280 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. - [16] 



codfish caught in gill-uets hist week." This, too, was wheu codfish were 

 reuiarkably scarce upou the shore- grounds, and when there was only 

 a small fleet of about 25 or 30 vessels engaged in the net fishery. 



The importance of the introduction of the method of catching codfish 

 with gill-nets was more fully demonstrated than ever before in the win- 

 ter of 1882-'83, and the operations carried on during that season in the 

 inshore fisheries may be considered as having first fairly established 

 this method of fishing in New England ; since, previous to that time, 

 there hud been many ]>ersons rather skeptical as to the benefits that 

 might be derived from the use of nets for catching cod. 



Owing to the almost total failure of the bait supply in the latter part 

 of 1882 and the beginning of 1883, it was found impracticable to carry 

 on the shore cod fishery by the old method of hook-and-line fishing. 

 Such a scarcity of bait had never been previously known, and if the 

 fishermen had been ignorant of the use of gill-uets for the capture of 

 cod, a valuable and important industry must have been almost aban- 

 doned, for that season at least, while it may be considered probable that 

 the scarcity of fresh cod, which would have resulted, must have in- 

 creased the price in our markets very materially, X)0ssibly in some cases 

 to such an extent as practically to have placed this desirable article of 

 food beyond the reach of the masses. But during the previous two 

 years the New England fishermen had learned a great deal about catch- 

 ing codfish in nets, not only by i)ractical experience but also from an 

 illustrated pamphlet containing des('ri[)tions of all the methods, which 

 had been freely circulated by L'rofessor Baird. The fishermen were, 

 therefore, prepared to meet this unforeseen emergency — an almost entire 

 absence of bait. Instead of being com])(dled to give up the shore 

 cod fishery, as they otherwise must have done, they met with a suc- 

 cess which had seldom or never before been equaled. Such excellent 

 results were obtained by the use of gill-nets that the local papers in the 

 fishing ])orts contained frequent notices of successful catches. As an 

 iustance, may be mentioned the following from the Cape Ann Advertiser 

 of December 8, entitled The good results of net cod fishing: "On Tues- 

 day, December 4, boat Equal, with two men, took 5,000 pcmuds of large 

 codfish in seven nets oil" shore, sharing $40 each. The Kising Star has 

 stocked $1,200 the past fortnight fishing in Ipswich Bay. The Mor- 

 rill Boy has shared $101 to a man net fishing off this shore the past 

 three weeks." 



The Morrill Boy met with unexampled success, her crew of five men 

 having shared $320 apiece, clear of all expenses, by the last of Decem- 

 ber, the time employed being less than six weeks. 



From the port of Gloucester alone, according to Captain Martin, there 

 were employed in the gill-net cod fishery during December, 1882, 20 ves- 

 sels, carrying 124 men. In the period between November 19 and the 

 last of December, 000,000 pounds of large shore codfish were lauded in 

 Gloucester, while 150,000 pounds were marketed atRockport and Ports- 



