HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 151 



Capt. Sylvanus Smith, of Gloucester, stated to the Halifax Commis- 

 sion that a vessel fitting out for a four mouths' trip to the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence would need to be supplied with 40 barrels of pogie bait, 

 worth $G a barrel, making $240, and 10 barrels of salt clams, worth $8 

 a barrel, making 680.* 



Major Low's statement, copied from the trip-book of the schooner 

 Oliver Eldridge,t shows that she fitted out with 55 barrels of slivered 

 pogies, at $0.50 a barrel, making 8357.50, and 7 barrels of clams, at $6, 

 making 842.t 



The amount of these outfits is much greater than that upon which 

 the above estimate was made. 



The entire amount used in the mackerel fishery in 1877 probably did 

 not exceed 8,000 or 9,000 barrels of slivers, or 24,000 to 27,000 barrels 

 of "round fish." 



Consumption ly the Connecticut S7nac1cs. 



210. There are seven Connecticut smacks fishing for the flounder 

 {Chaenopsetta ocellaris) in Long Island and Block Island Sounds. Five 

 of these hail from Il^oank, one from Mystic, and one from New London. 

 Captain Ash by tells me that these smacks average one trip every four 

 or five days for five months (May to September inclusive). They use 

 only menhaden bait ; about one barrel each trip, or perhaps 150 bar- 

 rels in the season. 



Sixteen Xoank and four New Loudon smacks fish for sea-bass. Each 

 carries two or three barrels of menhaden bait each trij), making an ag- 

 gregate annual amount of about 1,000 barrels. 



Co7isum])tion hy the Xew York halibut fleet. 



211. The New York halibut fleet cff 11 sails, owned at Noank, New 

 London, and Greenport, uses only menhaden bait, which is iced fresh 

 in the vessels' holds. Each vessel carries from 0,000 to 10,000 fish each 

 trip. Each vessel makes five or six trips. The aggregate number of 

 menhaden thus used is perhaps 480,000, or 1,400 barrels. The usual 

 price is 84 a thousand. 



Annual sale of bait by the Maine manufacturers. 



212. The Menhaden Oil and Guano Manufacturing Association of 

 Maine sold for bait : 



Barrels 



of li::b. 



In 1873 2, 977 



In 1874 . . _ 10, 400 



In 1875 10, 752 



In 1S7G , , 8, 432 



In 1877 10,795 



* rroceeditigs Halifax Coiumission, 1877, Appendix L, p. 334, 



t Which sailed for the Bay of St. Lawrence August 5, 1875 (absent 2 months and 28 

 days), arrived at Gloucester November 2, 1875, stocking $1,771.83, or 224 barrels of 

 mess mackerel. 



{ Ihid., p. 334. 



