1g oe eh i be a a TL re Mee hay | ae te, Saat iaey Mee " fees sae : seein a30° ee i: Sfieing I Sasha Weg en tae aah 2 ts / Senet ye Mae ao ge : : ane : sain fet yi ee te a oe Me E Ri Oy PE be bt ences eg pg ten ie, Bean 2a 4m, ie : bg hel Tat ae hex Ss 7835s, Ya, cage naan Pac at hay ag eg tg a Bip oy se, ae gE STE Nahe ft : ; : oa, gre Mans ne F a vy ates, Bee te . a = “at ag Toate Soe mas “ty AN ty a Ter Sr ca Pies) * ? ron les eee crane ae oun Nate ne wie ae a i a PEPSI EN | State of sd Asland and Providence Plantations. a ANNUAL REPORT 7 OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF INDAND FISHERIES, MADE TO THE Poor E RAL ASSEMB Ry. JANUARY SESSION, 1890. PROVIDENCE: E. L. FREEMAN & SON, PRINTERS TO THE STATE. L390: ane ks Ga 1 To the Honorable General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island, etc., at its January Session, 1890: The Commissioners of Inland Fisheries herewith present their An- nual Report for the year 1889: SHAD. We received through Col. M. McDonald, U. S. Fish Commissioner, about three million shad fry, sent in their special tank car. These were placed in Palmer river, at Shad Factory, it being, in the estima- tion of the Commissioners, the waters best suited to them, as there are no insurmountable dams or other serious obstructions to their return. The only expense to the State for this large installment of shad fry was the transportation from car to river. TROUT. The Commissioners have distributed personally and through others interested in the increase of fishes in our inland waters, nearly ten thousand (10,000) trout fry and yearling trout in the various public streams and ponds of our State. The past open season for trout fish- ing (from March 1 to August 15) has demonstrated to the entire satis- faction of your Commissioners that their efforts in this direction, as well as those of their predecessors, have not been useless, neither have the expenditures of the State’s moneys been lost to it. That such is the fact need not be told by us, as ample evidence can be obtained from 4 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. the merest tyro. It has been brought to our attention continually dur- ing the past season that such large catches of trout have been unknown for years, and the fish averaging good size. Of course, nature has helped us very materially in this regard; the continued high water in the brooks and ponds during the summer and fall, and mild winters for the last few years, has been a very important factor. The Commissioners have come to the conclusion to hereafter put in yearling trout instead of fry; the expense will not be much greater, and actual results can be seen and benefits received sooner. Through the courtesy of Col. M. McDonald, the State is to receive ten thousand (10,000) land locked salmon eggs, as well as ten thousand (10,000) Penobscot salmon eggs. These will be distributed in the various waters of the State suited to them, with the mere expense to the State of hatching and planting. The Commissioners have been informed of young salmon ‘‘ Parr”’ being taken by parties fishing for trout, which shows that they thrive in our waters. ‘These were undoubtedly a part of those put in by us last year. The Governor and Council of the State of New Hampshire have kindly donated twenty thousand (20,000) lake trout eggs. These were obtained through the generous efforts of Col. E. B. Hodge, Fish Com- missioner, and as he says in his letter to us were ‘‘ obtained from trout weighing from ten to twenty pounds,’’ we hope to obtain good results from them. The Sea Fisheries of this State must ever be, as in the past, of oreat interest. We regret that we have not better means of procuring correct and complete statistical data. We give such as we have been enabled to procure at this time, trusting that in our next report we shall be able to give much more in this line, believing it to be of the greatest value in arriving at an intelligent understanding of the subject. Most of the changes in our fisheries are phenomenal, the fluctuations’ in numbers are beyond calculation from any known data, and so varied from unknown causes, that it is useless to estimate the future from ob- servation of the past. Especially is this true of the anadromous fishes REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 5 of the ocean that visit our waters, and strangely enough no past inves- tigation has revealed their location or history while absent from us. While considering this part of our subject, we find the following para- graph in one of our papers, which, if it fails to establish facts that will give light upon this mysterious question, is not without interest : ‘‘ WHERE THE MACKEREL ARE.—The United States Fish Commissioners say that there are plenty of fish somewhere all the year round, and that what are caught by the fishermen do not deplete their number to any great extent. These commissioners prove their statements as a general thing, and have done so in regard to the mackerel. Last season this commission hired a man to go to the Cape of Good Hope to look for mackerel en that coast, the commission to pay him and his expenses for the trip. He was from Harwich, Mass., a well known mackerel killer. When he arrived at the coast of Africa, the shores were teem- ing with mackerel eighteen inches long and fat. They were easy to catch. He soon captured a cargo of mackerel and the vessel is nearly due. He could not obtain barrels there the kind usually used for fish, so he put the fish down in wine barrels. The man informed the fish commissioners that he would pay his own expenses, without recourse to them. He will make one thousand dollars, at least, out of this single cargo. It appears that the mackerel have gone across the ocean, perhaps for a few years’ pastime. Probably a fleet of mackerel schooners will go there from the United States as soon as full returns are given from this vessel.— Fall River News.” If it should be proved that what we have been accustomed to con- sider as our own fish, by their long residence in or near our waters, are cosmopolitans, and claim the world as their own and vary their loca- tion without limit of space as the season changes, then have we a phase of this question not before presented to us. It has long been known that mackerel have been found in widely separated parts of the world, while of some of the others of the fish that periodically visit us, such as the scup for instance, are believed to be peculiar to this locality, and to a comparative restricted portion of the coast. ‘The most impor- tant of the wandering fishes that yearly visit us are the scup, mackerel, horse-mackerel, bass, squeteague, sea-bass, herring and menhaden. On these wandering fishes of the ocean we chiefly depend for our summer fishing. They appear on our coast the last of April, or more 6 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. often in early May, in large schools, and remain with us more or less all summer in diminished numbers, or so scattered as to appear greatly diminished in numbers. The habits of these fish are quite different. Of edible fish the scup are decidedly the most numerous, and, ex- cepting the herring, the first to come. When they arrive on the coast they are in large schools and swim near the surface, but later on they scatter throughout the waters and become a bottom fish. This was true of them in former years, when they remained throughout the sea- son in large numbers and rarely failed to make good fishing with hook and line. The earliest settlers found them abundant, but from some cause they left our waters and reappeared in 1793, first in small num- bers, but increasing from year to year until they became the most numerous of all our edible fish. They seem to have grown in disfavor as they increased in numbers, until their low value caused them to be used as a fertilizer, but a widened market has served to restore these once despised fish to their deserved place among edible fish. From their reappearance in 1793 they have been more or less plenty in our waters every year. The very young fry seen here indicate that they spawned in our waters. A few years ago the phenomenal appearance of the young of these fish, about two inches long, from some unknown source bafiled all cal- culation in regard to them. ‘The past season has been a peculiar one ; large schools of them came on our coast, in as large if not larger num- bers than ever before, but very few came into the bay, and fishing for them has been very poor during the season. It is also observed that last year (1889) the fish came in shore as in former years, while in the two or three preceding years they were taken much more successfully in the off shore traps. We furnish a statement of the shipment of fish by the New York steamers for the last four years, and as the great bulk of the fish so shipped were scup, some estimate of the comparative catch can be made. We also have the statement kindly furnished us by the Messrs. J. Church & Co., which shows their catch to be in these four years as follows: REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. T Ne Pray ae hte so chess about 4,000 Barrels....Average price per Barrel.. $7 00 BSG giekw das sae Ried eee We rt be ‘Total catch for the year 1856 ,...¢\); es iss’ bs eee wee eh 232,471 Barrels. REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 1 YEAR 1887, The fishing season this year was from July Ist to the last of October, from Montauk to Cape Henlopen. ‘The catch was very small, Capt. Church reports no large bodies of them on the coast and but few days of good fishing. -No fish east of Block Island, none worth mentioning in Rhode Island waters. The catch this season : Steamer Joseph Church............. Wi ONE with 2 gangs.... 23,123 Barrels. ue BRAMMER RGELENV EL Yo pe wes Siento sie 6 w 85S 0 See ENE EY eh. ik oe en i Pemere COOL ME WUNIIS 2 07 h.ud.i miele nee orn ad vehi Mere Piao ieee ? a MeV IDILE fe ha ete cine ecam) gids LSU Ae COT a) Weis pied es bay os SEVEN PFOUNEMse S5i\-s)sc0'e\0 safe we sede dy Lore HED, Aloe tod ego, SOORREL - Pr Pamnie OPresUe 5. 2). v/a 5 « sada oy late pL UE eaters Meme Ey oF ce Poet etscOrre. WW; ELULUDHTEY, «2 oe use ae ms BOT Bae Se oe, 5 city mG ENENED * Received from other boats........... MARE 639 2 F OHEOMMEE.! UC 4e 3 WOU e ch ssiere kw ol) le a Malubay S °F TER SPP BU Seat taper +1 $8 Fearless...... BRE Te Paro tate Bae eR aa Sy i see Cay ee e aaG uh ee A, EOE EAN [3.06 ..s ore kia alae Geek = 8,0 itt es) A oa er i, a Schooner Penekese.......... ....--- ate aoe Aoi as) Beta eee: 123 a NTC ane te ele eta Ne dial! oe ot Sa We 175,667 Barrels. YEaR 1888. Fishing Season from June 12th to November 12th. The very poor fishing the season before led the fishermen to expect little this season, and they proposed to begin late if at all; but the presence of the fish in large numbers induced them to begin early, and they found them abundant’throughout the season from Block Island to the coast of Maine and quite plenty as far south as Delaware. The catch this season : mreamor Joseol: Church reece se clases Seely 2 with 1 gang ... 61,906 Barrels, $3 ee Me EL ae WAYre oes cr ae an ele a, 25a nyn Be ae Sy | oa oy iu enor a POPE Curtis. 16) Sake tenons 2's) 44's ace Wer Gee heme Later: AILS cs th a re OVW IEG, «ck Crete ein, < aninle oa ews Cp SS: ial ea Nan che, OU as vy Bevcal EPORHCES) «sotto srclae se ec ae LEON Hates Ree mig AS re Pe PARLEY, EAPXECEUG cs aie (alalerg(s «te sainle a ass ks pee Meares 083 70 i 12 - REPORT Of COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. Steamer George W. Humphrey.............. with 1 gang ... 58,339 Barrels. Received from other boats... ......-. iu 2? ES Be if fs MERCONMED . is. Utoau ei ae the oie S ie earhenie Poa he Sale ae a Oy a BARE LOSS 2 oa Soke hes 0 ara dae: arate Maisons RY bribe foc. Betecaha ah Pentel * BUCMINGHET! © CTCKENE.., «a \c 15 se « «-s.0% vd co oe Gale inte: careers eas 9,977 ‘s PSION eae whe Gd in Lik “a plo sre mature th gone rea tees bie ak ER 377,607 Barrels. YEAR 1889. Fishing season from June 10th to November 20th. They were very abundant on the whole coast of New England, from Montauk to East- port, Maine. Our bay and rivers were well stocked with them from June until September. It is interesting to note the fact that six weeks good fishing were found on Nantucket Shoals, where a school of these fish had never before been seen by the fishermen, and notwithstanding the great catch it would have been largely increased but for the blowy weather, and immense numbers left our coast. The catch this season: pacamer poseph Church: . .. 0... 3.225. -0ta em» with 1 gang.... 63,728 Barrels. orm ea, AR tITAWAY a's: ce lcc ee eee on ete Can De OR eS Geel e ie ETS OMOULLIS «6's )5% «cadre ewe awe ae A! mle We Sk pus § 5 Yo. * ey Corn ©: Whiter? sie7sb.cs ses eee ee? ae Pk Us ASE ve Red ee A ea even isrotners oie Woe ee es AP Deere Li ee ad i SEAR NV PLAC. occ be fc sblaies sie peas Or Ls vehi ce EO “ Page, George W.. Humphrey: J. ..'snccn, ails! 503 Bes Eki, ony wie cates CY ete or Received from other sources.......... Vitae), tea eS 44 ES MEREOUNEHN, fis sae cists Naaye ata betes ‘5 es ME Rae “ss a 1 AYE Ty ETC RRMA AR PMT NNR Rb PON RE esr Pak Maha ey esa! oan,” ast eae ne he BURGOUET TCHEKESE.'. o> o's o hela os cece cee. pepe BRM EON bee ois RS 7118 ea ae ROE Ce ea Ue Name AME aneet sg CER 508,482 Barrels. RECAPITULATION. Total catch of Menhaden in 1886............. da srater tans 282,471 Barrels. + a ae e ‘CMDB BT 2S wits. ciate sie .0cande eaters 175,667 ‘ % Rae ke e SERBS AG nae ao cae + Ook ene 377,607 Py i uediges © sf LBRO neeen nb) be sin eine 508,482 8“ REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 13 The menhaden fishery has been remarkable the past season, the catch far surpassing anything before known. ‘Their presence in large num- | bers has been general along the coast, and some of the steamers took four times what the best catches were a few years ago upon the coast of Maine, where they were thought to be very plenty, in spite of the continuous high winds that prevailed last season. It will be noted in the preceding tables that in the last two years there was a reduction in the number of gangs equal to one-third less men and also one less steamer. 7 It is the purpose of the Commissioners to present, as far as practi- cable, a correct statement of all the facts relating to our fisheries that may be of interest to our people, but not in the interest of one side or the other of any controversy or theory. We would be glad to corres- pond with any one having information that is of public interest upon this subject. We shall strive to avoid any statement not generally ad- mitted unless sustained by the facts. We are aware of the difficulty of obtaining exact data, and we shall avoid dogmatic conclusions upon questionable points from imperfect or contradictory testimony, that may be upset by facts before they get into print. It is hoped to make their report a reliable compendium of the fisheries of this State. Should any error occur we would be glad to have it pointed out and corrected. Experience has taught us that statements of fishermen vary much according to locality or individual experience in the same locality ; what may be strictly true of one locality may seem very wrong if ap- plied to another locality, even if not far removed. We invite the codperation of fishermen and others to aid us in the - work. Especially would we ask them for statistics of their catches and an account of any unusual occurrence or phenomena they may observe. The Hon. John H. Barden, who, since the formation of the Commis- - sion of Inland Fisheries, has practically been at the head of it, and to whose previous efforts we are largely indebted for the Commission, declining to be reappointed, has been succeeded by Mr. J. M. K. 14 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. Southwick, of Newport. Mr. Southwick brings to the Commission a large experience with the salt water fishing which cannot but be favor- able to the work entrusted to us. State of Rhode Island in account with Commissioners of Inland Fisheries. Dr. 1889. May 2. Paid for 50,000 trout eggs ............... Mer alain ah) Mang ertoee are $90 00 By Paid forstanonery, e0e tos kos bls Sai beeen aes se Med he ee 13 00 16. Expense depositing 2,500,000 shad fry in Palmer river ...... 20 75 Dec. 26. Expense of Commissioners distributing trout fry, traveling,etc. 25 14 $148 89 Cr. iach received irom Diate Treasgrer.2.. 5.02. i.. ss) ss ewes sneer eto $134 77 Balance due Commission......... {UCL AUNT Sane R Se EAA eng Me tee ey eer I $14 12 Respectfully submitted, J. M. K. SOUTHWICK, HENRY T. ROOT, WILLIAM P. MORTON, Commissioners of Inland Fisheries. ait ken rth a’ tf 4 i ea yeas ea h r —. ey ~ Os a Mi-~ a te -_" Ps — « =< pee as — bi i oe + in < Hip wa i: wT ee ce rr ered uF, hs k » ee ae a wy ee vs a= 3 ru i * ‘ Me 4 1 » bi Re aay th, bn aN \ ; Bari a ree ret oe SE ee LOS ms a ae iin L?US T Oe AE ahs peed Pig HO" op - MS “eats, Oe ee ae ‘ sates MH ha , a ~ = oa: Mes see ST el gue alent ae Sone Sibel he LS a Tite! tT Stee hate tck im Oe ak Seay” Le Jer CED ey “ee, Wag! Naas a os shot Aw, a Siesta htad oh ae