176 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



when caught. Vessels have been supplied with squid from the weirs 

 at Sandwich and Barnstable Bay. The squid caught this year are of 

 the same kind as those caught at Newfoundland, having no bones in 

 them. They are the first of that kind caught on this coast for 10 years. 

 Vessels catch some with a squid-gig on the Bank. Some of the vessels 

 took as much as 50,000 pounds of large cod in six days, using squid for 

 bait. 

 Gloucester, M ass., July 15, 1883. 



Large mackerel are scarce, but small ones are plentiful all along the 

 coast. Some vessels arrive with only 30 or 40 barrels after being 

 absent for three weeks. A large fleet has gone to the Bay of Saint 

 Lawrence after mackerel, and two vessels went there to fish for mack- 

 erel with hooks. Two vessels have left mackerel-catching and gone 

 after cod, while two other mackerel vessels belonging to Boston have 

 hauled up. The schooner J. J. Clark arrived home with 230 barrels of 

 mackerel caught 120 miles to the eastward (east by south) of Thatcher's 

 Island. They were all caught in 10 days, after which the school dis- 

 appeared. Large mackerel have been caught on the coast, and it is 

 hard to tell where they have gone. Some think they are at the bottom. 

 The schooner Maud F. Leighton, fishiug for cod on the northwest part 

 of George's Bank, caught a large No. 1 mackerel on a cod-hook iu 45 

 fathoms. The captain states that some of the large cod had two or 

 three large mackerel in them when caught. My opinion is that as we 

 have had heavy rains for the last three weeks, this has sunk the seed 

 which the mackerel eat into deep water, and so they leave the surface 

 to feed on it. Four years ago things looked as badly for the mackerel 

 fishermen as they do now, but the vessels did well after August 1. 

 Mackerel bring a high price. They sold yesterday for $16 a barrel for 

 a small lot of mackerel, large rimmed. 



Gloucester, Mass., July 22, 1883. 



Yesterday there were eight vessels in from Grand Banks, with 822,000 

 pounds salt cod; ten vessels from George's, averaging 35,000 pounds; 

 four from Western Bank, with 110,000 salt cod ; four from the shore 

 grounds, with 80,000 pounds of mixed salt fish ; and one from Grand 

 Banks, with 20,000 pounds halibut. 



A large school of big cod is on the western part of George's Bank, in 

 from 85 to 75 fathoms. It is the first time for twelve years that cod 

 have been caught on George's Bank in 40 fathoms. Generally they have 

 1 teen caught in deep water during June, July, and August. Strange to say, 

 there are no dogfish on the western part of the Bank. The George's 

 fishermen make the trip in twelve or fourteen days; one vessel came in 

 this morning with 40,000 pounds of salt cod, after having been gone but 

 eleven days. The Grand Banks vessels are usually gone about seven 

 weeks for a trip. 



A few large mackerel are being caught in the weirs in the harbor 

 here. 



