278 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



of two or three weeks comparatively few fish could be taken. Accord- 

 ing to Captain Thomas, the mackerel " showed up" during the spawning 

 season of 1882 better than the records indicate for any previous year, and 

 great numbers were caught in the deep water about 15 to 40 miles to 

 the east of Cashe's Ledge. The late occurrence of the spawning season 

 this year was perhaps due to a probable lower temperature of the water 

 than is common, caused by the masses of ice to the eastward, reference 

 to which has already been made. My brother, Capt. D. E. Collins, says 

 that as late as May 15 the ice on the southern coast of Nova Scotia ex- 

 tended as far west as Whitehead, and even at a later date vessels were 

 blockaded in the harbor of Cape Canso, nor was passage through the 

 straits of Canso possible. Very few scientific observations, so far as 

 I know, have as yet been made concerning the degree of water temper- 

 ature at which mackerel prefer to spawn, and for this reason any intel- 

 ligent theoretical discussion of the subject is impossible. 



Returning, then, from this digression to a further consideration of 

 the movements of the mackerel, we find that about the middle of June r 

 as has already been stated, they were massed in four large divisions, 

 with here and there additional straggling schools. The two largest 

 and most important bodies were those of which the first was found be- 

 tween Cashe's and George's Banks, and the other oft' the coast of Maine 

 and about the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. A third body of mackerel 

 which, pursuing its way along the southern coast of Nova Scotia, sub- 

 sequently entered the Gulf of Saint Lawrence was of much less impor- 

 tance than the two last mentioned. The fourth division, the capture 

 of which was comparatively unremnnerative by reason of the small size 

 of the fish, was found off Noman's Land and near the South Shoal off 

 Nantucket.* 



One of the most important features to be noted in connection with 

 the mackerel that swarmed in such abundance in the Gulf of Maine, 

 during the summer, is that they remained in unusually deep water and 

 much farther from the coast than these fish generally occur. 



From early in June until the last of July, mackerel were very abun- 

 dant between Cashe's and George's, playing in the deep water immediately 

 east of the former bank. According to Captain Martin, a largo portion 

 of the mackerel which were brought into Gloucester between the above 

 dates was taken in that locality. On July 13 he records the arrival of 

 the schooner Reporter (a haddock-catcher), whose captain testified to 

 having sailed through schooling-mackerel for a distance of 50 miles 



• From the fad that the schools of mackerel found oifNomau's Land and Nantucket 

 Shoals in June, were composed of such small individuals, none of the vessels sought 

 them after about the SJOth of June. For This reason no reliable data can bo obtained 

 concerning the movements of these fish, though there is every reason to suppose that 

 they entered the Gulf of Maim — between (.'ape Cod and the Bay of Fundy — ill July, 

 since schools -of small mackerel wore occasionally captured in those waters during 

 the latter part of the summer and throughout the fall. For the above reasons, no 

 further allusion to the nun ements of this body of fish will be made. 



