404 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



Evaporated cod and halibut. — I inclose a half pouud each of 

 evaporated cod and halibut ; the latter was made yesterday, the first 

 ever produced. The cost of each will be about 50 cents per pouud at 

 retail. Mr. Aldeu has not yet done much in this manufacture, but ex- 

 pects to make a success of these new preparations. Codfish lose about 

 90 per cent of their weight in the process ; halibut, only about 75 jjer 

 ceut.—3Iay 1, 1880. 



Squid. — Some of the George's men have been going eastward for bait, 

 and on their way to George's stopped at Grand Manan JBank and caught 

 some codfish there. Two salmon were taken from the weirs at Kettle 

 Island yesterday morning ; also a few mackerel. The schooner J. J. 

 Olark, Ca])tain Anderson, arrived yesterday afternoon from Hyaunis 

 and vicinity with 275 barrels of squid, salted in bulk, averaging 800 to 

 a barrel. He will take them to Saiut Peter's and sell for bait to French 

 fishermen. One other Gloucester schooner is now at Dennisport on a 

 similar trip. Captain Auderson reports that the squid made their ap- 

 I)eariiuce at Montauk Point as early as May 4 and worked along to the 

 eastward. They are caught in from 2 to 3 inch mesh gill-nets by shore 

 fishermen, who sell them to the vessels. Last year this business proved 

 a failure to the vessels engaging in it. After finding no squid on the 

 shoals they proceeded to Cape Breton and Newfoundland to seine the 

 squid, but were prevented by the natives. Captain Anderson, then in 

 schooner Cadet, was in-evented from seining at Cape Breton, and con- 

 sequently had to purchase ; much to his loss. — 3Iay 14, 1880. 



Whales, squid, mackerel, etc. — Whales have recently been nu- 

 merous in this vicinity, and shoie boats report manj* of them swimming 

 about. Four dead ones have been towed into this harbor; the largest 

 was 05 feet long. 1 hear from Dennisport that the squid have struck 

 in. One vessel caught 150 barrels last Saturday. Last year 1 am told 

 that they did not niake their appearance till May 20. Mackerel are 

 occasionally caught in the Kettle Island weirs at Magnolia. Thursday 

 morning. May 0, eleven mackerel were taken from the two weirs. May 

 •12, caught sixty fair sized ones. I hear from Cape Cod that many are 

 taken there. The George's men have to cruise around in order to find 

 fish ; some get cod on Grand Manan Bank, stopping there in their way 

 to George's. Most of them get bait now at Greeuport, Vineyard Sound, 

 and vicinity. They report menhaden plentiful thereabouts. — May 13, 

 1880. 



Menhaden. — Two vessels are fitting for the Greenland halibut fish- 

 erj", and will start in about a week. There appears to be an abundance 

 of heiring offshore a few miles, but very few come within the range of 

 the nets set by the shore fishermen. Several barrels of menhaden have 

 been taken hereabouts in the weirs at Kettle and Milk Islands. At 

 the former a variety of fish are taken each day, including recently 

 some salmon, striped bass, tautog, menhaden, mackerel, herring, perch, 

 and young pollock. It looks now as if there would be an abundance of 



