﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  131 
  

  

  inquiries 
  during 
  the 
  calendar 
  year 
  1895. 
  A 
  more 
  detailed 
  exhibition 
  of 
  

   the 
  extent 
  and 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  centering 
  at 
  these 
  ports 
  will 
  

   appear 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  pa|)er. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  agents 
  included 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   curing 
  of 
  accurate 
  data 
  for 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  7,491 
  fares 
  of 
  fish 
  landed, 
  the 
  

   observations 
  covering 
  over 
  150,000,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  fresh 
  and 
  salt 
  fisli, 
  

   with 
  a 
  first 
  value 
  of 
  over 
  $3,550,000. 
  

  

  The 
  fish 
  discharged 
  at 
  Gloucester 
  in 
  1895 
  by 
  American 
  lishiug 
  ves- 
  

   sels 
  consisted 
  of 
  26,004,064 
  pounds 
  of 
  fresh 
  fish 
  and 
  50,566,813 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  salt 
  fish, 
  the 
  aggregate 
  receipts 
  being 
  70,631,477 
  pounds, 
  with 
  a 
  

   value 
  of 
  $2,205,619. 
  The 
  receipts 
  were 
  about 
  3,000,000 
  pounds 
  less 
  

   than 
  in 
  the 
  i^revious 
  year. 
  The 
  principal 
  decrease 
  occurred 
  in 
  the 
  

   mackerel, 
  halibut, 
  cusk, 
  and 
  hake, 
  while 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  notcAA'orthy 
  increase 
  

   in 
  the 
  cod. 
  

  

  Cod 
  is 
  the 
  preeminent 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  Gloucester 
  fisheries, 
  constituting 
  

   much 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  catch. 
  Over 
  

   43,000,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  salt 
  fish, 
  worth 
  about 
  $1,050,000, 
  and 
  more 
  than 
  

   4,100,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  split 
  fresh 
  fish, 
  valued 
  at 
  over 
  $85,000, 
  were 
  brought 
  

   in. 
  The 
  combined 
  yield 
  of 
  fresh 
  and 
  salt 
  cod 
  exceeded 
  the 
  yield 
  in 
  1894 
  

   by 
  about 
  5,430,000 
  pounds 
  and 
  in 
  1893 
  by 
  8,781,000 
  x)ounds. 
  The 
  grounds 
  

   contributing 
  to 
  the 
  increase 
  were 
  the 
  Grand 
  Banks 
  and 
  Nantucket 
  

   Shoals. 
  From 
  the 
  former 
  grounds 
  over 
  21,440,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  cod 
  were 
  

   landed 
  and 
  ft-oiu 
  the 
  latter 
  3,666,000 
  pounds. 
  From 
  Georges 
  Bank 
  

   13,086,000 
  pounds 
  were 
  brought 
  in. 
  

  

  Other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  cod 
  ftimily 
  were 
  represented 
  as 
  follows 
  in 
  the 
  

   Gloucester 
  receipts 
  : 
  Cusk, 
  2,5 
  1 
  5,000 
  pounds 
  , 
  $37,000 
  ; 
  haddock 
  , 
  5,405,000 
  

   pounds, 
  $31,500; 
  hake, 
  4,843,000 
  pounds, 
  $28,000; 
  pollock, 
  1,782,000 
  

   pounds, 
  $9,400. 
  The 
  principal 
  <]uantities 
  of 
  cusk 
  and 
  hake 
  came 
  from 
  

   Cashes 
  Bank, 
  of 
  haddock 
  from 
  Georges 
  Bank, 
  and 
  of 
  pollock 
  from 
  the 
  

   New 
  England 
  shore. 
  

  

  The 
  halibut 
  is 
  the 
  next 
  important 
  fish 
  to 
  the 
  cod. 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  

   halibut 
  receipts 
  aggregated 
  7,418,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  fresh 
  fish, 
  valued 
  at 
  

   $571,000, 
  and 
  1,062,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  salt 
  fish, 
  valued 
  at 
  $52,000. 
  Com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  1894, 
  these 
  figures 
  show 
  a 
  decrease 
  in 
  quantity 
  of 
  755,000 
  

   pounds 
  and 
  in 
  value 
  of 
  $68,000. 
  There 
  were 
  fewer 
  fish 
  caught 
  on 
  

   Western 
  Bank 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  Greeidaud 
  and 
  Iceland 
  grounds, 
  while 
  there 
  

   were 
  more 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  Grand 
  Banks. 
  

  

  The 
  Gloucester 
  mackerel 
  fishery 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  even 
  poorer 
  than 
  in 
  1894, 
  

   when 
  the 
  outcome 
  was 
  very 
  disappointing. 
  The 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  catch, 
  

   however, 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  compensated 
  for 
  by 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  

   the 
  fish, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  yield 
  and 
  a 
  more 
  active 
  demand, 
  

   so 
  that 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  Mas 
  greater 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  year. 
  

   The 
  fishery 
  on 
  the 
  Cape 
  shore 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  resulted 
  

   in 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  12,962 
  barrels 
  of 
  salt 
  mackerel, 
  liaving 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  

   $194,947. 
  The 
  fishery 
  on 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  shore 
  yielded 
  0,226 
  barrels 
  

   of 
  salt 
  fish, 
  worth 
  $103,574. 
  The 
  fresh 
  mackerel 
  brought 
  to 
  Gloucester 
  

   amounted 
  to 
  206,407 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $19,099. 
  

  

  