REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 203 



was one of the most successful since the establishment of the fishery. 

 The Maine fishermen took over 10,(>0(»,00() pounds of menhaden in 18S9, 

 for which they received more than .$28,00U, and the factories located in 

 the vState utilized over 20,000,000 lish in the preparation of oil and 

 guano, having' a value of -*i5S7,144. 



New Eiuiland ressch Jishing for Spanhh mavlerel in Florida. — The 

 winter and spring of 1889-00 was quite noteworthy in the annals of 

 tlie New England and Florida fisheries because of the experimental 

 visits of two mackerel vessels belonging at Gloucestei-, Mass., to the 

 west coast of Florida for the purpose of engaging in the cai)ture of 

 Spanish mackerel, which abound in these waters at that season. The 

 vessels made their headquarters at Key West, and shipped their catch 

 in ice to Tampa, Punta Gorda, and New York. One of the vessels, 

 the schooner Haitie S. Glarlc, fished from December 1, 1880, to April 1, 

 1890, and caught during that time 100,000 pounds of Spanish mackerel, 

 for which $8,000 was received, the crew of 12 men sharing $225 each. 

 The other schooner, the iSchut/ler Colfax, made only two trijis, between 

 February 1 and April 1, 1890, and landed 30,000 pounds, the value of 

 which was $2,100, The owner of the schooner reports that the vessels 

 averaged 8,000 or 10,001) pounds of fish each trip and that this catch 

 was made in half a day's actual fishing, although, because of the delay 

 in getting ice, it usually took about two weeks to complete a trij). This 

 trial opens up a new field for winter operations on the part of mack- 

 erel vessels, and the continued scarcity of regular mackerel on the New 

 England coast may lead to the establishment of an important winter 

 fishery off the coast of Florida. 



Voyafje to Africa for macl-erel. — The scarcity of mackerel on the At- 

 lantic coast of the United States, which has been marked since 1885 and 

 lias been more prolonged than during any jn^evious simihir period in 

 the history of the fishery, prompted the owner of the schooner Alice, 

 of Provincetown, Mass., to undertake the prosecution of the fishery 

 on the southern coast of Africa, where whalers and merchantmen had 

 rei)orted that mackerel occurred in abundance. The vessel sailed for 

 Cai)e of Good IIoi)e in October, 1889, and made the longest cruise ever 

 accomx)lished by a mackerel vessel, the distance being about 7,000 

 miles. On arriving at tlie grounds, fish were found in considerable 

 numbers, and during the first nine months about 900 barrels of mack- 

 erel were packed, and some were shipped to the United States, where 

 they arrived about December 1, 1890. Some of the fish were of large 

 size, being 2 feet in k'ugth and weighing over 3 pounds when salted, 

 and the consignment sold at $14 to $18 per barrel. Examples were 

 sent to this office for examination, and the fisli were found to be the 

 bull's-eye, chub, or thimble-eye mackerel {Scomber colias), and not the 

 conmion macjkerel of our coast {S. scomhrus). During the second sea- 

 son of the vessel's sojourn on the African coast only a few fish were 



