BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 89 



45 NOTES OIV THE FISHERIES OF GI^OUC'ESTER, MASS. 



By S. J. ilIARTII^. 

 [From letters to Prof. S. F. Baird.] 



Mackerel. — During the past week there have beeu 42 arrivals with 

 salt mackerel. They landed 8,000 barrels mostly Xo. 4 mackerel. They 

 average about 1,500 to the barrel. There were a few large ones. Last 

 week small ones were plenty from Thatcher's Island to Cape Cod. Ves- 

 sels coming from the eastward report plenty of small mackerel as far 

 as Matiuicus. Four vessels from the bay of St. Lawrence brought 

 1,390 barrels, and reported mackerel plenty October 5 and G. They 

 caught as many as they could take care of. I think there will be three 

 vessels from Gloucester go down to the Xova Scotia coast after mack- 

 erel. The prospect for large mackerel is poor. 



The mackerel from the Bay of St. Lawrence were of good quality 

 and sold for $14 a barrel without being culled. Large Ko. 1 mackerel 

 have sold for $23 a barrel ; 'No. 2 for $14 a barrel; No. 3 for $10 a bar- 

 rel ; and there is no sale for No. 4. 



Glouoester, Mass., October 14, 1883. 



Pollock and cod have been scarce this fall. Forty sail of small craft 

 which were out two days on the pollock grounds, came in with 2,000 

 pounds. There are no Sperling this fall, so that most of the boats will 

 use nets. 



Gloucester, Mass., October 28, 1883. 



Mackerel. — The mackerel-catchers are all at Provincetown. There 

 are plenty of small mackerel in Barnstable Bay. Vessels make good 

 hauls Avhen there is a chance to get out. The weather has beeu bad 

 for seining the last fortnight — wind northeast, with thick weather. 

 Small mackerel were seen schooling on Middle Bank last night. We 

 have got 13 sail of mackerel- catchers in the Bay of St. Lawrence, 

 and 15 sail have gone down to Cape Breton Island after mackerel. 

 There were plenty of mackerel schooling off Sydney, 0. B., last Tues- 

 day. Some vessels made good hauls. Schooner Edward Webster, 

 Capt. Solomon Jacobs, and schooner Warren I. Crosby, Captain Car- 

 roll, went through Canso last Thursday, bound for the Bay of St. 

 Lawrence, after mackerel. 



Gloucester, Mass., October 28, 1883. 



George's cod fishery. — The vessels that go to George's after 

 codfish have done well. There have been three arrivals this week, with 

 40,000, 45,000, and 54,000 pounds of codfish, respectively. The time 

 gone was fourteen days. They used squid for bait. 



