THE MACKEREL FISHINGGROUNDS. 75 



The codfish fleet, which uumbers about oue hundred vessels, is wholly from Gloucester, 

 Massachusetts. Besides these, there are tweuty-five to thirty vessels from the same port that fish 

 ou George's for haddock iu the wiuter, aud a few others, from ports iu Long Island Sound, engage 

 in the halibut and cod fishery to a limited extent iu the spriug and summer. 



The area of the "winter fishiug-ground" is about eleven hundred square miles, while that of 

 the whole bank is eighty-four hundred and uinetyeight square miles. All of this area, with the 

 exception of the shoals, is available for fishing purposes iu the summer season for cod, halibut, 

 haddock, and mackerel. 



Various kinds of shell fish, such as pectens, mussels, and periwinkles, aud crabs, and other 

 crustaceans abound over most parts of the bank, and herring aud laut are quite plentiful during 

 most of the year. 



13. THE MACKEREL AND MENHADEN FISHING-GROUNDS OF THE EASTERN COAST OF 



THE UNITED STATES. 



THE MACKEEEL GJROUNDS. 



The most extensive and valuable mackerel fishing-grounds of the world are located off the 

 eastern coast of the United States, between the parallels of 30° and 45° north latitude, and the 

 meridians of 60° and 75° 30' west longitude. They extend from a point a short distance north of 

 Cape Hatteras (about fifty to seventy miles directly off the mouth of Chesapeake Bay) to the east- 

 ern and northern limit of the Gulf of Maine, comprising the entire extent of the latter region. The 

 length of these grounds, iu round numbers, is about seven hundred miles, and the average width 

 may be regarded as at least eighty miles, making a total area of about 56,000 square geographical 

 miles, all of which is resorted to by the mackerel catchers of the United States. Over this region 

 the mackexel swarm at certain seasous iu incredible numbers, although the entire region is not 

 geuerally filled with schools of these fish at the same time. 



In their spring migrations the mackerel approach the coast north of Cape Hatteras, and the 

 first captures are usually made in the latter part of March or the beginning of April, between ihe 

 parallels of 30° and 38<3 north latitude, at distances of twenty-five to seventy miles from the land. 

 The following statements of early catches of mackerel, from 1878 to 1881, will give a comprehen- 

 sive idea of the localities and dates at which the first schools make their appearance. 



EAELY CATCHES OF MACKEEEL IN 1878. 



March 30. — Off Chincoteague, Virginia; schooner Lilian, of Xoank, Connecticut. 

 A]}ril 16. — Latitude 36° 10' north, longitude 74° 45' west; schooner Sarah M. Jacobs, of Glou- 

 cester. 



April 18. — Twenty-five miles southeast of Cape May ; schooner Alice, of Swan Island, Maine. 

 April 25. — Fifty miles southeast of Cape May ; schooner John Somes, of Swan Island, Maine. 



EARLY CATCHES OF MACKEREL IN 1879. 



April 12.— Latitude 36° .35' north, longitude 74° 50' west; schooner Sarah M. Jacob.s, of Glou- 

 cester. 



April 13. — Latitude 37° 57' north, longitude 74° 23' west; schooner Augusta E. Herrick, of 

 Swan Island, Maine. 



April 13. — Seventy five miles south-southeast of Cape Henlopen ; schooner S. G. Wonson, of 

 Gloucester. 



