24 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES 



NEW ENGLAND VESSEL FISHERIES. 



The important vessel fisheries centering at Boston and Gloucester 

 afford a criterion of the condition of the New England fisheries as a 

 whole, and also indicate the relative abundance of the principal food 

 fishes on the various grounds lying off the coasts of the United States, 

 Canada, and Newfoundland. These fisheries have received special 

 attention from the Bureau for many years, and detailed statistics 

 therefor have been collected and published in the form of monthly and 

 yearly bulletins, showing by fishing grounds the quantity and value 

 of fish landed at each of the two ports named. 



During the calendar year 1911 American fishing vessels landed at 

 Boston 3,971 fares or trips, comprising 93,760,109 pounds of fish, 

 valued at $2,575,282, and at Gloucester 2,829 fares, aggregating 

 91,393,258 pounds, valued at $2,449,215, a total of 6,800 fares, 

 185,153,367 pounds, and $5,024,497. As compared with 1910 there 

 were 241 more trips landed, and an increase of 3,419,095 pounds of 

 fish, worth $191,156. The cod is the most valuable product of these 

 fisheries, but the haddock, ranking second in value, is taken in some- 

 what larger quantities. Next in rank among the ground fishes are 

 hake, halibut, pollock, and cusk. Of the surface-swimming fishes, 

 the mackerel and herring are most important. There was a decrease 

 in the yield of cod, hake, pollock, herring, and several other species. 

 Dealers at Gloucester imported from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia 

 during the year 4,239,207 pounds of salted cod, which more than 

 offset the falling off in the quantity of cod caught and landed by the 

 American fishing fleet at that port. Detailed statistics of these 

 fisheries are given by months and fishing grounds in the following 

 tables : 



