Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-05-03
UNCLE SAN TAGGING
FISH, HASkIN SAYS

WASHINGTON, May 3:-of great
scientific interest to naturalists and
of practical commercial value to
fishermen is a new investigation
which has just been undertaken by
the Bureau OF Fisheries of the De-
nartment OF Commerce. 1t is the
tagging of fish for the purpose OF
Identifying them later and in other
places and thereby determining their
migratory habits. Some experimental
work has been done in this direc-
ton in the past but the Bureau now
is undertaking the york on a large
scale.
Henry O'Mally. Commissioner of
Fisheries, has decided to begin the
experiment with the cod, the pollock
and the haddock of the New Eng
land Banks. These I among the
most important food fish produced
in American waters and the results
of the investigation are expected to
be of the limos value to the fishing
fleets.
Old fishermen, born and raised on
the New England coast, and whose
fathers before them have followed
the trade of deep-sea fishing for
generations, know ali there is to
learn by actual experience concern
ing the habits of the North Atlantic
fish, but it is believed that the scien-
tific work of the Bureau will add
to the lore of the fishing banks by
employment of modern methods.
That the fishermen are not scornful
of science IS indicated by the fact
that the Master Mariners Associa-
ton of Gloucester, Massachusetts,
has expressed the livliest interest in
the work and it is giving the Bureau
unanimous support. The experienced
fisherman Is inclined to rely more or
his weather eye and his water lore
10 say nothing of the proverbial fish
erman's luck, than on science, but
IN this case the facilities of Uncle
Sans chief fisherman are not scorn-
ed because facts about the New Eng
land fish mean bread and butter to
The Gloucester fleets.
Gloucester is the principal New
England fishing port, although other
towns on the o. Of New England
also send out their fleets each season.
The traditional arrangement is for
the master and men who man a fish
ing schooner to have shares in the
enterprise. No regular wages are
/ paid the men but all work hard and
HAiDA tAC NaNSAA 10 GpA0i dAA VI tAAC
men share, For this reason, it is Of
very great Importance to them to
know all there is to know about the
habits of the deep-sea fish they seek.
The Bureau OF Fisheries main
tains hatcheries at Woods Hole and
Gloucester, Massachusetts,. and at
Boothbay Harbor in the State of
Maine. Ten thousand fish of the cod,
pollock, and haddock species are to
be tagged with littlo metal tags
which will not readily come off the
fish nor interfere with its move
ments and growth. Posters are being
placed at the great fish markets a
long the coast announcing the work
and a reward of twenty-five cents
Will be paid by the government fol-
each of the little tags returned with
the information concerning where
and when the tagged fish was caught
How To Identify Fish
To assist the study, the Burea,
has worked out an Identification sys
tenn for fish which might be CON
pared to the BertilIon finger prin
system. 1t has been discovered tina
the scales of a fish show, under mi
%croscopic inspection, CHARACTERISED
markings which reveal the life
growth and age of the fish. Whe.
= tagged fishes r caught, the fisher
man or dealer who finds the tag j
! urged by the Bureau to scrape off
few scales and send them along wit
> the tag. From a scientific eXamina
ton of these scales. experts of tn
! Bureau can learn many things con
corning the story of the fish.
| The Bureau has fitted UP a specis
steamer to sail on a fish taggin
} cruise. The Bureaus steamer Ha.
cyon has been QUILTED with speci;
} tackle and on April l6 it sailed o
one of the most curious fishing e1
petitions ever undertaken, a fshin
trip, the purpose OF which is
r catch fish only to throw them bac
into the water The fist cruise wa
/ in the waters Of Nantucket Shoal
The experts of the Bureau in chare
{ of the work were DR. H. B.. Bigt
low of Harvard University; Willis ]
Q Rich. Assistant in Charge OF the Div
ision of Scientific Inquiry OF til
e Fisheries Bureau, and William
Schroeder, Scientific Assistant of til
4 Bureau. DIR. Bigelow IS an expert c
New England fish and Mr.. Rich hs
had considerable experience in tai
ging salmon on the Pacific Coast an
in Alaska.
The fab will be Caught In nets ar