The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-01-29
TAGGED CODFISHEs.

TAGGED CODFISHEs.
 Registered Denizens of the Vastly Deep.
 An experiment which Is being viewed with the keenest interest by the fisher men along the Atlantic coast is now be- ing carried on at the United States fish matching station at Woods Holl, under the supervision of Commissioner J. J Brice
 For years and ever since theestablish- ment of a ishhatching 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 sta ton, as at all others, the product has been from time to time seriously affect ed by the presence of parasitic animals and diseases peculiar to the finny tribes. Of the food fish, the cod have perhaps suffered as much from the parasite animals as any food fish propagated
  at this station
 The cases have been given careful study by scientists, and Investigations carried on on an extensive scale. The results of the investiga tions have been most gratifying to all concerned, and it is evidently the intention of the govern | ment to make this station the most im- | portant one on the Atlantic coast, | utilizing the excellent facilities here ! offered to the fullest extent. While the habits of all kinds of food fish have been given careful study by the scien- 1 tists that of the cod is now receiving special attention.
 Fastening The Tags | With view to securing more definite | information regarding some important point concerning the cod, the commits sion have begun to turn loose in the waters of Vineyard Sound several hun- dred, 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 e numbered tag is fastened to each of the fish. The tag is @ small piece of copper or tin, and is securely fastened by copper wire to dorsal, anal or caudal fins
 Commissioner Brice has issued circu- lars and sent them to the fishermen and | dealers, urgently requesting them, when a cod having such a tag comes into their hands, to remove the tag and for ward 1t to the United States fish conn., ( ,,,icc oj of Sty; | Woods Holl The commission also re- | quest that the following information concerning the fish be sent to them.
 Date when caught, on what grounds taken, weight before being dressed, total length from end of nose to end of tall, whether male or female, and whether eggs or milt were ripe, large but not ripe, or immature; also the I position of the tag.
 This inquiry will, it is expected, prove of practical interest, by showing, 1 among other things, the rate of growth of the cod, the frequency of it's spawn ing, and the extent to which the in- dividual fish migrate, and the assis- tance of the general public is asked in order to make the experiment fully successful.
 Handle Elm Carefully.
 As all the fish tagged and liberated by the commissioners will be caught in Vineyard Sound and the adjacent waters, it will not be a difficult matter to release them on their natural spawn ing grounds. The fish are tagged have to be handled very carefully and skill fully, both before and after they are brought into the station. As codf1sh dc not live for great length of time after they have been taken out of thei, native element it is only the near-b, fishermen who engage in the business of catching them. Among the fish thu: far liberated are several that tipped the scale at over dozen pounds. Al soon as they were tagged they were put into big tank and taken far ou into the sound and released. The process of tagging these fish i! quite interesting and requires the ser vices of two skilled operators A smal hole is made through the dorsal ana or caudal fins, through which a smal copper wire is passed. To this wirt are attached the tags, which are abou one inch in length, one-half inch fl width and about the thickness of writ ing paper. The number are stamped ii the middle. record of the fish is kep in a book especially designed for tha purpose.
 The work of liberating sufficien number of these large fish will not b. finished before next spring, as the com missoners wish to give the experimen ! | vi matter to get such fish as are suitabl . for the purpose at this time of the year