268 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



could not liave been from the absence of their food, for the menhaden 

 were there. 



Steamers certainly don't frighten the fish. Their going over a school 

 of menhaden has no more effect than a sail vessel. They sink at the 

 bow and come up at the stern. Moreover the steamers don't go near the 

 school ; they simjily carry the fishing-crews to the fishing-grounds and 

 wait ofl' one side to receive the fish after they are caught. 



NOT£8 0:S the: C^I^OUCEi^TER FISiXERIE.S. 



By S. J. MAKTIIV. 



[From a letter to Prof. S. F. BaircL] 



Five boats are fishing for cod with nets, each boat having 24 nets. 

 They have a new set of nets. The rest of the vessels that had nets are 

 using trawls. They have done better with nets the last week. The five 

 boats with nets landed at Eockport last week 44,000 pounds of large 

 cod. Some of the trawlers got as many fish. They were mixed fish — 

 cod, haddock, hake, cusk — so the trawlers did not get half the money 

 the netters did. The fish they got in nets are large, mostly male fish. 

 I looked at 800 pounds and found that two-thirds were male fish. The 

 female fish had very little spawn in them. I found 6 females with spawn 

 nearly ripe. I was glad to hear that you got plenty of cod spawn at 

 New York. Cod have Ijeen i)lenty off the Long Island coast all winter. 

 I will tell you a little about haddock fishing on George's. There has 

 been a large school of haddock on George's for the last three weeks. I 

 will give you some facts, then you can judge for yourself. Schooner 

 Martha C. arrived yesterday with 90,000 pounds, gone eight days; 

 schooner Josie M. Calderwood, 85,000 i^ounds, gone seven days; 

 schooner H. A. Duucau, 80,000 pounds, gone seven days. Four vessels 

 left here Saturday and were back Wednesday with 40,000 pounds of 

 haddock, having fished one day and a half. That is good work and 

 quick work. The vessels don't find the codfish very plenty on George's. 

 The average pounds of fish brought in by the George's vessels the last 

 trip were 16,000 pounds of cod and 2,000 ])ounds of halibut. Most of 

 them were gone three weeks. The halibut-catchers have done nothing. 

 Schooner Corrina H. Bishop arrived yesterday ; been out weeks; lost 

 6 men and 1,500 pounds of halibut. Two of the haddock fleet are miss- 

 ing; I don't think they will ever come back; they have b.een out since 

 the 18th day of January. The vessels are schooner Edith M. Pew, Cap- 

 tain Corliss; schooner Paul Eevere, Captain Beutly. They have not 

 been seen since the gale of February 4. The price of fresh fish the last 

 week has been high ; there was a large pile of haddock yesterday. They 

 all sold at 2 cents to 3.J cents a pound — good prices since there are so 

 many fish. 



Gloucester, Mass., February 19, 1882. 



