298 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



of salt codfish, 100,000 pounds of salt bake, and 1,000 pounds of salt 

 cusk. The small boats landed 20,000 pounds of fresh fish (mixed), 

 2,000 pounds of fresh codfish, 200,0u0 pounds of hake, which was sold 

 to split on the wharf. There were landed by the mackerel catchers 

 2,000 pounds of fresh swordfish, 62 barrels of salt swordfisb, and 200 

 barrels of salt herring. There were caught with seines in the vicinity 

 of Cape Ann 93 bands of porgies, which were sold fresh for bait. 

 Forty barrels of porgy slivers were sold for mackerel bait to use in the 

 bay. Seventeen thousand quintals of dried hake arrived by freight 

 from Maine. Two hundred and forty barrels of small mackerel were 

 sold to the canning factories. 

 Gloucester, Mass., August 31, 1883. 



The mackerel fishery. — The prospect for this fall looks, better. 

 No mackerel are seen in the day-time ; they are all taken by night, and 

 on the dark of the moon. Though mackerel can be seen 7 fathoms be- 

 low the surface, none have been seen in the day-time. They can be 

 seen plainly at night. When the water "fires," the mackerelers say 

 they are easier to catch. On the mackerel grounds there are plenty of 

 squid, which go in large schools. One vessel took 150 barrels at one 

 haul of the seine, and salted 40 barrels of them to bring home. Mackerel 

 are very fat now. Captain McLean told me this morning that he had 

 not seen a school of large mackerel on the surface of the water near the 

 Eastern Shore since the 1st of July, nor has he seen them feeding at 

 the surface this summer. Those taken are full of "red feed." The 

 mackerel lay in large schools 7 to 8 fathoms below the surface. Last 

 Saturday night eight vessels got 150 barrels each, while other vessels 

 near by took none. If the mackerel come to the surface the vessels 

 will do well. Mackerel sold to-day at the high price of 15.50 dollars 

 per barrel. 



Gloucester, Mass., September 13, 1883. 



The mackerel fishery. — This is improving. Three vessels arrived 

 this morning with 250 barrels each, and they report mackerel plenty. 

 These were taken 30 miles southeast from Isle au Ilaut. At that 

 point the mackerel came to the surface as far as the eye could see ou 

 September 11. They are mixed — one-third large and two-thirds small. 

 The school is working to the westward and some large mackerel have 

 been caught off IJoon Island. Some large shad are caught with the 

 mackerel. The schooner W. H. Cross, Captain Foster, set a seine around 

 what was supposed to be a school of mackerel and caught ten barrels 

 of mackerel together with fourteen barrels of large shad. The shad 

 were very large and sold for $12 a barrel. These shad were taken off 

 Seguin, near the mouth of the Kennebec River. The squid are plenty 

 in the vicinity of the mackerel schools, and annoy the mackerel seiners, 

 for when they catch mackerel in the night sometimes they set their 

 seines around what they suppose to be mackerel and find their seine 



