254 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



Sable this year was on May 14, and on last year June 12. Mackerel 

 have been going by Cape Sable for four Aveeks, and are still passing. 

 A large body passed down the ISTova Scotia shore. Contrary to the ex- 

 pectations of the fishermen, the ice did not prevent the mackerel from 

 entering the Bay of Saint Lawrence. In 1840 the ice was so late in 

 leaving the Bay of Saint Lawrence that the vessels could not get to the 

 Menhaden Islands before June 1. The catch of mackerel that year 

 was very large. 



To-day I went on board of the schooner Lizzie Jones, which arrived 

 from Cape ^North, Cape Breton Island, and ascertained from the cap- 

 tain that on JuneO the ice came down 8 miles from the shore. He says 

 there M'ere large schools of mackerel between the ice and the shore. 

 The Nova Scotia vessels which go to the Magdalen Lslando to set their 

 nets for mackerel arrived there June 10,- and found jjlenty of mackerel at 

 Pleasant Bay. Some mackerel were taken from traps at Prince Ed- 

 ward's Island on June 11. Most of the mackerel fleet will go to North 

 Bay; some of them are now at Cape North. There are no large mack- 

 erel on this coast, and the vessels will not catch small ones, as there is 

 no sale for them. 



The schooner Chocorua arrived from the southeast part of George's 

 Banks, and reports plenty of mackerel schooling in 45 fathoms of water. 



Gloucester, Mass., June 15, 1884. . 



Summary. — During the past week there were landed at Gloucester 

 1,290,000 pounds of cod ; 95,000 pounds fresh halibut; 120,000 pounds of 

 hake, haddock, cask, and i)olIock; 2,018 barrels of mackerel, caught oft' 

 Newfoundland ; and 740 barrels of mackerel from Nova Scotia, caught 

 in weirs. 



Mackerel. — Large mackerel are scarce here, but small mackerel 

 are abundant from Block Island to the Bay of Fuudy. Most of the 

 mackerel fleet has gone to the Bay of Saint Lawrence, though but few 

 fish are caught there as yet. Three vessels have just arrived from the 

 Nova Scotia coast with salt mackerel. Captain Jones says that the 

 fishermen aronnd Halifax say that they never before saw so many 

 mackerel pass down the Nova Scotia coast as this spring. Captain 

 Jacobs thinks that the lateness of the ice in the Saint Lawrence has 

 caused many of the mackerel to go to the Newfoundland coast. 



Squid are abundant, the weii's being full of them at North Truro. 

 The George's Bank fishermen use them for bait. Dogfish are plentiful. 

 Four fares of small mackerel arrived to-day, three fares being from the 

 Nova Scotia coast. The small mackerel are hardly worth catching. 

 They sold yesterday for $3.25 a barrel, including the barrel. Large No. 

 3 sold for $9 a barrel, including the barrel (worth about 80 cents). 



Gloucester, Mass., June 22, 1884. 



Monthly Summary. — The amount of fish landed at Gloucester dur- 

 ing June is as follows : There were one hundred and forty -five arrivals 



