THE LOBSTER FISHERY. 773 



XK\V HAMPSHIRE. 



The lobster lislu-i \ of New Hampshire is of slight importance compared with that of its 

 northern neighbor, and gives employment to but few men, who generally devote most of their 

 time to other kinds of fishing or other occupations. The principal places from which lobstering is 

 carried on are Portsmouth, New Castle, Eye, Seabrook, and the Isles of Shoals. Beyond the few 

 lobsters used locally, the greater part of the catch goes to Portsmouth, which city acts as a small 

 distributing center for the near inland towns. Lobsters are shipped from Portsmouth, both fresh 

 and boiled. A small portion of the catch is also sent to Boston and New York. 



The season lasts from two to four mouths, lobsters being most abundant in May. When men 

 are hired by the day to tend the traps they are paid at the rate of about $25 a month, which is 

 also about the earnings of the men using their own gear. According to the statements of the 

 fishermen, lobsters have decreased in abundance from one-half to one-fourth during the past 

 twenty years. The average season's (four mouths) catch per trap of marketable lobsters (those 

 above 10i inches in length) is stated to be about sixty. The prices paid to the fishermen range 

 from 4 to 5 cents each. 



Off Portsmouth the traps are set around the ledges at the mouth of the harbor, from Kittery, 

 Me., to Odiorues Point, New Hampshire. The fishery along the remainder of the coast is mainly 

 confined to slight depths of water near shore; some of the fishermen set their pots off the south- 

 western corner of Maine. No lobster smacks are owned in New Hampshire. 



The average number of pots to a man in the different localities ranges from fifty to sixty-five. 



Summation of the lobster fisheries in the State of New Hampshire in 1880. 



Number of fishermen (two to four months) 44 



Number of boats in use 31 



Value of same $460 



Numb'.r of pots in use 2,350 



Valtif, of same $2,350 



Total amount of capital invested $2,810 



Number of barrels of bait used 500 



Value of same $250 



Total catch of lobsters, in pounds 250,000 



Value of the same to the fishermen $7,500 



MASSACHUSETTS. 

 GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 



In the Gloucester district, which includes the greater part of Cape Aun, lobster fishing is 

 mainly carried on in the neighborhood of Rockport, Gloucester, Aunisquam, and Manchester 

 The fishery is not, however, of great extent in this district. The season begins in March or April 

 and continues principally through the spring and fall, closing about November 1. Lobsters 

 are said to be most abundant during March, April, and May, and many of the lobstermen 

 take up their traps in September. In Gloucester Harbor the traps are set on sandy bottom, 

 in depths of 2 to 3 fathoms in summer, and about 10 fathoms during the colder part of the 

 season. 



Captain Webb, of Milk Island, near Rockport, states that he used to set his traps in 14 fathoms 

 in April, changing to 2J fathoms as the water became calmer in the late spring. He often greatly 

 increased the amount of his catch by watching the storm signals on Thatcher's Island, and shifting 

 his traps into deeper water when a heavy wind that was likely to produce a strong undertow was 

 predicted. 



As a rule, the fishery is conducted in depths of 2 to 10 fathoms in the summer, and of 10 to 



