BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 441 



98.— SUCCESS OF THE GILL-NET COD FISHERY OIV THE NEW ENG- 

 LAND COAST, WINTER. OF 1S82->S3. 



By J. W. COL.L.INS. 



The importance of the introduction, by the United States Fish Com- 

 mission, of the method of catching codfish by the use of gill-nets, a 

 full account of which was given in the first volume of the Bulletin, 

 has never been so apparent as during the present winter. Owing to 

 the almost total failure of the bait supply it has been impracticable to 

 carry on the shore cod-fishery by the old method of kook-aud-line fish- 

 ing. Such a scarcity of bait has never been known before, and if the 

 fishermen had not been instructed in the use of gill-nets for the capture 

 of cod a valuable and important industry must have been almost aban- 

 doned for this season, at least while the scarcity of fresh cod in our mar- 

 kets would have increased the price to such an extent as practically to 

 place this important article of food beyond the reach of the masses. 



But during the past two years the New England fishermen have 

 learned a great deal about catching codfish in nets from an illustrated 

 pamphlet containing descriptions of all the methods, which has been 

 freely circulated by the United States Fish Commissioner, Prof. Spen- 

 cer F. Baird, and to this was also added the knowledge gained in a 

 practical way. They were therefore prepared to meet such an unforeseen 

 emergency as has arisen this winter, and, instead of being compelled to 

 give up the shore cod-fishery, have met with a success which has rarely 

 or never been equaled. Such excellent results have been obtained by the 

 use of gill-nets in the cod fisheries that the local papers in the principal 

 fishing ports have contained frequent notices of successful catches. 

 The Cape Ann Advertiser of December 8, 1882, gives the following ac- 

 count of the " Good results of net cod-fishing." 



" On Tuesday, December 4, boat Equal, with two men, took 5,000 

 pounds of large codfish in seven nets off shore, sharing $40 each. The 

 Rising Star has stocked $1,200 the past fortnight fishing in Ipswich Bay. 

 The Morrill Boy has shared $101 to a man net-fishing off this shore the 

 past three weeks.*' 



The last-mentioned schooner, the Morrill Boy, met with unexampled 

 success, her crew of five men having shared $320 apiece, clear of all 

 expenses, by the last of December, the time employed being less than 

 six weeks. 



From the port of Gloucester alone, according to Capt. S. J. Martin, 

 there were employed in the gill-net cod-fishery during December twenty 

 vessels, carrying 124 men and 176 nets. In the period between Novem- 

 ber 19 and the last of December, GOO 000 pounds of large shore cod- 

 fish were landed in Gloucester, while 150,000 pounds were marketed at 

 Rockport and Portsmouth, making a grand total of 750,000 pounds. 



