BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 171 



During the entire mouth the catch Las beeu the smallest for years— only 

 30 to 40 barrels a day at the most, at the close of the month only 5 to 10 

 barrels daily. 



May 18 the first mackerel was taken in traps at Gloucester Harbor, 

 very few being taken during the month. May 18 the first mackerel 

 were taken on the Nova Scotia shore, in traps, at Sanford, 6 miles 

 from Yarmouth. May 22 the first taken in traps at Lunenburg, Nova 

 Scotia. Drag-nets for mackerel will be used by 10 small vessels, 

 averaging 15 nets to a vessel. The first set of the nets was made May 

 29, on Middle Bank, one vessel taking GOO, one 700, mackerel of large 

 size on the same day. 



Codfish have been found plentiful on all the usual banks and fishing 

 grounds. In Ipswich Bay both trawl and gill-net fishermen have done 

 well. The latter took up their nets May 12, part of them going for mack- 

 erel, and others hand-line fishing on other grounds. 



George's Bank furnished abundance of codfish the first part of the 

 month, the catch falling off the latter part, being an average for the 

 month. Only a small amount of halibut was taken. 



Brown's Bank has yielded a heavy catch of codfish, with a L'tw hali- 

 but. All the month the fish have been abundant, vessels makiug quick 

 trips and full fares. Capt. Jeffrey Gerrior, of schooner Finance, one of 

 the last arrivals, with a crew of 10 men, reports that he has made 7 trips 

 to Brown's Bank between November 25 and May 30, landing 290,000 

 pounds of codfish. On his last trip fished in 35 fathoms, in latitude 

 42° 42', longitude 65° 50'. He counted 52 sail fishing to the northeast 

 and northwest of him, all within a radius of 3 miles. The fish were all 

 taken over the side of the vessel by hand-liues. 



Halibut receipts at Gloucester the first of the month were quite large, 

 the price dropping as low as 2£ cents a pound. The larger part of the 

 catch was made on Banquereau. Fish were found very plentiful off 

 Burgeo, Newfoundland, only 4 miles from shore j but heavy bodies of ice 

 prevented much fishing, destroyed the trawls, and sent the fishermen 

 to the south. The latter part of the month the receipts fell off and 

 prices were advanced. 



Western Banks : Of late years, during May, the catch of cod and hali- 

 but on these banks shows a decrease, the past mouth being no excep- 

 tion, there being few vessels and in the aggregate light receipts from 

 there during the month. 



Pollock have beeu abundant off the south side of Cape Cod; 093,000 

 pounds were landed at Gloucester. They were all taken in purse-seines. 

 In keeping with all other fish, they sold very low — 50 cents a hundred for 

 split fish. 



Kingfish, from otf Key West, are to a limited extent found in the 

 fresh-fish markets of the large cities during the winter, and thought 

 much of as a fresh fish. The U. S. Fish Commission steamer Albatross 

 having brought a few back from her late trip south, they were for- 



