inSTOKY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 85 



liavc become, for some unknown reason, scarce, menliaden lia\e p^rown 

 plenty, and 1871, 1872, and 187o have been great years in the business. 

 Taking for a basis of estimate that there are eight menhaden factories 

 in Narragansett Bay that use about 20,000 barrels each, it would make 

 the number of barrels caught during the year 1873 about 100,000. We 

 do not think fishermen have any perceptible effect on menhaden, for it 

 is a fact well known that a few years back they were so scarce that boats 

 and seines were in the market at less than half their value. The year 

 1873 has been the year of surprise and wonder of all years, for the sea 

 has been one blanket of menhaden from the Chesapeake to the Bay of 

 Fundy." 



Lieutenant-Governor Stevens, of Ehode Island, who owns a pound in 

 Narragausett Bay, found menhaden more plentiful in 1871 than lor many 

 years before.* 



Mr. Joshua T. Dodge, of New Shoreham, R. I. (Block Island), writes 

 that menhaden are very plenty, though they are scarce in particular 

 seasons 5 1873 was a very good year for them. The fish do not seem to 

 be less numerous, but they are wilder than formerly. 



Captain Crandall is of the opinion that about Watch Hill, though 

 still more numerous than other fish, they are considerably diminished 

 in number by the use of seines. The catch of 25 drag-seines, owned in 

 that vicinity, was estimated for 1877 at 100 barrels. 



On the coast of Connecticut. 



108, Captains Wilcox and Potter, of Mystic Bridge, Conn., think that 

 there is no perceptible decrease in the numbers of bony fish on account 

 of the fisheries, and that they are on the increase. They estimate the 

 amount taken in the neighborhood (from Stonington to Poquannock) ia 

 1873 at 6,500 ; in 1874 at 109,000 barrels. 



Captain Washington, of Mystic River, Conn., is unable to see any 

 decrease of late years. 



Capt. S. G. Beebe, of Niantic, thinks that the fish are on the increase, 

 and are more abundant than any other species. He estimates the num- 

 ber taken by Luce Brothers in 1873, three seines, 9,000,000 ; in 1872, 

 four seines, 13,000,000 ; 1871, four seines, 17,000,000. 



At Saybrook, according to Mr. R. E. Ingham, there is no decrease, 

 and the fish are more abundant than any others. 



It is the opinion of Mr. H. L. Dudley that there has been no actual 

 decrease. The wears in the vicinity of New Haven have been as suc- 

 cessful in 1877 as in any previous year. In 1871, when the Pine Island 

 fishermen captured 10,000,000 they thought the climax had been reached, 

 but in 187G the quantity was increased to 18,000,000. The catch for 

 seven years is approximately as follows : 



1871 10,000,000 



1872 13,000,000 



* Report of Commisaioner of Fish aud Fisheries, 1871-72, p. 19. 



