402 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



Gloucester fisliiiig vessel ; the W, J, King went on the rocks on the 

 outsidCi of Eastern Point, and is smashed into small pieces ; the crow 

 saved themselves. — February 5, 1880. 



Movements of vessels. — Mackerel seiners are hurrying south. 

 Twenty four vessels have already gone from here, and nearly as many 

 more are getting ready. I believe that hist year the first mackerel 

 were taken April 13 oft" Delaware Breakwater. The George's fleet 

 now numbers 110 sail. They have been doing well. The fresh halibut 

 fleet is reduced to 20 sail; the last ones that arrived eucouniered great 

 fields of ice down as far as Sable Island, and one vessel lost all her 

 trawls by the ice cutting the buoy lines. Shore fishing in Ipswich 

 Bay has been very poor of late; the fleet is very much, reduced; fish- 

 ing off' Gloucester has slightly improved; yesterday G small craft aver- 

 aged 1,000 pounds each. The haddock fleet numbered 60 sail through 

 the winter, and is now fast reducing in number, because getting ready 

 for George's and mackerel fishing. Frozen herring are still plenty 

 from Eastport and Menau ; nearly 20,000 barrels have been sold here 

 for bait, some of the George's men taking 20,000 herring in number. — 

 March 24, 1880. 



Preparing cod for market. — The following are the questions ot 

 Fredrik M. Wallem, of Norway, with the answers : 



1. What size of cod do the fishermen cut? — All sizes, from 1 foot in 

 length upwards, as they are caught. Those measuring 27 inches and 

 over from tip to tip are called large; all others, small; the fishermen 

 receive half price for the small. 



2. How far down do they cut the backbone away? — Two-thirds of the 

 way to the tail. The fish are split clear to the tail and the upper two- 

 thirds of the backbone taken out. 



3. How do they do with the fish when cleaned? — The split fish are 

 washed in salt water, about a thousand pounds being put in a trough 

 and cleaned with brushes. They are then ready to be put in butts and 

 salted. Small and large fish are kept in separate butts. 



4. How much salt is used for 1,000 fish and what kindf^A butt or 

 hogshead of fish contains about 900 pounds; four bushels of salt are 

 used to a hogshead, as follows : A layer of salt, then a layer of fish 

 (flesh up), and so on in successive layers of salt and fish until the butt is 

 full, when the last half bushel is thrown on (the last two layers of fish 

 being flesh down). Cadiz salt is the kind mostly used for codfish. 

 Traijani salt is frequently used on Grand-Bankers, which make trips of 

 three or four months. Liverpool salt is used for mackerel and herring. 



5. How much weight is put on for pressing, or is a machine or screw 

 used? — No weight, machine, or screw is used, except to press the fish 

 into the packages for shipment. 



6. Where is the fish dried and for how long? — They are left in the 

 butts four days, or longer, if the weather is not suitable for drying. If 

 Mt for a month or longer more salt must be ^dded. Taken frora tU© 



