322 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
MACKEREL FISHERY OF THE ATLANTIC COAST5 
The mackerel season of 1937 extended from April 12, 1937, to Janu- 
ary 13, 1938. Ninety-six vessels landed 13,997,200 pounds, which 
represents a decrease of 65 percent as compared with corresponding 
landings of the preceding year. 
Of the total landings, about 1,000,000 pounds were tinkers (fish 
under 1 pound) while the remainder were of larger sizes. The tinkers 
were caught between July 1 and October 31. 
The fishery was unusual because of its small yield (one of the lowest 
since the fishery began) and the comparative failure of the Gulf of 
Maine region. The season was unique in that it was the first to extend 
into January. 
In this analysis, vessels include United States craft of 5 net tons 
capacity or over. Vessels are classed as ‘regular’ and ‘“‘miscellane- 
ous’ on the basis of their effort throughout the whole mackerel 
season. Regular seimers fished in all three major areas and were 
active for more than two-thirds the duration of the Gulf of Maine 
fishery. Miscellaneous seiners are those who did not fish in the 
Southern area, or ceased seining activity for three months or more 
during the time of Gulf of Maine fishery. All netters are considered 
miscellaneous, inasmuch as each one enters the mackerel fishery for 
only a portion of the year. Craft using purse seines may change 
gear and engage in netting for a portion of the season, and during 
this time are classed as netters. Allowance for such duplication has 
been made in the summary ‘Operating Units and Catch.” 
Division of the whole mackerel season into three periods is deter- 
mined by the gill-net fishery. The end of the early netting season 
terminates the period ‘‘Spring.’? Resumption of netting in the fall 
marks the beginning of the period ‘‘Fall and Winter.”’ ‘‘Summer’’ is 
included between these two periods. 
Mackerel fishery of the Atlantic coast, 1937 } 
CATCH: By AREAS IN 5-DAY PERIODS 





South Block Island Gulf of Maine dione. 
Date (Area XXIII) (Area X XII west of} (Area X XII north of (Area 
a =< Nantucket Shoals) | Nantucket Shoals) XXI 
) Total 
Seiners | Netters| Seiners | Netters| Seiners Netters | Seiners 
SPRING 
Pounds | Pound Pounds | Pounds| Pounds Pounds | Pounds Pounds 
ADE Ihe 307008 | Ea ee | eS se | (ee eee ee eS eee 2k SE 130, 700 
Apr 16-2057 5 281, 800 Bay (4, UN nee ~ See | ema ae Sed ee | RE 8 285, 500 
ADE: 21-25 ee 573, 500 95800) ce a ee eee poh} St oS Me SS eee 583, 300 
ADE 26-30 ea |e eae Qi OOO. ee Sere NE te 5 ee Sa ee | 2 eee 9, 000 
May 15a 93, 200 685106 ))| cee a ee ee ee | 2 ae beatae eee 161, 300 
May 6-10 __ al) 7579*800))| 247-1800) | Soe Be | eereae ||P Sane el eee 627, 600 
May 11-15__ 728,100 | 71,200 134° 3001|22:_ 2 3 | ae: 2 2 eee 933, 600 
May 16-20___ 3 231,900 | 51,900 | 1,277, 100 1; 4004| === = Sit 222s | aw eee 1, 562, 300 
May 21-256 S022 ee 15, 000 82723001" 310; 100m] Sas i S| eee 852, 400 
Miay 26-3122 2a san oe ae Ba ees 421, 000 6008) 2S SB 3400 eee Bes 425, 000 
June d=5 =. . Fea ES. 20 | ae eee 307, 800 9° 3003) se eee 137, 600 459, 700 
JuTe'6-10 2 | ee | ae 527, 600 5, 800 25, 000 167, 700 729, 600 




1 Includes the catch made between Jan. 1 and 15, 1938. 
5 This section, prepared by J. R. Webster of the Division of Scientific Inquiry, includes landings at Cape 
May and Wildwood, N.J.; New York, N. Y.; Newport and Block Island, R. I.; New Bedford, Buzzards 
Bay (Cape Cod Canal), Provincetown, Plymouth, Boston, and Gloucester, Mass.; and Portland, Maine; 
by purse-seine vessels or ‘‘seiners’’ and drift-gill-net vessels or ‘“‘netters’’. It does not include incidental 
catches by other vessels such as menhaden seiners, otter trawlers, line trawlers, ete., or by traps. 
