The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-25
FISH THAT TRAVEL.
Some From Southern Seas Are
Caught in the North.
From the Boston Herald.


From the Boston Herald.
During the summer and fall of 1899 the
scientific department of the United
States Fish Commission made several
dredging expeditions in the waters about
Woods HolI, Mass These explorations
were attended with great success, and a
number of strange species of fish We're
found The work was carried on in the
summer of 1898, when the number of spe-
cies found in the southern waters of New
England numbered 222, including five spe-
cies not before found in United States
waters
The past season, although in some re-
spects unfavora6le, was unprecedented,
for the number of new and rare fish
found One drawback was the scarcity
of the floating sargossa weed from the
inshore waters. This weed is found in
the Gulf stream, and often drifts ashore
along the coast of Cape Cod and the
shores of the islands of Nantucket and
Martha's Vineyard, more especially the
latter. It is under the floating vegeta-
ton that the tropical forms drift into
New England waters, either in the form
of undeveloped spawn or as young fry
and often as fully developed specimens
of fish.
New Fish Found.
found were seined in Katama bay, a
small body of shallow water which sep
arates the east end of the Island of Mar
tha's Vineyard from Chappoquidick ISL
and This bay was first visited the lat
ter part of August, and four species not
previously found in the region were TAX
en-, in addition to a number of Southern
forms. Between Aug. 30 and Oct. II the
bay was industriously seined along about
one mile of the eastern shore, and rare
Southern fishes were invariably found.
At times the number of species taken in
a single seine haul was nigh marvellous
for this section, and, indeed, surpassed
by but few Florida or West Indian &C
counts on Sept. l fifty-six species were
taken of which forty-seven were obtain
ed at one set, including seven never be-
fore reported north of points along the
Florida coast.
The species taken last summer bring
the number found in the waters of New
England, in the vicinity of Woods Holl
up to 2i0. This is a greater number than
has been recorded from any other To-
cality in this country, with the single ex-
ception of Key West. in which section
over $50 species have been noted.
Among the fish taken were many used
as food in the Southern states, and, If
their advent into Northern waters Is
permanent and not mere accident, the
list of marketable fish will be greatly in
creased.
A specimen of the flying fish (exocoe-
tus heterurus), twelve inches long, was
taken in Menensha' blight on Aug. !, and
on Aug. 25 another smaller specimen was
captured This is rare species, and only
on two other occasions has it been found
hereabouts
Another rare species was the sea raven
Heterogeneous cuvierD. This fish previous
TO 1890 had been taken only on the coast
of Southern France and the Mederia ISL
ands on Nov 10, 1890, a specimen was
captured at Woods Holl, and on Aug. l
another was found floating under mass
of rock weed in Vineyard SOUND
on July IS, 1892, fine specimen OF crap
eater (rachycentron canadum) was caught
in the Fish Commission trap in BuzZard 5
bay This fish weighed sixty pounds.
measured nearly five feet in length, ana
was retained alive until Sept. l. About
twenty-five years ago this was common
fish here
Eel over Six Feet Long.
A large number of snow groupers and
big eyes were taken in Katama bay dur
ing August. where also were ioupo over
twenty specimen of the mutton hsh,
which rarely is seen north of Florida ana
ranges as far south as Brazil
A few specimens of butterfly fish (choe-
todon occellaus) have been taken at
Woods Holl nearly every year IN Octo-
Der and November. But in 1879 the nsn
was positively common at times, and
more were found in Katama bay than
in any other locality. A number found
were so small as to make it reasonable TO
infer that they were Matched in Massa-
chusetts waters.
An interesting capture was that made
in a lobster spot near Tuckernuck Island
on July &C. 1899, of specimen of muroena
retifera This eel was over six feet long
and weighed near forty pounds. II was
afterward exhibited in New Bedford as a
sea serpent
A young squirrel fish. the first ever
taken north OF Florida. was captured in
September near Katama bay