BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 289 



Parsons thinks that there were not more than 500 barrels of herring 

 caught during the first seven or eight days, and after that little or 

 nothing was done, the school evidently having passed by Bockport on 

 its way to the westward. Notwithstanding the fact that so few her- 

 ring were taken at Eockport, Mr. Parsons is of the opinion that there 

 has rarely been »seen such a heavy body of this species on our coast. 

 He says that the fish did not seem inclined to come inshore, but kept 

 off too far to be taken in the gill-nets which are usually set near the 

 land. The herring, after passing to the westward of Thatcher's Island 

 and entering Massachusetts Bay, apparently still kept at some distance 

 from the land (at least the greater part of the schools), and many of the 

 fish deposited their spawn on rocky " spots" of bottom several miles 

 from the shore. Many of the Gloucester boat fishermen report that 

 their anchors and anchor-lines would frequently be covered with herring 

 spawn in twenty-five fathoms of water on the codfishing grounds off- 

 shore. In consequence of this disinclination of the herring to approach 

 the coast the fleet of small vessels (numbering from 75 to 100 sail, or 

 more, which engage in gill-netting at this season and make their head- 

 quarters at Gloucester Harbor) met with poor success. In regard to this 

 matter the Boston fish bureau reports on October 20 as follows: "Our 

 offshore catch of herring is proving a failure ; not much has been received 

 from it, and few, if any, more fish are now looked for." 



The following notices of arrivals at Gloucester of herring vessels, 

 and of the captures of herring in gill-nets by the small vessels which 

 make their rendezvous at that port, are taken from Captain Martin's 

 journal of the Gloucester fisheries, and may, perhaps, give an idea of 

 the fishery of this fall: 



October 5.— Schooner Wave, gill-netter, arrived from Wood Island 

 with 150 barrels. 



October 6. — Fifty barrels of large spawn-herring were caught in Glou- 

 cester harbor by the fleet of boats and small- vessels. Seventy-five bar- 

 rels of smaller fish were taken on the same day off Milk Island. 



October 7. — Schooner Mary Elizabeth, gill-netter, arrived from Wood 

 Island with 140 barrels of herring. On the same date 25 barrels were 

 caught in gill-nets in Gloucester harbor, and 20 barrels in a fish-trap off 

 Milk Island. 



October 9. — Two hundred and twenty barrels of herring were landed, 

 part of which were taken with seines off-shore. 



October 10. — Fifty barrels of herring were caught in gill-nets in Glou- 

 cester harbor.* 



October 11. — Captain Martin reports that 75 small vessels were lying- 

 in the outer harbor of Gloucester engaged in fishing for herring with 

 gill-nets. He also says there were 450 nets set at that date off Nor- 

 man's Woe and Eastern Point, in which 75 barrels of herring were 

 caught. 



*Tho gill-nets, as a rule, are set near Eastern Point, Norman's Woe, and westerly 

 to Kettle Island. 



Bull. U. S. F. C. 82 19 April 1 9, 1 8 83. 



