20 REPORT ON THE PRESENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE 



decline of the mackerel fishery, an Act was passed by Congress pro- 

 hibiting the landing of mackerel between the first day of ISIarch and 

 the first day of June for a period of five years, the Act not to apply 

 to fish caught off-shore with hook and line. As no great good was seen 

 to result from this restriction of tlie fishery of the breeding fish, the 

 Act was not renewed after its expiration in 1892, 



May and June : Europe. — In JNIay the spring mackerel fishing 

 reaches its height, and continues into June, falling off considerably 

 towards the end of that month. In the Mediterranean (Cette), on the 

 west coast of France, on the south-west coast of Ireland, and in the 

 western part of the English Channel, during both ]\Iay and June, the 

 fish are near the shore in large numbers, the quantities landed in all 

 these localities being at a maximum in May. With the exception 

 of the Mediterranean fish, which are all spent, spawning is actively 

 going on. Mackerel are plentiful during both these months on the 

 coast of Portugal.* 



In the eastern portion of the English Channel {e.g., St. Varley-sur- 

 Somme) the fish are seldom abundant before June.t At Dieppe, 

 however, some mackerel are taken in both April and IMay, but the 

 maximum is not reached until June. At Guernsey fishing begins at 

 the middle or end of May, and lasts ten to twelve weeks.| 



In the North Sea there is a small fishery on the Danish coast, which 

 commences in May ; but no fish are landed at the English North Sea 

 ports before June, and then they are not numerous in proportion to 

 those taken later in the year. The large Lowestoft and Yarmouth 

 mackerel boats are at this time of the year working off the south-west 

 coasts of England and Ireland. 



In May and June mackerel are present off the west coast of Scotland, 

 often, no doubt, in numbers, though there is no great fishery for them. 

 On the southern coast of Norway, as far north as the heights of Bergen, 

 along the Swedish coast, and in the Kattegat, the large shoals appear 

 towards the end of May, and the principal fishery is carried on during 

 the latter part of that month and in June. 



In general it may be said that in the more southerly and westerly 

 districts, where the fish arrive in April, they are most abundant in 

 May, whilst in the northerly and easterly ones they do not arrive 

 until towards the end of May, and are most abundant in June. 



* Baldaque DA SitVA. Estado Aciucil dfis pcscos em Porclugal. See &ho Mitt. Deutsch 

 sccjischcreiverehis, 1895, ji. 61. 



+ In o.xceptional years mackerel may be taken in this part of the Channel in numbers 

 in February and March. In Marcli, 1833, and in February and March, 1834, according to 

 Yarrel], boats from Hastings had large catches ; but it is not stated where the fish had been 

 captured. Yaukkll. L'ritiah Fishes, pp. 125, 126. 



J HoLDSWOKTH. Deep-sca Fishing, p. 213. 



