CONNECTICUT: TOWNS EAST OF CONNECTICUT RIVER. 317 



been a favorite pursuit of New London whalers. The Davis Straits grounds had been abandoned 

 by Americans for nearly half a century when the ship McLennan, of New London, under Captain 

 Slate, cruised there in 1846. This vessel continued her annual voyages there for several years, and 

 was finally lost while en route to these grounds in 1852. In 1853 two vessels were fitted for this 

 fishery, and in 1855 a third vessel was added to the fleet. In 1SGO the fleet numbered ten sail, aud 

 the fishery from that date became more profitable. Larger and better vessels were sent out, and 

 the cruising grounds extended through Hudson's Straits into Hudson's Bay. It was a New London 

 whaling vessel cruising in those northern waters that found the abandoned ship Resolute, of the 

 Franklin search expedition, aud brought it to this country. For further particulars concerning 

 the seal and whale fisheries of New London the reader is referred to the sections of this report 

 which treat of special fisheries. 



New London is the most important receiving and distributing point for fresh fish between 

 Boston and New York. The fishing fleet is exceeded in numbers by but few ports on the New 

 England coast. The larger class of vessels cruise on George's and other offshore banks for cod 

 nud halibut, and market their catch fresh in New York. A few vessels are engaged in the mackerel 

 fishery and generally sell their fares in Boston. 



The smaller vessels fish nearer home and laud their fares in New London. One-fourth of the 

 catch of the near-home fleet goes to New York by steamer, and the remainder is distributed 

 direct from here throughout the couutry, either by rail or by numerous peddlers that secure their 

 supplies from the vessels or have their fish forwarded by rail. Most of the vessels are well-smacks, 

 so that the fish are generally alive when received in New York or New London. Large floating 

 tanks or cars, made of wood, are moored to the wharves in New London, and in these tanks the 

 live fish are kept for days, or even weeks and mouths before they are sold. 



Most of the vessels use hand-Hues, but those fishing on the offshore banks use trawls. Lob- 

 sters are taken by the vessel fleet as far away as Block Island, and at the mouth of Buzzard's Bay, 

 while the small boats set their lobster traps near home in Fisher's Island Sound. As the State 

 has no protective law for lobsters, a large part of the catch is too small to be of much benefit to 

 any one, and if sold in Massachusetts or New York would subject the seller to punishment. 



A small amount of net fishing is carried on by fykes, and the catch is mostly flounders. Four 

 heart-pounds are set near the mouth of the river Thames, one at Avery Point, one at Pine Island, 

 aud one at each end of Bushy Point Beach. 



From New London to Norwich, a distance of 14 miles on the Thames River, quite an amount 

 of fish are taken during the year by men that are farmers, mechanics, or laborers the greater part 

 of the year. They fish more or less during the summer season and catch bluefish, bass, eels, 

 flounders, aud shad, and a few mackerel. During the winter their catch is smelts, frostfish, eels, 

 and flatfish. The summer fishing is carried on mostly by drag nets or seines. Eels are taken in 

 pots and with spears in the winter. The principal fishing season from New London is from Aj>ril 

 until October, but little fishing being carried on by the large vessels during the winter, and by the 

 smaller vessels during only a small part of the year. 



The catch of the vessel fleet of New London in 1S80 included 1,230,000 pounds of cod, 490,000 

 pounds of halibut, 407,500 pounds of bluefish, 73,500 pounds of swordfish, 159,800 pounds of bass, 

 4,223 barrels of mackerel, and 170,000 pounds of lobsters. The shore fisheries yielded about 150,000 

 pounds of flounders, eels, tautog, smelts, aud other species, and about 30,000 pounds of lobsters. 

 The menhaden fishery of this port is important, and employs a fleet of sixteen vessels aggre- 



