80 



BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



Fish have beeu plentiful, too much so, the demand beiug only moderate 

 and prices of all kinds of fish being too low for any i)rolit. 



The mackerel tleet are making ready for the season's work, while the 

 almost universal desire is that no mackerel be caught before June, 

 thereby protecting the spawning fish and giving time for the old stock 

 to be worked off and the new to improve in quality; yet, if no pro- 

 hibitory law is passed, probably nearlj^ as many vessels will engage in 

 the early southern catch as of late years. 



The leading receipts at Gloucester during the month as compared 

 with the corresponding mouth last year show a large increase, being as 

 follows : 



B^ceijits offsh at Gloucester, Mass., in February, 1886. 



From— 



Oeorge's Bank 



Brown's Bank... , 



La Have Bank I 



Grand Banks 



Ipswicli Bay, trawl 



1 pswicli Bay, nets 



Fortune Bay, Newfoundland 



Bay of Fundy 



Total 



■^4.— A OOOD FI8HIIVO OROlJiXD IIV THE: SOUTH INDI.irV OCEAN. 



By CIIAKLE§ EI^DICOTT. 



Several years ago I was in a ship bound to China, and one morn- 

 ing we made St. Paul Island, in the South Indian Ocean [latitude 

 3SO 43' S., longitude 77° 38' E.J. We sent a boat in and loaded it with 

 fish of a superior quality in a very short time. Here the water is per- 

 fectly alive with them. In hauling up oue a thousand would follow it 

 to the surface ; and I think a vessel could be loaded with them in a 

 \ery short time, and make the voyage in from six to seven months. In 

 view of the manj" disasters to our fishermen and the terrible loss of life 

 off the North American coast, I suggest this as a new fishing ground. 

 The suffering and exi)osure would be much mitigated, and the general 

 dangers would be nothing in comparison to those of the Grand Banks. 

 The time to start would be in the autumn, as in our winter months they 

 would find it summer there and pleasant weather. 



Salem, Mass., December 11, 1885. 



