130 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION, 



bands over lines/' and was going to give them fits. He lay tliere two 

 hours and did not catch a fish. 



I was aboard yesterday again. I said, " Captain, liow did they bite 

 where the nets were ? " " That beats all," he replied; " we never felt a 

 bite. I am going to Boston to order 25 nets." 



Gloucester, Mass., October 31, 1883. 



A month ago there was one boat using the cod gill-nets ; today 8 

 boats have them. The boat Gracie started four weeks ago to-morrow. 

 Her three men made $145 apiece. The rest of this week there will be 

 16 boats using cod gill-nets. They have each got 15 nets 50 fathoms 

 long and 2J fathoms deep, with a 9^-inch mesh. There is a prospect 

 of a good winter's work with nets. The first boat that started has 

 landed 15,000 pounds of large cod and 30,000 jjouuds of large pollock. 

 Some of the hand-line fishermen have not caught as much as 10,000 

 l^ounds in the same time. There is but one boat which has nets set in 

 I])swich Bay. She caught 6,000 pounds with five nets. All the shore 

 fishing will be done with nets this winter, as the sperling are scarce. 

 The prospect is good for a large school of fish this winter. 



Gloucester, Mass., Nommher 11, 1883. 



There have been landed this week 120,000 pounds of large cod, and 

 80,000 pounds of large pollock ; 35,000 pounds have been landed at 

 Kockport by two boats. Six weeks ago there was one boat using nets; 

 to-day there are 26 boats, with an average of 15 nets ea(;h; that is, 390 

 nets in all, or 19,500 fathoms of netting. All that is set to-night in 

 Boston Bay. There are two in Ipswich Bay. The schooner Onward 

 went out to-day with 35 nets to set in Ipswich Bay. The schooner 

 Morrill Boy hauled her nets for the first time last Sunday. She has 

 lauded 43,000 pounds of cod and pollock since then, and stocked $1,066.75. 

 There were seven men in the crew, and they made $124 each, which is 

 not a bad sum to take in one week. Two days out of the week they 

 could not haul their nets, as there was too much wind. Last Wednesday 

 they made $50 to a man. The hand-line fishermen are not doing any- 

 thing, bait is so scarce. 



Gloucester, Mass., November 18, 1883. 



During the past six nights 487,000 pounds of fish have been caught 

 in Boston Bay with cod gill-nets and landed in Gloucester. Four boats 

 fishing in Ipswich Bay landed 55,000 pounds during the same period. 

 There are 35 vessels now using cod gill-nets, which number, I think, will 

 increase to 40 by the 10th of December. Boats fishing with hand-lines 

 catch only a few small fish. Bait is high; spirling brings 50 cents a 

 bucket. About all the fish caught inshore is by nets. If they could 

 be knit fast enough the whole fleet would have nets. Fishermen buy 

 twine and the women knit the nets. Everybody is at work. Some boats 



