﻿210 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  71°, 
  to 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  and 
  Adriatic. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  recorded 
  from 
  the 
  

   West 
  Indies, 
  Bermudas, 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  South 
  America, 
  or 
  Africa. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  e-ist 
  coast 
  of 
  North 
  America 
  mackerel 
  first 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring 
  off 
  Cape 
  Hatteras 
  and 
  subsequently 
  reach 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  

   Middle 
  and 
  iSTew 
  England 
  States 
  and 
  the 
  British 
  possessions, 
  migrating 
  

   in 
  from 
  tlie 
  sea 
  from 
  a 
  southerly 
  or 
  southeasterly 
  direction. 
  Certain 
  

   bodies 
  of 
  fish 
  seek 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  shore, 
  while 
  others 
  first 
  strike 
  the 
  

   shore 
  of 
  Nova 
  Scotia 
  and 
  follow 
  it 
  into 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence. 
  

   They 
  leave 
  the 
  coast 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  in 
  fall 
  and 
  early 
  winter. 
  

  

  The 
  mackerel 
  is 
  a 
  wandering 
  fish. 
  Its 
  movements 
  when 
  in 
  the 
  coast 
  

   waters 
  are 
  undoubtedly 
  regulated 
  by 
  external 
  causes 
  not 
  yet 
  clearly 
  

   understood, 
  but 
  food, 
  temperature 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  reproduction 
  are 
  potent 
  

   factors. 
  

  

  The 
  mackerel 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  fishes 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Atlan- 
  

   tic 
  coast. 
  It 
  goes 
  in 
  schools, 
  often 
  of 
  immense 
  extent. 
  The 
  testimony 
  

   of 
  reliable 
  fishermen 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  schools 
  observed 
  often 
  

   seems 
  incredible; 
  thus 
  one 
  school 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  Channel 
  in 
  1848 
  

   was 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  wide 
  and 
  at 
  least 
  20 
  miles 
  long. 
  Another 
  school 
  noticed 
  

   off" 
  Block 
  Island 
  in 
  1877 
  was 
  estimated 
  to 
  contain 
  1,000,000 
  barrels. 
  The 
  

   schools 
  swim 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  or 
  at 
  varying 
  depths 
  beneath 
  the 
  surface, 
  

   and 
  present 
  a 
  comparatively 
  broad 
  front. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  earliest 
  times, 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  periods 
  of 
  scarcity 
  of 
  mack- 
  

   erel 
  alternating 
  with 
  seasons 
  of 
  abundance. 
  As 
  early 
  as 
  1G70 
  the 
  

   Colony 
  of 
  Massachusetts 
  enacted 
  laws 
  for 
  the 
  j^reservation 
  of 
  mackerel. 
  

   Since 
  1885 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  most 
  noteworthy 
  and 
  i)rolonged 
  scarcity 
  

   of 
  the 
  fish 
  of 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  record. 
  The 
  New 
  England 
  catch 
  in 
  

   1885 
  was 
  330,0n0 
  barrels, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  8 
  years 
  ending 
  in 
  1885 
  averaged 
  

   309,000 
  barrels; 
  in 
  1886 
  it 
  fell 
  to 
  80,000 
  barrels, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  succeeding 
  

   10 
  years 
  aggregated 
  only 
  481,000 
  Barrels; 
  was 
  several 
  times 
  below 
  

   25,000 
  barrels, 
  and 
  never 
  exceeded 
  89,000 
  barrels. 
  The 
  yield 
  in 
  1896 
  

   was 
  the 
  largest 
  in 
  9 
  years. 
  

  

  The 
  spawning 
  season 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  North 
  America 
  includes 
  

   the 
  months 
  of 
  May, 
  June, 
  and 
  July, 
  June 
  probably 
  being 
  the 
  principal 
  

   month. 
  The 
  spawning-grounds 
  are 
  in 
  rather 
  deep 
  water 
  and 
  extend 
  

   along 
  the 
  entire 
  coast 
  from 
  Long 
  Island 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  the 
  bays 
  and 
  sounds 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  coast 
  are 
  important 
  

   spawniog-grounds, 
  as 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence. 
  Prior 
  to 
  

   spawning 
  and 
  for 
  several 
  weeks 
  thereafter 
  the 
  mackerel 
  are 
  lean 
  and 
  

   poor 
  and 
  never 
  make 
  No. 
  1 
  fish 
  when 
  salted. 
  

  

  FOOD 
  AND 
  ENEMIES. 
  

  

  The 
  mackerel 
  feeds 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  variety 
  of 
  small 
  animals, 
  and 
  is 
  in 
  

   turn 
  eaten 
  by 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  fishes, 
  birds, 
  cetaceans, 
  etc. 
  The 
  relations 
  

   existing 
  between 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  favorite 
  food 
  and 
  of 
  enemies 
  on 
  one 
  

   hand 
  and 
  of 
  mackerel 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  are 
  fully 
  appreciated 
  by 
  the 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  fishermen, 
  who 
  are 
  often 
  guided 
  in 
  their 
  search 
  for 
  fish 
  by 
  the 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  mackerel 
  food 
  in 
  abundance 
  or 
  of 
  their 
  well-known 
  

  

  