FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 241 



The rate of growth of the cusk has not been The landings, 1931-1935, in Boston, Gloucester, 



studied, so far as we know. and Portland (to nearest 1,000 pounds) follow: 



General range. — Both sides of the North Atlan- Locality mi mi ms mi ms 



tic, chiefly in moderately deep water and on hard <;«>»... ..225.000 w.000 ,73.000 012.000 1.023.000 



1 J . Fippemes 19,000 69.000 35.000 47,000 61.000 



bottoms; north on the American coast to the piatts 7,000 6.000 105.000 84,000 45.000 



xt e Ji i t> 1 I a ix. CM - a _* T>„11„ Jeffrey Ledge 301.000 143,000 148,000 122,000 53,000 



Newfoundland Banks, and to the Strait of Belle stellwagen Bank ..... 65i000 ,53.000 ^ wo 259 , 00 o 78.000 



Isle, south regularly to Cape Cod, rarely to .... ... , , . , ... 



., ,T t-i 1 1 1 -u vr >> p are mclmed to believe that the wide dif- 



southern New England, and occasionally to JSew , . , , , 



_ , ' , _ . . , T . _. ferences from year to year, m the catches on these 



Jersey; northern coasts of the Bntish Isles, Den- ^^ ground ; reflect the Dumber of vessds that 



mark (Jutland), northern part of the North Sea, fished there) rather than the number of cusk 



and Kattegat off Bohuslan, Sweden, to Iceland wa iting there to be caught. 



and the Murman coast in the eastern Atlantic. Cusk are said to be plentiful on the rather in- 



It reaches east and west Greenland only as a rare definite ground off Penobscot Bay that is known 



stray from the south. as Jeffreys Bank (not Ledge) or "Matinieus Sou'- 



Occurrence in the Gulj of Maine— -The cusk is sou'west." In 1921, for example, 43,545 pounds 



distributed very generally in the Gulf in water werc reported thence, and considerable numbers 



deeper than 10 to 15 fathoms, its presence or are taken, in the aggregate, on the patches of hard 



1 1 ,• ,1  . <• 1 i* ™ bottom that skirt the coast of Maine, as appears 



absence depending on the precise type of bottom. . , , , • 



„ . ., , . „ . , , „„. N from the approximate amounts landed m the 



Because of its preference in this respect (p. 239), „ / „. . ., ..,_ . ,r  i- 



. . smaller ports S5 m the dill erent Mame counties in 



it varies greatly in abundance m different parts of mQ and m ig45 . York> QfiQQ pounds anJ 2fiQQ 



the Gulf, and the grounds occupied by it are pounds; Cumberland (exclusive of vessel landings 



much less extensive than those haunted by cod, at Portland), 79,000 pounds and 182,000 pounds; 



by haddock, by pollock, or by the hakes. Thus Sagadahoc, 15,000 pounds and 44,000 pounds; 



cusk are rarely taken in Cape Cod Bay or in the Lincoln, 27,000 pounds and 3,000 pounds; Knox, 



deeper holes in Massachusetts Bay, and we have 52,000 pounds and 109,000 pounds; Hancock, 



taken none on the soft mud of the deep bowl west 12,000 pounds and 22,000 pounds; Washington, 



of Jeffreys Ledge. But considerable numbers are 4,000 pounds and 500 pounds, respectively. 



caught on the ledges off Chatham, Cape Cod, on Some cusk are caught at the mouth of the Bay 



Stellwagen Bank, and on the broken grounds of Fundy also, especially about Grand Manan 



between the latter and Cape Ann, while they are on the N « w Brunswick side, and off Brier Island 



plentiful off Cape Ann and on Jeffreys Ledge, the on thc Nova Scotian side ' as Doctor Huntsman 



1 ,. i • . ,1 __ . , „j„ .• . informs us, though none are reported toward the 



latter being one of the most productive cusk ' 6 J 



1 /• /-1 i* mi 11 e r^ 1 head of the Bay. Small rocky patches along the 



grounds of our Gulf. 1 he rocky slopes of C ashes , , T „ ; . , . J „ ~ , T , f , 



° , . , . , , , T west Nova Scotian shore and oil Seal Island also 



Ledge, also have long been famous for cusk. In ^ gome cugk; ^ ^ &rc ^^ regulaily 0Q 



past years when more fishing was done there (as Grand Manan Ban] . German Bank and the 

 in 1902 and 1905) this ground was the chief source fishing grounds off Lurcher Shoal are less pro- 

 of supply for the cusk landed in New England. ductive of cusk, perhaps because they are floored, 

 In 1935, similarly, about 30 percent of all the mostly, with patches of gravel and pebbles and 

 cusk landed in Portland, Gloucester, and Boston small stones alternating with sand and clay, 

 came from Cashes. And we have caught more But large catches are taken on Browns Bank, and 

 cusk there than anywhere else. As might be fair numbers on the rougher spots on Georges 

 expected, cusk are also caught on Fippenies and Ba nk, though its smoother expanses yield only 

 Piatts Banks by the few vessels that fish there as an occasional cusk. 

 is illustrated by the catches reported from these The onl y important exceptions in our Gulf to 



inshore grounds for the 5-year period 1931-35" ,llL> rule fchat cusk hold to rock - v - round are that 

 they are at least tolerably plentiful in the co-called 



14 1935 is the most recent year when landings were reported from these 



grounds, separately. " B -Mostly by small boat fishermen. 



