﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  LXIII 
  

  

  erecl, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  net, 
  about 
  20 
  cents 
  

   each; 
  there 
  are 
  twenty 
  to 
  each 
  net, 
  or 
  one 
  to 
  every 
  2 
  J 
  fathoms; 
  weighted 
  

   with 
  bricks, 
  &c. 
  They 
  are 
  treated 
  by 
  a 
  process 
  called 
  the 
  " 
  Eureka 
  proc- 
  

   ess," 
  which 
  is 
  believed 
  by 
  the 
  American 
  Net 
  and 
  Twine 
  Company 
  to 
  

   preserve 
  the 
  net 
  much 
  better 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  they 
  have 
  ever 
  tried 
  or 
  

   known 
  of. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  season 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  necessary 
  to 
  employ 
  two 
  sets 
  of 
  

   nets, 
  particularly 
  as 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  run 
  

   of 
  pollock, 
  which 
  are 
  generally 
  large, 
  and 
  being 
  much 
  more 
  powerful 
  

   fish 
  than 
  cod, 
  are 
  very 
  destructive 
  to 
  the 
  gear. 
  

  

  The 
  expense 
  per 
  man 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  outfit 
  is 
  about 
  $90 
  ; 
  one-half 
  of 
  

   this 
  is 
  perishable 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  half, 
  including 
  buoys, 
  lines, 
  anchors, 
  

   hangings, 
  balls, 
  and 
  boats, 
  stands 
  the 
  " 
  wear 
  and 
  tear" 
  for 
  several 
  sea- 
  

   sous. 
  Nets 
  with 
  floats 
  all 
  rigged 
  for 
  fishing 
  cost 
  about 
  $18 
  each. 
  

  

  The 
  catch 
  for 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1885-'86 
  was 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  15,000,000 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  codfish 
  and 
  pollock, 
  about 
  one-quarter 
  being 
  the 
  latter. 
  The 
  fish 
  are 
  

   taken 
  in 
  Massachusetts 
  and 
  Ipswich 
  Bays 
  in 
  the 
  shoal 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  

   industry, 
  I 
  think, 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  an 
  established 
  one, 
  and 
  I 
  know 
  no 
  

   reason 
  why 
  it 
  should 
  not 
  continue 
  to 
  increase 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  considerable 
  speculation 
  whether 
  this 
  mode 
  of 
  capt- 
  

   uring 
  codfish 
  might 
  not 
  be 
  successfully 
  prosecuted 
  in 
  the 
  bank 
  fishery. 
  

   Several 
  imperfect 
  trials 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  without 
  success. 
  Ivers 
  W. 
  

   Adams, 
  president 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Net 
  and 
  Twine 
  Company, 
  who 
  has 
  

   furnished 
  the 
  above 
  facts, 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  doubt, 
  with 
  nets 
  

   properly 
  rigged 
  and 
  hung, 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  successful, 
  and 
  I 
  should 
  

   be 
  pleased 
  to 
  manufacture 
  a 
  gang 
  of 
  these 
  nets 
  for 
  the 
  Commission, 
  

   with 
  special 
  reference 
  to 
  their 
  trial 
  in 
  the 
  bank 
  fishery. 
  We 
  have 
  always 
  

   made 
  a 
  specialty 
  of 
  this 
  industry, 
  and 
  last 
  year 
  we 
  supplied, 
  without 
  

   doubt, 
  90 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  nets 
  fished 
  to 
  the 
  fleet." 
  

  

  22. 
  — 
  THE 
  MACKEREL 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  1885. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  year's 
  mackerel 
  fishery 
  has 
  been 
  fur- 
  

   nished 
  by 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  A. 
  Wilcox 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  mackerel 
  season 
  off 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  coast 
  began 
  by 
  the 
  taking 
  

   of 
  two 
  fares, 
  aggregating 
  325 
  barrels, 
  caught 
  ou 
  March 
  2G 
  and 
  27, 
  30 
  

   miles 
  south 
  of 
  Cape 
  Henry, 
  by 
  the 
  schooners 
  Nellie 
  N. 
  Rowe 
  and 
  Emma 
  

   W. 
  Brown. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  fleet 
  followed 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  that 
  time 
  until 
  

   November 
  14, 
  working 
  off 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  coast 
  as 
  far 
  east 
  as 
  Mount 
  

   Desert, 
  and 
  returning 
  taking 
  the 
  last 
  fares 
  off 
  Cape 
  Cod 
  in 
  November. 
  

   The 
  catch 
  off 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  coast 
  by 
  American 
  vessels 
  aggregated 
  

   378,515 
  barrels, 
  of 
  which 
  80,788 
  barrels 
  were 
  sold 
  fresh. 
  In 
  size 
  and 
  

   quality 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  an 
  improvement 
  over 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  1884, 
  packing 
  

   mostly 
  No. 
  2's, 
  with 
  a 
  smaller 
  portion 
  No. 
  l's 
  and 
  3's. 
  The 
  average 
  

   price 
  for 
  inspected 
  mackerel 
  was 
  $4.50 
  to 
  $5.50 
  for 
  No. 
  3's, 
  $6 
  to 
  $7 
  for 
  

   2's, 
  extra 
  2's 
  $7.50 
  to 
  $9, 
  and 
  $16 
  to 
  $18 
  for 
  No. 
  l's. 
  Extra 
  l's 
  sold 
  from 
  

   $20 
  to 
  $32. 
  Some 
  very 
  large 
  and 
  fit 
  fish 
  were 
  taken 
  off 
  Block 
  Island, 
  

  

  