THE MACKEREL FISHERY 269 



From twenty-five to thirty fares were landed at Philadel- 

 phia and several fares at Providence and other New Eng- 

 land ports. In addition, there were about 2,500 barrels 

 of salt mackerel landed from the southern catch. 



In the spring of 1887 about 106 vessels entered the 

 fishery. A backward season made the fishery late in its 

 beginning. A larger quantity of salt mackerel was landed 

 by the vessels, the quantity being 4,732 barrels, valued at 

 $33,403. The total catch of fresh mackerel was 8,384 bar- 

 rels, valued at $53,402. The average stock per vessel was 

 $504 from fresh fish and $315 from salt mackerel. Tak- 

 ing the three years as a whole it is found that the southern 

 fresh mackerel fishery previous to its suspension was worth 

 only $876 per year for each vessel that was employed in 

 the industry an amount that did not enrich vessel owners 

 or fishermen greatly, however dangerous the fishery may 

 have been to other forms of industry. 



As early as 1878, the question of suspending the southern 

 mackerel fishery was taken hold of by some Boston fish 

 dealers, who felt concerned for the safety of the summer 

 mackerel fishery. The Boston Fish Bureau, also, held that 

 the fishery should be suspended on the ground that in the 

 long run only detriment to the fishery could result. The 

 agitation for actual suspension of the fishery was begun 

 by mackerel dealers and fishermen of Portland, who, in 

 December 1885, petitioned the United States Commission 

 of Fish and Fisheries that the necessity and desirability of 

 protection to mackerel during their spawning season be 

 urged upon Congress. Other petitions of a similar char- 

 acter followed elsewhere throughout New England. The 

 desire for a suspension of the southern mackerel fishery 

 came principally from dealers in salt fish and from vessel 

 owners who were engaged in the salt mackerel industry. 



When, in May, 1886, a bill came before the House of 

 Representatives to suspend the spring fishery it called forth 



