BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 171 



During the past two weeks there have been 31 arrivals from George's 

 Bank, with an average of 20,000 pounds to a vessel ; 16 from Western 

 Baiik, averaging 40,000 pounds each ; 19 with fresh halibut from Grand 

 Baiiks, averaging 30,000 pounds each; and 9 with haddock, averaging 

 30,000 pounds to a vessel. Yesterday 3 vessels came in with pollock, 

 with a total of 105,000 pounds. These pollock were caught with seines 

 3 miles off Chatham. Mackerel are very slow in coming northwest this 

 year. Last year at this time they were taken off Sandy Hook; but the 

 farthest north where they have been taken this year is about 35 miles 

 east- southeast of Delaware Breakwater; this was on last Wednesday 

 (May 9). Fifty-four vessels have been in New York this week, with 125 bar- 

 rels to a vessel. A few scattering mackerel have been caught in the traps 

 at Cape Cod. Herring are very scarce inshore this spring. Last year 

 at this time they were abundant in Boston Bay, and 4 vessels were busy 

 seining them. This year there have been none to catch, either on our 

 coast or on the coast of Nova Scotia. Last week 9 barrels of shad were 

 caught in the traps at Cape Cod. All kinds of small fish are a fortnight 

 late this spring. A school of herring went by to the eastward offshore. 

 They have been seen on Jeffrie's Bank and on Cashe's. Last year at 

 this season there had been 3,000 barrels of salt mackerel landed at New 

 York, while this year only 500 barrels have been landed so far, and 

 only 300 barrels have been landed in Philadelphia. 



Gloucester, Mass., May 13, 1883. 



During the last week 31 vessels have come in from George's Bank 

 with an average of 18,000 pounds of cod to a vessel ; 6 have come in 

 with cod from Western Bank, averaging 40,000 pounds each ; and 3 

 from Grand Banks with an average of 5,000 pounds of halibut. There 

 have also arrived 8 vessels from the shore grounds, with a total of 

 120,000 pounds of haddock. The halibut catchers are not doing much; 

 during the week 3 vessels arrived with 15,000 pounds each, after trying 

 the banks where halibut used to resort and finding them scarce. They 

 went to Burge's, Newfoundland, but found almost nothing, while last 

 year halibut were plenty at Burge's. Small halibut have been plenty 

 on the Western Bank; 2 small vessels got 25,000 pounds each there. 

 These halibut weigh only from 35 to 50 pounds apiece. Herring are 

 scarce; this will cause long trips. Some of the vessels which left Glou- 

 cester a month ago — some bound to Grand Banks, some to Cape North — 

 have got no bait even yet. The fishermen's torment, the dog-fish, made 

 its appearance last Monday (May 14). The schooner Blue Jay reports 

 schools of mackerel 25 miles to the eastward of the highlands on Cape 

 Cod. Four vessels have arrived from Chatham with 45,000 pounds of 

 pollock apiece, having caught them with seines. This makes 4 fares 

 (300,000 pounds) of pollock landed at Gloucester this spring ; all were 

 caught with seines. Sixty-five thousand large mackerel were caught 



