BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 343 



COD eilili-NETS I!V IPSWICH BAY, MASSACHUSETTS. 



By S. J. I?IAHTI]V. 



Gloucester, Mass., November 15, 1881. 



Dear Professor : I thought I would write and let you know how 

 the cod gill-uets are doiug. Six vessels have their uets set, and they 

 have done well. 



I find that pollock will mesh as well as codfish. The first night the 

 schooner Maud Gertrude set her uets, 12 in number, they got 3,000 

 pounds pollock, 2,000 pounds cod. The nets were set on Brown's. Their 

 nets were set three nights. They have as many pollock as codfish. 

 The pollock tear the nets badly. The net has too large a mesh for pol- 

 lock. Captain Gill told me that if the nets had 8-inch meshes they 

 could get them full of pollock. The 10-iuch mesh catches large pollock, 

 some of them weighing 20, 21, 21^ pounds. They tore the nets so badly 

 in three nights that they had to put three nets ashore. The pollock are 

 very strong fish. The reason they tear the nets is, that they get half 

 way through the mesh, then they have their head and tail both to work. 

 It takes strong twine to hold them. Two vessels had nets set in Ipswich 

 Bay. They got 12,000 pounds each in two nights with 12 nets each. 

 The Northern Eagle went to IiDswich Bay Monday morning with 24: 

 nets. I think they will do well. There is a good school of fish on the 

 rocks. There are two boats running sperling from Plymouth to Glouces- 

 ter to sell. There are plenty of i)ollock. A vessel went out Sunday 

 morning, came in to-day, had 25,000 i>ounds pollock; 8 men. There are 

 35 sail fishing after jDollock. 



I will try and keep you posted on the cod gill-nets. 



Gloucester, MasSx, November 25, 1881. 

 Dear Professor: A few words concerning cod gill-nets. The 

 schooner Northern Eagle arrived from Ipswich Bay Wednesday. Was 

 gone eight days. Landed 33,000 pounds large cod; stocked 6800; 

 crew's share, $63 per capita. The fish were all landed in Eockport. 

 They used 28 nets; four 50-fathom nets to a dory. Some of the vessels 

 carry 32 nets. Fish are not plenty. They fetch a big price, averaging- 

 three cents a pound. Three years ago one cent a pound was a good 

 price. Last week there were 128 nets set down the bay. Next week 

 there will be 250 nets set in Ipswich Bay. All the vessels that had 

 nets last year can get them cheap. A net 50 fathoms long, 3 fathoms 

 deep, costs $13. Don't have to buy any glass balls, nor head-rope, so 

 the nets come a great deal cheaper. One thing strange, that all the 

 fish are male fish; always before the female fish came first. I was on 



