58 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



net, and 40 barrels salt sword-fish : from harbor traps, 515 barrels fresh 

 mackerel, 385 barrels fresh herring;: by freight from Maine, 3,050 quin- 

 tals dry hake, 1,000 boxes smoked herring, 41 barrels fish oil. There 

 were imported from Nova Scotia, 070 quintals dry fish. 



The separate arrivals from the various grounds are given in my jour- 

 nal. Some of the Grand Bank cod were landed by British vessels, which 

 are so marked in my journal. 



Gloucester, Mass., October 1, 1884. 



Halibut fisheries. — The Greenland fleet this season consisted of 

 seven vessels, all of which have returned. The first and second to arrive 

 had full fares, having fished farther south than the others, near a place 

 called Caud Hope. The schooner Mist, which was the last in starting, 

 caught her fare off-Cape Amelia, the other four caught their fares oft* 

 Etolstenburg. The weather at Greenland was fine, though there was one 

 breeze of southwest wind, which lasted from July to July 12. The 

 halibut sold at 5 cents a pound, with the exception of that brought 

 by the schooner Byron, of Nova Scotia. Her cargo sold atGJ cents per 

 pound, having been engaged when she sailed from home. The halibut 

 fins sold at 69 a barrel. 



The three Iceland vessels have returned with full fares. The Iceland 

 halibut are larger than those caught on the Greenland coast. 



Cod fishery. — The George's fleet is doing well. The vessels leave 

 home without any bait and catch plenty of squid on the ground. The 

 squid extend 30 miles southeast from Cape Sable, on George's Bank, the 

 whole length of the coast from Grand Manan to Cape Cod off shore and 

 in shore. Squid have never been known to be so plentiful before. 

 When squid is used for bait the vessels catch no halibut to speak of- — 

 rarely a small one. 



Mackerel fishery. — Mackerel are very plentiful. During Septem- 

 ber 72,000 barrels were caught on the New England coast by Gloucester 

 vessels, and 0,000 barrels were shipped by rail from Canso, which had 

 also been caught by Gloucester vessels. There are forty-one of our ves- 

 sels in t he Bay of Saint Lawrence, thirteen of which sailed within the last 

 ten days. Yesterday mackerel were schooling from Thatcher's Island 

 to Eastern Point. From the hill I counted twenty schools at one time. 

 In the morning twenty vessels went out and returned at sundown with 

 1 50 barrels of mackerel each. Mackerel were so low yesterday that they 

 brought only $3.25 per barrel out of pickle, the barrels costing 80 cents 

 each. That left the fishermen only $2.45 a barrel. Of these 5 per cent, 

 were No. 1 ; 33 per cent., No. 2 ; and 02 per cent. No. 3. This morning 

 there are twenty vessels in the harbor dressing mackerel. 



Gloucester, Mass., October 5, 1884, 



Mackerel. — The market is overstocked with mackerel ami some »>i' 

 the vessels have " hauled up." Out of 300 barrels caught, some vessels 



