The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1923-06-22
STUDY HABITS OF
AMERICAN FISH
Steps Taken to Ascertain EX-
tent of Seasonal Movements.
TO TAG And LI8ERATE FISH

those found there in the colder Inohlus
Of the year. The gentle southwest
lreezes Of late springtime watt sun
warmed surface water from further
south 10 New Jersey. Long Island ana
southern New England with a higher
water temperature these neighbor-
hoods become agreeable for the weak
fish, bluefsh, summer founder locally
called huke, md various other south
prn species. which migrate to us from
greater or less distances and spend
the GUNNER or our shores,
Then in October and November J.
4. Nichols of the American Museum OF
Natural History, writes in the New
York Sun, the crisp, cold northwest
wind sends the warm summer surface
water dancing out to sea, and the tenn
pernture of the tide falls from week
10 week with that Of the air. one by
one the summer fishes find II too cold
for comfort and go elsewhere. To
take their place schools of cod now
round the cape which bears their
name and this species, with others
characteristic Of the colder northern
portions Of the Atlantic, give US our
winter fishing.
Mummy Fish Used as Bait
There are also certain common fish
that can get along in greater range
of water temperature and that have
no very apparent migration, but are
present at all seasons For instance,
there Is the little killhsh, also called
mummy" much In use for bait The
blackfish or tnutog is here the year
round. but too sluggish to take the
bait In the coolest weather. and bites
most actively in the spring and fall.
The winter founder, also called llat-
fish, is also a permanent resident II
is caught in the spring and full for IT
seems to lose appetite in summer, when
the largest individuals have also prob
ably moved ont into deeper water.
such, briefly, IS the character of the
migrnton Of marine fishes MS II Oc-
ours not only near New York but in
all parts of the sea where there is a
considerable difference between sum
mer temperature and winter tempcra-
lures.
These migrations are not necessarily
of a simple north and south character,
more or less detected to eastward or
10 westward along shore by the trend
OF the coast There are two other quite
different types to which the move
ments Of given species may belong,
or they may be combination of all
three
Toadflsh Present Only In Winter,
TO illustrate a second type take the
ease Of the angler, sometimes CHROME
ously called toadfish. This is a large
sluggish fish with an enormous head
and wide mouth with formidable teeth.
II lies on the bottom in wait for
smaller fishes and is said to lure them
within reach by means of one or more
peculiar flaps OF skin at the summit of
slender spines which rise from the
top of its head The angler Is absent
from the shore waters near New Yorl;
city in summer and present there in
winter, 1t is present coastwise in New
England throughout the year ms also
IN deep water Off New York city, From
the depths outside 20 our bays is much
less in actual distance than from New
England would be The angler il SO
sluggish a fish That one can scarcely
conceive of its undertaking extensive
travels and its migration is probably
almost entirely up and down, from
deep TO shallow water and vice versa
The movements of many fishes may
partake somewhat Of this character
just how much it YS impossible to say
All Fish More or Less Migratory
A good deal could be written about
fish migration; of how the young Of
tropical species accompany Jelly fishes
and seaweed drifting in the trend OF
the gulf stream, and appear Sporadical.
ly in late summer and fall hundreds of
miles north OF where they belong; Of
how schools of mcnhaden, not found
north Of South Carolina in winter.
and occurring in Nova Scotia in sum
mer, prove an annual trip OF zoo or
500 sen miles each way for that fish:
hut whatever is known on this subject
merely emphasizes what is not known.
In our present state of knowledge,
having eliminated every possible error
from our deductions those deductions
become fragmentary aud hazy in the
extreme.
We have recently been informed
that there is a movement on foot to
tag and liherate Goldfish IN the Allan
tic. with view to obtain definite in.
formation. when these fish are re-
taken, as to extent and direction Of
the travels Of an individual fish. This
method has yielded valuable results
as applied TO the salmon Of the Pa
citic coast 1t seems 10 have first been
tried in 1908. when, then an assistant
in the United States bureau Of fish
cries. well remember holding the big
slippery kicking salmon rs they were
drawn from the water of the Columbia
river while Prof Charles w. Greene
Of the University of Missouri attached
a round metal button, like those used
to tag the ears of sheep, at one side
of the base of the fishes tails.