BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 299 



full of squid. Small mackerel have been schooling in Boston Day the 

 past week in large numbers. The red feed is on the surface of the vrater 

 in Boston Bay, and if the weather is good I think the catch of mackerel 

 will be larger after September than it was last year. High prices rule 

 as follows: extra No. 1, $23 per barrel; common No. 1, $19 per barrel; 

 No. 2, $14 per barrel; No. 3, $10 per barrel; and No. 4, $0.50 a barrel. 

 Gloucester, Mass., September 10, 1883. 



Mackerel. — During the past week twenty-eight mackerel vessels 

 have landed 0,800 barrels. Most of these were caught off Matinicus, 

 SE. 30 miles. The mackerel aie mixed, some schools being all large and 

 some all small. One vessel caught 300 barrels of mackerel lour miles 

 from Monhegan. Last year, at this time, most of the mackerel were 

 caught to the westward of Portland. Last Wednesday they were seen 

 schooling as far east as Mount Desert and Grand Mauan Bank. They 

 were also plenty in the Bay of Saint Lawrence. The twenty vessels 

 that were at the Bay of Saint Lawrence averaged 200 barrels each. The 

 schooner Edward Webster, Capt. Solomon Jacobs, is bound home with 

 500 barrels, having been absent five weeks. This is his second fare from 

 the Bay of Saint Lawrence. On the previous trip he brought home 500 

 barrels, having been gone six weeks. The indications now are that the 

 fall catch will be large. One schooner arrived to-day with 210 barrels 

 of salt mackerel caught 20 miles southeast from Matinicus, having been 

 gone from home eight days. They were large mackerel. 



When mackerel come to the surface they come up in different places 

 on the same day. On last Wednesday they came up schooling off 

 Mount Desert, off Matinicus, off Monhegan, on Cashe's Bank, and on 

 Grand Manan Bank — on the same day! The water is quite warm. 

 It was 52° to day, while last year at this time it was 42°. 



Gloucester, Mass., September 23, 1883. 



Herring. — Last Saturday night there were 75 barrels of large spawn- 

 ing herring caught, and last night GO barrels more. This is ten days 

 earlier than last year. There was none of any amount caught last year 

 until the first week in October. Last year when they came the tem- 

 perature of the water was 42°. This year it is 52°, and those of this 

 year are larger than last year. 



Gloucester, Mass., September 24, 1883. 



Monthly summary. — The amount of fish landed at Gloucester 

 during the month of September, 1883, was as follows: Cod brought 

 from George's Bank, 1,259,000 pounds; halibut from George's Bank, 

 10,335 pounds; cod from Grand Banks, 040,000 pounds; salt halibut 

 from Grand Bank, 59,200 pounds; cod from Western Bank, 520,000 

 pounds; salt halibut from Western Bank, 4,750 pounds; fresh halibut 

 from the banks, 507,000 pounds; salt mackerel caught on the Eastern 

 Shore, 20,534 barrels; mackerel from the bay of St. Lawrence, V65 



