384 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [294] 



18G6. — ARRIVAL HOME OF THE BAYMEN. 



The bay men have come in quite freely the past week, 93 sail having 

 arrived since our last issue. The vessels that have been absent all the 

 season bring in pretty good fares, but the second trips are rather slim, 

 some vessels bringing in as low as twenty-five barrels. We should judge 

 the aggregate catch would prove full one-third less than last season, 

 but the increase in price will probably make up the deficiency in catch, 

 so that the trips will average about as well as last year. There are now 

 about sixty vessels to arrive, which will close up the business for the 

 season. Prices continue firm at $18 and $16, and the market is quite 

 active. 



The i)rospect now is that the supply for fall and winter consumption 

 will prove far less than the demand, and that prices will advance rather 

 than decline. — (Cape Ann Advertiser, November 2, 1866.) 



1866. — EeMINISCENCES of CAPT. J. W. COLLINS. 



In the spring of 1866 I engaged in the southern mackerel fishery, in 

 the schooner "Lizzie F. Ohoate," starting on our trip early in May. We 

 fished j)rincipally about the south side of Long Island, from Sandy Hook 

 to Montauk, and in the vicinity of Block Island and Neman's Land. 

 Mackerel that spring were not inclined to take the hook very readily, 

 and therefore we obtained only a small fare of about 45 or 50 barrels. 

 We were absent from Gloucester about four weeks, part of which time 

 was occupied in obtaining a supply of menhaden at Seaconnet Eiver, to 

 be used for mackerel bait in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence during the 

 summer. * 



After returning from the south we went to the bay, where we arrived 

 about the middle of June. On our first trip we fished almost exclu- 

 sively between Bonaventure and Prince Edward Island — that is to say, 

 on Bank Orphan and Bank Bradley; off North Cape of Prince Edward 

 Island; along the west shore, from Point Escuminac to Point Miscou, 

 and to a limited degree in the Bay of Cahleur. We succeeded in catch- 

 ing 275 barrels of mackerel, arriving home about the beginning of 

 September. We reached the bay on our second trip on the 13th day of 

 Sei)tember, proceeding immediately to the Magdalen Islands, where 

 in five days we caught 115 barrels of fine fat mackerel. After that the 

 fish discontinued biting in the vicinity of the Magdalens, and we ran 

 across to the north side of Prince Edward Island, about North Cape 

 and in the vicinity of Malpec, where mackerel were found quite abun- 

 dant, and where a fleet of about 300 sail had collected. Here we did 

 quite well, so that when we had been in the bay eighteen days we had 

 between 250 and 300 barrels of mackerel. At this time we were off 

 Malpec, and a strong blow from the southwest having come on, we went 

 in there with the fleet (which numbered about 250 or 300 sail) for the 

 l)urpose of filling water, which we stood much in need of, expecting, 



