any food fish
Fropagated at this station.
The cases have been given careful
study by scientists, and Investigations
carried on on an extensive scale. The
results of the investigations have been
most gratifying to all concerned, and
it is evidently the intention of the
government to make this station thu
most important one on the Atlantic
coast, utilizing the excellent facilities
here offered to the fullest extent.
With a view to securing more def.
mite information regarding some i'm.
portant points concerning the cod the
Commission have begun to turn loose
in the waters of Vineyard sound sew
eral hundred cod, which in weight
vary from six to twenty pounds. The
fish were procured from the fishermen
in the vicinity and stripped of their
spawn at this station.
Before being released, numbered
tag is fastened to each of the fish.
The tag is small piece of copper or
tin, aud is securely fastened by cop
per wire to the dorsal, anal or caudal
fins.
Commissioner Brice has issued cir
culars and sent them to the fishermen
and dealers, urgently requesting them
that when q cod having such a tag
comes into their hands, to remove the
tag and forward it to the United States
Fish Commission, either at Washing
ton or at Woods Holl. The Commits
sion s'so request that the following
information concerning the fish be
sent to them:
Date when caught, on whnt grounds
taken, weight before being dressed,
total length from end of nose to end
of tail, whether male or female, and
whether eggs or milt were ripe, large,
but not ripe, or immature; also, the
position of the tag.
This inquiry will, it is expected,
prove of practical interest, by show
ing, among other things, the rate of
growth of the cod, the frequency of
its spawning, and the extent to which
the individual fish migrate, and the
assistance of the general public in
fishing towns is asked in order to
make the experiment fully successful.
Among the fish thus far liberated
are several that tipped the scales at
over dozen pounds. AS soon as they
were tagged they were put into a big
tank and taken far ont into the sound
and released. The process of tagging
these fish is quite interesting and re-
quires the services of two skilled OPP
orators. A small hole is made
through tho dorsal, anal or caudal
fins, through which a small copper
wire is passed To this wire are at
tached the tags, which are about one
inch in length, one-half inch in width
and about the, thickness of writing
paper. The numbers are stamped in
the middle. A record of the fish re-
leased is kept in book esnecially de.
signed for that purpose.