THE SOUTHERN COAST OF NEW ENGLAND. 47 



bottom is rockj', gravelly, or sbelly. The fisbiiig fleet consists of cat-rigged boats from Martha's 

 Vineyard, Wood's Holl, and Falmouth, and well-smacks from New London and Noank, 

 Connecticut, there being about fifty of the former class and thirty of the latter class regularly 

 employed in this fishery. The season extends from the middle of June to the first of October; 

 the boats shifting from place to place as the supply of fish becomes exhausted in each locality, 

 and returning to the same ground at a later period. The well-smacks carry their catch directly to 

 New York, but the fish taken by the smaller boats are shipped in barrels with ice. 



Tautog are caught in small quantities along the western shore from Wood's Holl to Job's 

 Keck, Naushon, a distance of about two miles, by the shore fishermen. They are also taken about 

 Cuttyhunk through September and October, and likewise in November if the weather is moderate. 

 The latter locality is considered to furnish the best tautog fishing of this region. 



Lobster pots are set along both sides of the sound, from West Chop and Wood's Holl to Gay 

 Head and Cuttyhunk, in depths of eight to fifteen fathoms. This was, in former times, a very 

 valuable lobster region, and still remains so in its outer portions; but lobsters have become more 

 and more scarce every year in the upper part of the sound, while they have apparently increased 

 in abundance about Gay Head, Cuttyhunk, and No Man's Land. This fishery has, therefore, 

 been mostly transferred to the outer grounds. The number of pots set in the sound during the 

 past few years has varied from about 700 to 2,000 annually. Around Cuttyhunk about 900 pots 

 are now in use. Very many pots are set just to the west and north of Gay Head, by parties 

 residing temporarily at Menemsha Bight. Lobstering in the sound is confined to rocky and 



gravelly bottoms. 



buzzard's bay. 



The principal fishery of Buzzard's Bay is for tautog during the summer. Tautog appear at 

 the head of the bay about May, and work into the shallow water farther out about a month later. 

 The fishery is conducted on both sides of the bay, on rocky bottoms, in average depths of three 

 fathoms, by a fleet of about twenty smacks from New Bedford and Westport, Massachusetts. 

 Sea bass and scup are also taken during the summer months, but are not as abundant here as in 

 Vineyard Sound. 



OFF TINEYABD SOUND. 



No Man's Land. — Cod are taken on all the rocky bottoms about this island during the fall 

 and spring, and lobsters on all kinds of bottom during the spring and summer. The fall cod- 

 fishery begins about the first of October, and continues until very stormy weather prevents the men 

 from venturing out in their boats. About the first of April they begin to fish again for cod, and 

 stop about the middle of May. The lobster season extends from the middle of May until about 

 the twentieth of September. The bottom to the east and south of the island is sandy and gravelly; 

 while to the west and north it is more or less the same, with numerous rocky patches. Codfishing 

 is carried on from one-half to one and one-half miles from shore, in depths of four to ten fathoms, 

 by about thirty boats using hand-lines only. The lobster jjots are set from one-half to two miles 

 from shore, in depths of ten to thirteen fathoms. There are from fifteen to twenty lobstermen 

 fishing from here during the summer, usiug about one thousand pots. The catch for 1882 

 amounted to about one hundred thousand marketable lobsters. The fishermen of No Man's Land 

 belong entirely to Martha's Vineyard, and live on the former island only during the fishing season; 

 they use the " Vineyard fishing-boats." In addition to these, there are several well-smacks from 

 New London and Noank, Connecticut, which visit this region more or less constantly during both 

 the cod and lobster seasons, carrying their catch to New York. 



