40 IT. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



for their fish, as the rate is fixed at the beginning of the season. 

 During the 1919-20 season the price was the same as for Spanish 

 mackerel, 6 cents per pound. The retail price is generally about 25 

 cents per pound. 



The kingfish is an excellent food fish when fresh, and its few bones 

 and good flavor place it in great demand in Florida and Cuba. It is 

 a fine game fish and is eagerly sought after by sport fishermen. 



SPANISH-MACKEREL FISHERY. 



On the Atlantic coast the Spanish mackerel is found from Mon- 

 hegan, Me., to Brazil and in the Gulf of Mexico. It is taken in 

 commercial quantities south of Sandy Hook, N. J. As a food fish it 

 is held in high esteem and commands a good price at all times. 

 The retail price during the last few years has ranged from 25 to 

 50 cents a pound. 



It is only in recent years that the migrations of the Spanish mackerel 

 have been partly understood. Less than 50 years ago it was not 

 known where the fish spent the winter months, and it was only 

 from April until early November that they were caught and brought 

 to market. At that time Spanish mackerel apparently were not 

 known to be in abundance in the waters of southern Florida during 

 the winter. 2 



The following table shows the quantity of Spanish mackerel taken 

 in 1880, by States, and the total catch for the United States : 



Pounds. 



Massachusetts 60 



Rhode Island 2,000 



Connecticut 1. 200 



New York 25, 000 



New Jersey 200, 000 



Maryland 18, 000 



Virginia 1, 609, 663 



North Carolina 10. 000 



South Carolina 1, 000 



Eastern Florida 500 



Gulf of Mexico 20, 000 



Total 1. 887, 423 



It is noteworthy that at the present time Spanish mackerel are 

 caught and shipped to market in greatest abundance from November 

 to March or during the months when 50 years ago the fish were sel- 

 dom seen. It is now believed that these fish migrate southward and 

 spend the winters in warmer waters. In 1880 the total catch for 

 Florida and the Gulf of Mexico was recorded as only 20,500 pounds. 

 The entire catch for the United States in that year onlv slightly 

 exceeded the Key West catch for 1918-19 (1,734,200 pounds), and 

 it was less than the Key West catch for 1919-20 (2,322,000 pounds). 

 The distribution of the mackerel along the coasts of Florida is 

 shown by the following statement giving the catch for the season 

 1917-18 : 



2 The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States. By G. Brown Goode and 

 associates, 1887. Section V, History and Methods of the Fisheries, Vol. I, pp. 543-552. 



