HISTOEY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 399 



and seine costs about $G,000; tbe seine alone is worth $1,000, and will 

 last with fair usage two years. They are made from cotton twine, and 

 are preserved by salt and tar. The seine is carried on a small deck on 

 the stern of the seine-boat; this boat is about 3^ feet long and 8 feet 

 wide, and is built similar to the old-style whale-boats ; they are always 

 towed astern of the schooner, and when a school is seen the boat is 

 rowed outside of them and the seine is thrown over ; one end being- 

 taken by the wherry or dory in attendance, while each describes a circle 

 around the school of fish until the seine is all overboard and the ends of 

 the seine are joined. As tiie pogies do not sink as mackerel do, they 

 are thus inclosed iu a wall of netting 18 fathoms deep, and then, by 

 means of a small rope rove through consecutive rings on the lower edge 

 of the seine, the bottom is drawn together like a purse, aud the fish are 

 thus confined in a basket-shaped net. The surplus folds of the net are 

 then gathered up until the fish are left in a small space like drawing a 

 basket gradually from tbe water. The vessel is then brought alongside 

 the seine and small dipnets are used to bail the fish from the seine to 

 the deck of the vessel. Often such large quantities are taken in the 

 seine that the vessel is filled aud many of the fish are killed by the close 

 confinement and weight of the others ; and when the seine is opened for 

 their release they are mostly dead. This difficulty is obviated if there 

 are other vessels near, who usually take the surplus fish, giving the 

 value of one-half to the successful vessel. After the fish are taken, when 

 they are to be used for bait, they are slivered into barrels and salted ; 

 sometim£s they are sold fresh ; and as the vessels bound to George's 

 Bank use ice to preserve their fish, the bait is placed on ice and thus 

 kept fresh. But by far the principal part is salted and used by mackerel- 

 catchers ; this bait is ground into a fine consistency, aud is thrown along 

 the side of the mackerel-catcher to toll the mackerel to the surface and 

 keep them alongside the vessel. There are about 00,000 barrels of 

 pogies taken by the bait-catchers from this district, and these produce 

 20,000 barrels of slivers, worth to the producers $4 per barrel. It is ob- 

 servable that these fish are much fatter while on the coast of Massachu- 

 setts and Maine than when on the more southern coasts. 



18. Statement of Simeon Dodge, Marhlehead, Mass. 



January 9, 1875. 



Sir : Tour circular of December 20, with letter inclosed, is at hand. 

 In reply thereto, I can see no reason at present to change the general 

 conclusions in my previous communications, although, of course, the sta- 

 tistical portion is undergoing a constant change. I herewith present such 

 additional facts as come within my knowledge. 



1. They are known here as hardhead or menhaden. 



2 and 3. Greatly diminished. Less abundant than other fish. 



