128 



haden fishermen) manner of handling fish, the fish 

 after being covered eight inches with other fish as they 

 are dumped in the hold of their vessels would heat 

 and be unfit for use for food in three hours or less. 



Mr. E. G. Blackford, the well-known fish dealer of 

 Fulton Market, before same committee stated that from 

 his own knowledge every 3^ear those fishes which feed 

 upon menhaden grow more scarce, that there had been 

 several instances which had been spoken of there of 

 his own knowledge where the menhaden vessels have 

 taken large schools of food fish and have brought them 

 to market; the ver}^ large catch of 1891, about a year 

 ago, just about that time of the year, was principally 

 of weak fish. Some four or more vessels came up to 

 Fulton Market with a cargo or quantity of at least 

 200,000 pounds, nearly all weak fish, and out of that 

 200,000 pounds about one quarter were marketed ; the 

 balance of these cargoes was sent to the factories and 

 rendered into oil and scrap. Mr. Blackford further 

 stated that in his opinion the effect of the great amount 

 of fishing that is carried on for menhaden all along 

 the coast breaks up the schools of fish which are fol- 

 lowed b}^ the striped bass and blue-fish, and has a 

 tendenc}' to make these fish seek other feeding grounds. 



Mr. George Hildreth of New Jersey, formerly a 

 menhaden fisherman, in answer to the following ques- 

 tion, i. e., ''Well, on the average would there be a 

 considerable food fish ? " replied, "There would some- 

 times be quite a number of food fish among them 

 (meaning menhaden), and other times very little — 

 whatever there was within the bounds of the net." In 

 connection with the latter part of Mr. Hildreth' s 

 answer, that the purse net caught whatever there was 

 within its bounds, I will quote Prof. G. Brown Goode — 

 endorsement (Mis. Doc. 49, Second Session Forty-fifth 

 Congress, page 117). He sa3's, "The purse seine is 

 doubtless more effective than an}' other fishing appa- 



