﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  85 
  

  

  Messrs. 
  John 
  Pew 
  & 
  Son, 
  ownei's 
  of 
  fishing 
  vessels, 
  curers, 
  and 
  wholesale 
  dealers, 
  

   Gloucester, 
  Mass., 
  wrote: 
  "We 
  had 
  heard 
  considerable 
  about 
  these 
  fish, 
  but 
  had 
  

   never 
  had 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  examining 
  them 
  or 
  eating 
  them. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  us 
  that 
  

   they 
  would 
  be 
  quite 
  an 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  food 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  if 
  the 
  quantity 
  

   easily 
  taken 
  could 
  be 
  assured. 
  We 
  tried 
  them 
  under 
  various 
  forms, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  

   certainly 
  palatable, 
  and 
  would 
  find 
  a 
  ready 
  market, 
  we 
  think. 
  We 
  would 
  prefer 
  the 
  

   cod 
  and 
  haddock, 
  however, 
  to 
  the 
  tile-fish." 
  

  

  The 
  J. 
  Maddock 
  Company, 
  wholesale 
  fresh-fish 
  dealers, 
  Boston, 
  wrote: 
  "We 
  are 
  

   of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  a 
  ready 
  market 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  for 
  this 
  fish 
  at 
  a 
  fairly 
  good 
  price, 
  

   say, 
  about 
  5 
  to 
  10 
  cents 
  per 
  pound. 
  We 
  trust 
  that 
  you 
  may 
  be 
  successful 
  in 
  arousing 
  

   interest 
  among 
  the 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  catching 
  of 
  this 
  fish." 
  

  

  Mr. 
  W. 
  H. 
  Prior, 
  wholesale 
  fresh-fish 
  dealer, 
  Boston, 
  reported 
  that 
  he 
  sold 
  the 
  

   barrel 
  of 
  tile-fish 
  sent 
  him 
  for 
  12 
  to 
  15 
  cents 
  a 
  pound, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  gave 
  perfect 
  

   satisfaction. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  that 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  tile-fish 
  in 
  the 
  dry-salted 
  and 
  boneless 
  

   states 
  might 
  be 
  determined, 
  about 
  1,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  fresh 
  fish 
  were 
  sent 
  

   to 
  a 
  curer 
  in 
  Gloucester. 
  When 
  split 
  and 
  dry-salted, 
  like 
  cod, 
  and 
  

   also 
  when 
  prepared 
  like 
  boneless 
  cod, 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  tile-fish 
  is 
  a 
  

   very 
  satisfactor}^ 
  food, 
  the 
  muscles 
  being 
  thick, 
  flakj^, 
  and 
  well-flavored. 
  

   The 
  objections 
  to 
  the 
  tile-fish 
  when 
  cured 
  are 
  purely 
  aesthetic, 
  the 
  flesh 
  

   being 
  of 
  a 
  somewhat 
  darker 
  color 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  cod 
  and 
  being 
  slightly 
  

   discolored 
  by 
  fat, 
  which 
  is 
  more 
  plentiful 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  cod. 
  When 
  

   slack- 
  salted 
  and 
  smoked, 
  the 
  tile-fish 
  is 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  excellent. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  announce 
  the 
  first 
  deliberate 
  attempt 
  

   to 
  catch 
  tile-fish 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  regular 
  fisherman. 
  The 
  information 
  

   is 
  communicated 
  by 
  Mr. 
  William 
  H. 
  Jordan, 
  of 
  Gloucester, 
  who 
  writes 
  

   as 
  follows, 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  October 
  4, 
  1902: 
  

  

  Captain 
  Langworthy, 
  of 
  Noank, 
  Conn., 
  is 
  superintending 
  the 
  building 
  at 
  Essex 
  of 
  a 
  

   vessel 
  he 
  will 
  command 
  in 
  the 
  fishing 
  business, 
  and 
  is 
  here 
  at 
  intervals. 
  He 
  became 
  

   interested 
  in 
  the 
  information 
  about 
  the 
  tile-fish 
  which 
  I 
  furnished 
  him 
  as 
  originating 
  

   with 
  you. 
  He 
  saw 
  those 
  we 
  have 
  cured 
  on 
  the 
  wharf, 
  and, 
  without 
  announcing 
  his 
  

   intention, 
  went 
  to 
  Stonington, 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  fishing 
  yacht 
  named 
  the 
  Gazelle, 
  

   owned 
  by 
  Captain 
  Atwood, 
  who 
  keeps 
  her 
  for 
  pleasure, 
  but 
  is 
  an 
  old 
  fisherman. 
  

   They 
  made 
  a 
  trip, 
  south 
  by 
  east 
  from 
  Block 
  Island, 
  until 
  they 
  struck 
  56 
  fathoms 
  of 
  

   water, 
  and 
  they 
  found 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  abundance. 
  As 
  fast 
  as 
  a 
  hand 
  line 
  would 
  reach 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  it 
  secured 
  a 
  fish. 
  They 
  had 
  a 
  short 
  piece 
  of 
  secondhand 
  haddock 
  trawl, 
  

   which 
  they 
  set 
  and 
  obtained 
  quite 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  fish. 
  These 
  fish 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  attempt 
  

   to 
  market, 
  but 
  gave 
  away, 
  as 
  they 
  simply 
  went 
  to 
  verify 
  the 
  information 
  that 
  Captain 
  

   Langworthy 
  had 
  received. 
  I 
  think 
  he 
  will 
  try 
  this 
  fishing 
  next 
  winter, 
  when 
  his 
  

   new 
  vessel 
  is 
  ready. 
  

  

  The 
  capture 
  of 
  a 
  tile-fish 
  on 
  Quero 
  Bank 
  by 
  a 
  cod-fishing 
  vessel 
  

   greatly 
  extends 
  the 
  previously 
  known 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  species. 
  It 
  appears 
  

   that 
  about 
  December 
  15, 
  1902, 
  the 
  schooner 
  Monitor^ 
  of 
  Gloucester, 
  

   caught 
  a 
  small 
  tile-fish 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  edge 
  of 
  Quero, 
  in 
  latitude 
  4A° 
  

   26' 
  N. 
  and 
  longitude 
  57° 
  13' 
  W., 
  in 
  170 
  fathoms 
  of 
  water. 
  The 
  speci- 
  

   men 
  was 
  seen 
  and 
  identified 
  by 
  Capt. 
  S. 
  J. 
  Martin, 
  agent 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  

   Commission 
  at 
  Gloucester, 
  and 
  by 
  various 
  other 
  persons 
  who 
  are 
  

   familiar 
  with 
  the 
  species. 
  

  

  