BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 129 



Vol. IV, ]¥o. 9. l^asliin^toii, B €. April S4, 1884. 



59. -NOTES ON THE COD CIL.1.-IVJET FISIIERIES OF OI^OIJCESTER, 



MASS., 18S3-'S4. 



By S. J. MARTIN. 



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



Captain Gill, of the boat Gracie, had four cod-nets given him that 

 were worn out in catching codfish last winter. He set them, together 

 with two new ones, and the first night he caught 5,500 pounds of pol- 

 lock and 400 pounds of large codfish. The pollock averaged 21^ pounds 

 apiece, while those caught on hand-lines average 13 i^ounds apiece. The 

 pollock caught in nets are all female fish full of spawn. There are three 

 boats which have nets set. They catch three times as much pollock 

 and three times as much codfish as they do on hand-lines. 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 

 will be more cod gill-nets used this winter than there have been before 

 since they began to be used. There are no Sperling this fall, so that 

 most of the boats will use nets. 



Gloucester, Mass., October 28, 1883. 



There are five boats fishing with the cod gill-nets. They are doing 

 first rate in catching pollock and cod. 



The schooner S. W. Craig, of Portland, one of the high-line pollock 

 catchers, was in here last Wednesday. I went aboard to see the skip- 

 per and gain what information I could concerning the pollock fishery. 

 The conversation ran thus: "How do you find the pollock, captain?" 

 "Pollock! there ain't none. I have been out two days with 12 men and 

 got 2,000 pounds; that is bad enough." I said: "They are catching a 

 good many pollock in nets. Do you see that small boat coming ? That is 

 Horace Wiley's; he caught 3,000 pounds night before last, and caught 

 as many last night. He has got three nets." "Where does he catch 

 them?" " Off on a spot of rocks called Brown's." The captain said: 

 "I will get some spirliug to-night, and go ofi* where they have got their 

 nets set. We will give them fits, if we can get some new spirling." I 

 answered: "Cap., it is of no use to go where they have got their nets 

 set. If you do you will get no fish." "That be hanged for a yarn. I 

 think that you can catch fish with spirling as well as you can with 

 nets." I said: "Xo, sir; you can't do it." 



The next day he went out with some new spirling to where Wiley 

 was hauling his nets. (The latter had picked out a dory full of cod and 

 pollock.) He let go his anchor close to the nets. He ordered, "All 

 BulL U. S. F. C, 84 9 



