296 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



were at the Seven Islands, and found plenty of mackerel, but too near 

 the shore to be caught with deep seines. 

 Gloucester, Mass., August 28, 1883. 



Mackerel have been abundant in the Bay of Saint Lawrence during 

 the mouth of August. All the vessels which were there got full fares. 

 1 have been informed by Captain Smith, of the schooner Fred. P. Fry, 

 that there is plenty of food for the mackerel in the bay, an animal which 

 the fishermen call "all eyes." He says there are small mackerel, not 

 over two inches long, all along the coast of Prince Edward Island. 

 Most of the vessels which have arrived from the bay are going back, 

 and some that were fishing on this shore have gone there. Captain 

 Smith says that the school of mackerel which was on this shore last 

 year is the same one which is in the Bay of Saint Lawrence this year. 



It is a hard thing to keep the run of the mackerel on this coast. 

 Some vessels after being away four weeks come home with no fish. 

 Others return in three weeks with full fares. The latter is not often 

 the case this year. Two vessels arrived last Wednesday with full fares 

 of large mackerel, caught 30 miles S. E. from Petit Manan light, Bay 

 of Fuudy. They saw their mackerel in the night. In three nights the 

 two vessels caught 340 barrels each. The mackerel were large, and 

 out of 340 barrels 150 barrels were number ones, very large, and fat as 

 pork; the fattest mackerel I have seen on the coast in the last five 

 years. The small mackerel which were so plenty on the coast have 

 disappeared. They show up once a week. The fact that the mackerel 

 are so fat shows that their food is all below the surface of the water. 

 I think if the vessels had all carried their bait-mills, and had plenty of 

 bait, they could tole plenty of mackerel to the surface. Schooner Frank 

 Foster arrived last Thursday from the Bay of Fundy. The captain says 

 he caught 40 barrels of large mackerel on a hook and line, and that he 

 could tole them up with bait anywhere to the eastward of Mount Desert, 

 Bock. 



Squid have been very plenty this season. During the months of July 

 and August there were plenty of squid at Barnstable Bay, Grand Banks, 

 Green Bank, George's Bank, Western Bank, and all along the Nova 

 Scotia shore. Last Wednesday the schooner Northern Eagle, thirty- 

 five miles southeast from Monhegan Island, Me., fell in with what was 

 supposed to be a school of mackerel. The crew set their seine and 

 caught 100 barrels of squid. Schooner E. W. Merchant caught a load 

 of squid at Saint Ann's, and carried them to Saint Pierre, Newfound- 

 land, but could not sell them. She then went to the Grand Banks, but 

 there Mere so many squid there that she still was unable to dispose of 

 hers. She then brought them home and stored them. 



Gloucester, Mass., August 31, 1883. 



