The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1898-03-30
WINTER HABITS OF FISH.
Old Fisherman's Guess Concerning
Some of the Wonders of the Deep.

Some of the Wonders of the Deep.
Fish are, except the birds, the best
pilots in the world Either the birds or
fish know more when asleep about pilot
ing than man pilot does when awake.
Now as to the habits of fish. They
come on the coast in the spring when
the migratory instinct starts them out
of their winters sleep. In winter they
are in a dormant state, like the bear.
skunk and woodchuck. The Old the
DRY that fish migrated south is all
wrong. Fish simply leave the coast and
go offshore on the northern edge of the
gulf stream, get into water of the right
temperature, and go into winter quar-
tiers. Before the time comes for them
to start on their annual pilgrimage for
the winter quarters they have taken
on a good coat of fat. 1t is under their
skin, and their stomach is lined with
it. and it is also all through their bodies
when they arrive at the spot that they
have selected for their winter home.
Then there grows over their eyes a
white film, and their vent closes, and
so they remain until the time comes for
| them to start for their summer home.
/ have seen the menhaden rise TO the
top of the water outside of Amagansett,
ten miles from the land, going at
speed of five miles an hour on north
northeast coast, and know that they
were just from their winter home.
have seen them leave the coast at Man
hogan, at Montauk, at Fire Island, at
| Barnegat, at Hereford, and have fol-
lowed them for miles to sea, when all
my experience has taught me to be-
| lieve they were going into winter quar-
tiers, and as we were patrolling the coast
and saw them no more that fall it makes
me believe l was right. The porgy in
the spring locates in Buzzard's Bay and
| Vineyard Sound. About the first of
August he begins to work west from
about Tuckernuck to up off Cape Page,
then into the deep water off Woods
Holl and Tarpaulin Cape. Then in
| few days he will be found in BuZzard's
bay, off the Wecpeckits islands, then
off Peske island, at the mouth of the
,ay This viii be about the 1st of Sep
TENDER. The fishermen will make good
catches for day or two, and then the
| fish are gone for that year. No doubt
there are millions of barrels of them
now within 200 miles of Block island.
One day in August four years ago l saw
a body of drumfish east-northeast of
Barnegat going on offshore at the rate
of four miles an hour, and a low esti-
mate of their numbers would be 90, 000,-
600, with an average weight of so
pounds apiece. l have seen weakfsh
in bodies off Long Branch mile long
and fathoms deep going down the coast
to winter quarters-more fish in one
school than we consume of that variety
in one year.
In the winter of 1857 the whole coast
from Montauk to No Mans Land was
covered with dead tautog, showing that
they had not been great way out at
sea. They had become chilled while
in their winter homes. About &c, years
ago the farmers on Nara gansett Beach
picked up and sent to New York one
day in May 500 barrels of porgies that
had become chilled and were helpless
in the surf, and they all had the white
film over their eyes.
In dealing with fish we have no data
practically to figure from; we only see
them when they are at play, and then
seldom; but from being so much with
them we think we can make a good
guess. The above is my guess. / know
nothing; but 1 believe there will at
times always be plenty of fish; 1 be-
lieve the Almighty still has conrrol of
them; that man is not a factor to de-
crease or increase them. If / were to
make a prophecy as to the future re-
suits of the murderous policy of the
southern fishermen in disturbing the
fish off their coast in the winter, should
say that they will be sorry for it in the
near future, for l think it will hurt
their summer fishing. 1t does not pay
to go against a law of nature in fish life
any more than in our physical lives