BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 161 



Vol. Ill, IVo. 11. Washington, D. C. Aug. 31, 1883. 



boats have nets down, but they have not been hauled this week. The 

 nets are all used up. If the fish remain in the nets over twenty -four 

 hours they are scaled; the sand fleas take the scales off* and suck the 

 blood out of the fish. Then they have to be sold for half price. 

 Gloucester, Mass., March 25, 1883. 



12 THE AMERICAN PURSE-SEINE SUCCESSFUL IIV THE HERRING 



FISHERIES OF SWEDEN. 



By S. J. MARTIN. 



[Letter to Prof. S. F. Baird.] 



You will probably be interested to know that a purse-seine has been 

 successfully used in the herring fisheries of Sweden, near Gottenborg. 

 My son, Capt. George H. Martin, informs me that Andrew Swinton, 

 who formerly fished from Gloucester in schooner Northern Eagle, re- 

 turned home to Gottenborg in 1879, and writes to William Swinton, his 

 brother, now living in Gloucester, to the following effect: " In the spring 

 of this year (1882) I bought some twine and had a purse-seine made here 

 in the same style as the Gloucester seines, and went off in a small craft 

 to try it on the herring in this vicinity. I am doing first rate, and think 

 the purse-seine can be used to great advantage in these waters. This 

 is the first purse-seine that I know of ever being used on this coast." I 

 can get more facts when William Swinton returns from a fishing trip. 



Gloucester, Mass., October 17, 1882. 



I have seen Mr. Swinton and learned what I could concerning the 

 use of the purse-seine in Sweden. This Andrew Swinton is a brother 

 of the William Swinton who lives in Gloucester. He went mackerel 

 fishing from this port for five years with seines ; but went back to 

 Sweden three years ago and settled there. In Sweden it seems that 

 they catch most of their herring with drag-seines ; but for the three 

 years last past the herring have kept so far off" shore that the fishermen 

 could not reach them well with a drag-seine. Last winter Mr. Swinton 

 had a purse-seine made, which was 840 feet long and 90 feet deep. This 

 seine excited much interest among the fishermen. The first time it was 

 set 50 barrels of large herring were caught. Mr. Swinton does not state 

 how many herring he has caught during this summer, but says that he 

 did well, and has made three times as much as any other fisherman in 

 Gottenborg. He states also that next year there will be three more 

 purse-semes used. 



Gloucester, Mass., November 10, 1882. 



Bull. U. S. F. 0., 83 11 



