XVIII REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



first mackerel were seen and caught in latitude 37° 30', longitude 75° 35'. An im- 

 mense body of fish, in large schools, was seen extending some 25 miles. The fish 

 remained in this location up to April 20. A small catch was made, 25 miles north of 

 where they were first seen, up to May 15. For a week during the middle of May 

 quite a large body of fish was seen, and some good fares were secured in latitude 38° 

 30', longitude 74°, off Feuwick's lulet. The weather was unfavorable for fishing 

 much of the time, the early catch small, and the fishing followed at a loss. May 15, 

 part of the ileet were off Block Island taking some mackerel, but no large body of 

 fish was again seen off the United States coast until fall. The early catch was 

 noticeable as being all large fish, and, as usual in the spring, of poor quality. The 

 body of fish appear to have crossed the southern part of George's Bank, and were 

 next found off the Nova Scotia coast, between Cape Sable and Canso, mackerel having 

 been ca ught there between May 25 and June 5, passing on into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 

 being found June 15 off North Cape, Prince Edward's Island. On July 8 they were 

 found 15 miles N. by E. from North Cape, soon disappearing. From July 8 to August 1 

 was the only time mackerel were found in abundance in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and 

 not always during that time, yet vessels that were on the grounds of Orphan and 

 Bradley Banks, and off Escumenac Point, had a fair catch. The fish wero mostly 

 taken from 10 to 25 miles from shore. 



The early catch came to a close abruptly.- Only the first arrivals secured fares, later 

 arrivals spent weeks and months, taking very few if any fish. Vessels with a fair catch 

 came home, selling their catch at the extremely low price of $4.50 a barrel, and at once 

 returned in hopes of securing another fare of better fish and realizing more for them; 

 in most cases they were disappointed, catching only a few barrels of fish. 



Returning from the disastrous trips to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the fleet cruised 

 off the home shore, from the Bay of Fundy to Cape Cod, adding a small amount to 

 the catch which was continued up to the middle of December. Quite a body of fine 

 mackerel were off Block Island, and in Barnstable Bay as late as December; they 

 seldom schooled, yet quite an amount was taken by small boats and net fishermen. 

 The work of the season is remarkable for the scarcity of fish, they having been seen 

 only occasionally in any amount either in American or provincial waters. The 

 amount taken is the smallest since 1843, and with three exceptions, since 1818. The 

 catch often shows great fluctuations, years of small production being followed by 

 abundance. As late as 1883, the catch of Massachusetts was only 154,140 barrels, 

 followed the next year by 304,938. The rapid and great advance in prices is notice- 

 able, yet under the circumstances not remarkable. 



The American catch of mackerel for 188f>. 



State 



Massachusetts... 



Do 



Maine 



Do 



New Hampshire . 

 Khode Island — 



( Jonnecticut 



New York 



Pennsylvania — 



Total 



Apparatus. 



Vessels 



Weils and traps 



Vessels 



Weirs and traps 



Vessels 



"Weirs and traps 



Vessels 



do 



do 



Vessels. 



Tonnage. 



1G, 350. C9 



5, <m. 3(5 



88. 13 

 77.00 

 79. 15 



22, 726. 24 



Crew s. 



3,313 

 243 



1,377 



