BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 227 



Le Have and about Cape Sable. The fishing on Le Have Bank for liad- 

 dock was first attempted in the winter of 1SS0-'81.* This fishery has been 

 attended with the greatest success. Fishing continues on these outer 

 banks until the end of the season, when it is time for the vessels to 

 engage in other fisheries. 



THE FISHER3IEN. 



The fishermen who take part in this fishery are usually picked men 

 from the Gloucester fleet. A large portion of them are eJigaged in the 

 mackerel fishery in the summer. 



This fishery requires as much skill, pluck, and endurance as the hali- 

 but fishery, and men are selected in both of these fisheries on account 

 of similar qualifications, ifot unfrequently the same crew will remain 

 with the vessel in the summer when she is in the mackerel fishery, and 

 in winter when she is in the haddock fishery. There is so much compe- 

 tition among those who desire to ship with a good skipper that very 

 often his entire crew list is made out five or six months in advance. 



THE "Vt:ssels. 



The vessels composing the winter haddock fleet are chiefly the 

 staunchest and swiftest of those which in summer engage in the mack- 

 erel and cod fisheries. The Portland fleet is made up of a smaller 

 class of vessels, averaging from 35 to 40 tons ; these in summer are en- 

 gaged in the mackerel or shore fisheries. The few Swampscott and 

 Boston vessels which take part in the winter haddock fishery are market- 

 men and mackerelmen in the summer. 



The rigging of the haddock catchers is precisely similar to that of 

 the halibut catchers, with the exception that very few of them carry 

 gaft"-toi)sails and riding-sails.t Their outfit of nautical instruments and 

 charts is, as might be expected, less complete. 



Since the haddock vessels are rarely, if ever, anchored on the fishing 

 grounds, their arrangement of cables and anchors is very difierent from 

 that in use in the halibut and George's fleets. They usually have a 

 chain cable on their starboard side, and upon the port side a cable 

 similar to that used by the George's and halibut vessels, from 150 to 

 225 fathoms in length, which is stowed in the fore hold. One end of 

 this cable is bent to the anchor and the other passes down through a hole 

 in the fore hatch and is coiled below in the forehold. The anchors are 

 like those used on '• Georgesmen."" 



The deck is arranged in a manner different from any that has yet 

 been described. There is usually a single gurry-i)en forward of the 



*Capt. S. J. Martin, of Gloucester, writes, under date of May 10, 1881, as follows: 

 "The lirst vessel that went to Le Have Bank for haddock was the schooner Martha C, 

 of this port. She made her first trip there last winter." 



t Since 1879 many of the largest vessels of the Gloucester fleet have been employed 

 in haddock fishing; these generally cari;^" riding-sails, and many have gafi'-topsails. 



