The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-18
AMERICAS Big FISH POCKET.
A GREAT TRAP OPERATED BIZ
THE GULF STREAM.
yiShes From Tropics Lured North 20 Meet
Their Fate This slide % Cape Cod
surp iSIDs Numb r OF Different Kinds
OI IRISH Take In Rhode Island waters.

OI IRISH Taken In Rhode Island waters.
Following in "a general way the contour
at the American coast, the Gulf Stream
sweeps uortheastward from Cape Hatteras
until o. Care Cod it is a hundred miles from
ispd Here sometimes fierce gales J, at
l,ndward across il aud the great lunar tides
~atruggle 10 dciect it from it's course, but all
the powers % amos here aud ocean and
she influence o. far OF rlanets are unable
10 acct materially this mighty current or
en- a'ter it's northerlv trend.
But the onslaught u! the elements has
"a effect on the little vOya yers in the Gulf
strsa n. This ssaweed which, casting looss
from its tro ical bed, has thrown It's lot in
with the great ocean river is caught by
the wind and tide and finds itself thrown
hi~h and dry on the cold New England
coast.
More important economically and scipn-
rfcal" are the iehes whose natural ha' itat
Is the arm water of the { ul" sad the Ca b.
bean aud which are occasionally deluded
ato drilling with this current go si~ liar 10
temperature to their own home. They iud
themsa lyes after a journey OF hundreds of
miles r's- ending in q purr Useless wav to
the pressure OF ~ales aud cross currents,
With tLe result that thew meet their fate
in some OF the hundreds o. fishermen's nets
spread to reaD the harvest of the sea from
WOO + Hole to Block Island.
The fisherman looks at hjs novel catch
cnriou,ly ami throws it aside. seeing no
marketable value in il. The scientist seizes
upon il eagerly and bases thereon a note
~ . tropical species in trance waters.
The combination OF Gulf Stream, cross-
s~nrrentS and land contour included in the
rxpanse of sea from Nantucket and Woods
Hole to Point Judith and Block Island Is
leld responsible for the classification OF
probably more different kinds of fishes
there than could be gathered anywhere
Else along the Atlantic coast north Of tho
.ropics. This is why the United States
Government has established its marine
station
This is why there are more fEshernen's
traps along this stretch Of coast than else-
~here-2N Of them in Rhode Island waters
alone. And this is why even the iayTnAn dis
covers much OF interest in the list OF fishes
found in Rhode Island waters recently COM
piled by Henry { Tracy. A.. NJ, of Brown
University. tho first complete list attempted
~ fab fauna Of both N~arragansett Bay and
tho nearby ocean waters
In this list Mr.. Tracy has enumerated
"a families ,i49 genera and 1T species, of the
latter Of which bout thirty are important
food fishes, about sixty-five ara rare n
about twenty-five have been taken but
Unoe. IN connection with the last state
.rnent It. il to be noted that the type spAci-
mems of six or seven speoies-those which
have furnished the data for standard scion
tHfc works on iohthyology-were taken in
Rhode Island waters.
The trout and bass fisherman in his eff
Ports TO promote protective legislation
and IN his consideration of fisheries ques-
lions is very likely to fancy that his are
the most important Of all the problems
having to do with fish. He will perhaps
take a different view Of the matter after
ne has learned from Mr.. Tracy's list,
which may he said to apply almost equally
20 Rhode Island, Massachusetts and con-
necticut. that Of the III species enumerated
therein only fourteen are fresh water fish.
Il is true that many Of the OCEAN fishes
spawn in fresh water and a few Of them.
che shad, herring and alewife for instance,
are taken at such periods. but all Of these
are truly salt water varieties.
The shad Is not commonly considered a
herring. but it is as representative Of the
group az its cousin, the sea herring,
AtUDth uhTcukuS1 WutSh cuAOnOu IA "
welcome table dish the year round. or the
more common variety known variously
a. alewife, branch herring Inc buckle,
which ascends the Taunton River in a con-
tinuous stream in late March and April.
Another important member OF this group
b the menhaden or porgv, which because
Of its value as an oil producer gives the
American Fisheries COMPANY a reason
for maintaining its feet of steamers. The
taenhaden is one Of a great manv fishes
which. deepised to-day for the table. may
In time assume a greater economic value
a. food than for its oil.
Those who have eaten il say IL in Of ex-
celleut flavor and substance. although
troublesome because Of the complexity
Of its skeleton structure. To-day il Is
more highly appreciated by the weak
fish and the hluefsh than by man, forming
a considerably part Of their diet during
the months they are taken In northern
waters.
The menhaden, unlike the fish which
prev upon it, Ia not carnivorous. it's entire
food supply being obtained by fltering
out from the surface stratum Of water
the organic life there suspended. II Is
furnished with gill rakers whose arrange-
ment forms a highly effective filter Of IN
water which the fish takes in b" swimming
actively in circles with widely opened
mouth and expanded gill covers. Mem
hadeu are taken in travis operated from
steamers. immense haUls having been
recorded.
Another member OF the herring family,
one with which line fishermen are familiar,
Is the hickory shad. which attains u maxi
mum length Of t~wenty-fOur inches ard IL
often caught by persons fishing with lines
for weakfish.
Ono connects the tarpoO with Florida
Writer'S, hut Mr.. Tracy finds that stragglers
ere sometimes reported by fishermen and
gives the habitat Of this king Of game fishes
a. from Cape Cod 20 Brazil. A near relation
known as the ten FOUNDER and the big eyed
herring is 80 rare that it is not usually recog-
nized Ivy northern fishermen. When caught
north they may fairly be considered hotsam
of the Gulf Stream.
LI...- a.l-. -, uAe .-p.nNtnu NV a 10