354 



AMERICAN FISHES. 



"■ During this season some of the small vessels fish exclusively for Pol- 

 lock, ' seizing up ' their lines a number of fathoms from the bottom, and 

 at times the fish bite as fast as the fishermen can haul them. Early in 

 in November a crew of four men landed 10,420 pounds, or about 1,100 

 fish, the result of less than two days' fishing. Owing to a foolish prejudice, 

 the price is always low, at times being less than thirty cents per one hun- 

 dred pounds. The average weight of the fish is about nine or ten pounds, 

 and during the spawning season the sexes are taken in about equal 

 numbers." 



In the Bay of Fundy and along the coast of Maine the capture of young 

 Pollock from the rocks is a favorite amusement. At Eastport these fish 

 are often called " Quoddy Salmon." Hinds states that in the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence they are known as " Sea Salmon;" this name may refer both 

 to their active and voracious habits, and to the excellence of their flesh in 

 those localities. 



The spawning of the Pollock occurs in the German Ocean, according 

 to Wittmack, from December to February ; in Scotland, according to 

 Parnell, in February, after which it remains out of condition until May. 



About the Loffodens, as indicated by the observations of Sars, the breed- 

 ing time corresponds with that of the Codfish, the young Pollock being 

 found in early summer in company with the young Cod, swimming under 

 the protection of the jelly-fishes. 



The Pollock is one of those species whose value as an article of food is 

 very much underestimated. Many persons Avho have investigated the 

 subject accurately prefer salted Pollock to salted Codfish, although the 

 flesh is not so white. Its value for use in the fresh state, we think, de- 

 serves the highest commendation. 



Pollock are more highly prized in New Brunswick than anywhere else 

 on the Western Atlantic coast, and the pollock fishery was in 1S50 pro- 

 nonnced by Perley the most valuable and extensive of the deep-sea fisheries 

 of the Bay of Fundy. It is stated by this authority that directly after the 

 spawning season the fish is lank and almost worthless, but that it becomes 

 in good condition again in August and improves as the season advances. 



The liver of the Pollock yields a great quantity of oil, proportionally 

 much more than that of the Cod. It is jn'obable that most of the cod-liver 

 oil in the market is more or less adulterated with pollock-liver oil. No 

 one has yet demonstrated that its medicinal properties are inferior. The 

 eggs of the Pollock are very large, and great quantities of them ha\e been 

 in past years salted and exported to l""ran<e. 



