﻿OTTER-TBAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  39 
  

  

  tables 
  and 
  the 
  diagrams 
  based 
  on 
  them 
  have 
  been 
  prepared, 
  show- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  total 
  annual 
  catches 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  catches 
  per 
  trip 
  of 
  

   Gloucester 
  vessels 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  years. 
  Gloucester 
  alone 
  was 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  because 
  all 
  vessels 
  from 
  that 
  port 
  are 
  liners, 
  while 
  the 
  

   Boston 
  fleet 
  comprises 
  the 
  otter 
  trawlers, 
  which 
  have 
  gradually 
  

   increased 
  in 
  numbers 
  and 
  have 
  made 
  it 
  more 
  difficult, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  

   present 
  valid 
  comparisons 
  between 
  the 
  several 
  years. 
  

  

  Quantities 
  of 
  Cod, 
  Haddock, 
  and 
  Hake 
  Taken 
  by 
  Gloucester 
  Line 
  Fisher- 
  

   men 
  ON 
  Georges 
  Bank, 
  1905 
  to 
  1914, 
  Inclusive. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  tables 
  and 
  diagrams 
  several 
  facts 
  appear. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  

   place, 
  since 
  1905 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  general 
  large 
  and 
  fairly 
  continuous 
  

   decrease 
  in 
  the 
  combined 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  species 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  

   cod 
  taken 
  on 
  Georges 
  Bank 
  by 
  Gloucester 
  vessels 
  using 
  lines. 
  In 
  the 
  

   case 
  of 
  the 
  haddock 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  enormous 
  decrease 
  from 
  1905 
  to 
  

   1909, 
  but 
  since 
  then 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  general 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  

   (juantity 
  landed 
  at 
  Gloucester. 
  

  

  Synchronously 
  with 
  these 
  developments, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  heavy 
  

   decrease 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  trips, 
  and 
  this 
  decrease 
  was 
  numerically 
  

   greatest 
  prior 
  to 
  1909, 
  when 
  there 
  was 
  but 
  one 
  steam 
  trawler 
  in 
  

   service. 
  The 
  falling 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  totals 
  was, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  

   due 
  to 
  a 
  reduction 
  of 
  fishing 
  activity 
  by 
  the 
  Gloucester 
  vessels, 
  and 
  

   to 
  eliminate 
  this 
  variable 
  we 
  have 
  reduced 
  the 
  catch 
  to 
  a 
  basis 
  of 
  

   quantity 
  per 
  trip 
  and 
  have 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  catch 
  per 
  trip 
  of 
  cod, 
  

   haddock, 
  and 
  hake 
  combined 
  was 
  greater 
  in 
  1914 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  year 
  

   since 
  1905 
  at 
  least 
  and 
  of 
  haddock 
  was 
  about 
  equal 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  1906 
  

   and 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  for 
  any 
  other 
  year 
  of 
  the 
  period 
  considered. 
  

   The 
  catch 
  of 
  cod 
  per 
  trip 
  was 
  greater 
  in 
  1914 
  than 
  during 
  four 
  of 
  

   the 
  preceding 
  nine 
  years. 
  The 
  average 
  catch 
  per 
  trip 
  of 
  cod 
  and 
  

   haddock 
  each, 
  and 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  combined 
  with 
  the 
  hake, 
  was 
  greater 
  

   for 
  the 
  five 
  years 
  1910 
  to 
  1914, 
  inclusive, 
  than 
  it 
  was 
  for 
  the 
  preced- 
  

   ing 
  five-year 
  period. 
  

  

  