790 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



1880, beginning with the most important: Sag Harbor, East Marion, Orient, Greenport, Springs, 

 Southold, Water Mills, and Amagansett. 



In addition to the boat fisheries from these places, there is a sloop smack of 30.87 tons, owned 

 at Greenport, which fishes for lobsters, setting pots on the Massachusetts coast about Martha's 

 Vineyard and elsewhere, and carrying the catch fresh to New York City. The total catch of the 

 above places, including that of the smack, for 1880 amounted to only 135,000 pounds, worth to the 

 fishermen, at the rate of 3g cents per pound, $5,062. 



Six lobster smacks are owned in New York State two at New York City, and four at Green- 

 port, Long Island. One of the Greeuport smacks engages directly in the lobster fishery, as stated 

 above, but all of the remainder are well smacks, acting merely as carriers of fresh lobsters to 

 New York City, mainly from Northern New England. Both of the New York smacks and one 

 from Greenport also carry other kinds of fresh fish, but the remaining three limit themselves 

 exclusively to the lobster trade. 



The following account of the operations of the lobster smack Laura Thompson, Captain 

 Eackett, will serve to indicate the methods of buying and carrying practiced by all the New 

 York well smacks. This smack engages in carrying lobsters from the Deer Isle, Maine, region, 

 and Cuttyhunk, Mass., to New York City, from April 1 to December 1. At Deer Isle, Captain 

 Eackett buys of ten men, each handling eighty pots, and from that place can average a trip every 

 two weeks in April and May, and one trip every week the remainder of the season, from Cutty- 

 hunk. In 18SO he had full loads in the spring from Maine, but later only partial loads from 

 Cuttyhunk. In cold weather, this smack can carry 20,000 pounds of lobsters in its well, but during 

 the summer not more than half that quantity. The Maine lobsters die more quickly in warm 

 weather than those from Cuttyhunk. The seasons of 1879 and 1880 were fair ones, but on account 

 of the law recently passed he was obliged to stop buying small lobsters. 



NEW YORK CITY LOBSTER TRADE. There are twenty-seven wholesale lobster dealers in New 

 York City, the more prominent ones being located at Fulton market, and most of the others in the 

 same vicinity. Lobsters are brought to New York both by well smacks and by railroad, during 

 the warmer months packed in barrels with ice. From one-half to three-fourths of the quantity 

 received comes in barrels, and the remainder in smacks. About six smacks engage regularly in 

 carrying lobsters to New York during the spring, summer, and fall, afterwards entering into other 

 branches of the fishery. A few other well smacks, which make a business of carrying fresh fish 

 to New York, sometimes also include a few lobsters in their cargo. From six to ten of the whole- 

 sale dealers, with headquarters at Fulton market, own part interest in the smacks, and thereby 

 control their shipments, selling for the smacks on commission. The remainder of the wholesale 

 dealers receive their supplies of lobsters entirely by railroad, as do also some of the retailers. The 

 smack lobster dealers also receive barreled lobsters. The smacks begin to run about March 1, 

 carrying from the coast of Maine from that time until the middle of May or 1st of June, when they 

 commence to take supplies from the Vineyard Sound region, including Menemsha Bight, No 

 Man's Land, Cuttyhunk, and Block Island. Lobsters continue abundant over this latter area 

 until into September or October, after which the smacks return to the coast of Maine, and run 

 until about the middle of November. Occasional fares are obtained from the vicinity of Block 

 Island during the fall. Each trip consumes from one to two weeks or more, dependent upon the 

 distance, weather, and abundance of supplies. During the spring and fall, while the weather is 

 cool, the smacks can carry from 6,000 to 8,000 lobsters each trip, but during the summer months 

 they carry only 4,000 to 5,000 at a time. 



Lobsters are received in barrels during: the entire year, and, after the smacks stop running, 



