THE SEA FISHERIES OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 191 



becomes very numerous, and is destroying useful fish, it either disappears in time, or 

 by what we regard as the regular course of nature and the work of man, that fish 

 diminishes, or is exterminated, and others take its place? — A. After they have eaten 

 up everything, they will start out and go somewhere else. Wheuever they have 

 made their favorite food scarce they go somewhere else. So it is a very serious ques- 

 tion as to what had better be done, no matter -what promise there may be in regard 

 to altering the relations willfully and purposely between the different forms of the 

 animals of the sea. If you take them for food, you allow the consequences to come 

 as they may, but any question of protecting one kind of fish, or destroying or exter- 

 minating others, should always be considered with a great deal of care, and from a 

 great many points of view that do not strike the mind or attention at first thought. 



Q. To undertake to regulate the relations of iish beyond shoal water where you can 

 fish with nets, seines, and pounds, would be impracticable ? — A. It would be very 

 difficult, indeed, and the effect would probably be very trifling. 



Q. You spoke yesterday of the fish of the Southern States, the fisheries of which 

 in the new order of things are being rather more developed by greater diversity of 

 industry, and so forth ; can you mention any other fish that are coming into use ? — 

 A. There are a great many species, probably not less than fifty, all having a definite 

 value as an article of food, and all caught and consumed on the coast, or sent in lim- 

 ited quantities either to the northern markets or to Cuba, that could be taken into 

 consideration, but perhaps the capture of the fish that takes the rank of fisheries re- 

 lates more particularly to the mullet, menhaden, striped bass, and bluefish. There 

 is a very extensive fishery of bluefish on the southern coast. The bluefish, after leav- 

 ing the northern waters, spends a certain time on the coast of Virginia and North 

 Carolina, and by the time it gets back there it has attained enormous dimensions, 

 the fishes being generally from 12 to 15 pounds, at which size they are found only cas- 

 ually and occasionally on the northern coast. It is not at all an uncommon thing for 

 one fishery of a single locality to take 3,000 bluefish averaging 12 pounds each fish. 



Q. What do you mean by one fishery ? — A. A single station at one particular point, 

 the fishing being controlled by one mau or firm. An enormous number of bluefish 

 are sent late in fall and in early winter to the northern markets. 



Q. So that, when bluefish leave the New England coast they do not disappear 

 altogether from the American coast ? — A. Not at all. It disappears some time in Feb- 

 ruary, and where it goes we cannot tell. 



Q. It disappears from the southern coast ? — A. Yes ; a small school of bluefish is 

 found all the year south to Florida, but the large school of bluefish usually disap- 

 pears in February, and, indeed, I may say we never see it again. The fish, as they 

 make their appearance in spring, are smaller fish. 



Q. Do they first appear on the south coast of New England ? — A. On first appear- 

 ing on the coast of Carolina and Virginia, they come in something like the mackerel, 

 only they have a rather more coastwise travel because they do not spawn on the 

 northern coast. Probably the big bluefish go out somewhere to spawn, but what be 1 - 

 comes of them, whether they spawn themselves out to a condition of nonentity I 

 cannot say. We do not see them ; they may go to Africa, or the Mauritius, for blue- 

 fish are found all the world over ; but whether they go to any other portion of the 

 world from the United States I cannot say. 



Q. What have yon to tell the Commission about menhaden at the South ? — A. The 

 menhaden is a very important fish on the south coast as an article of food. It is caught, 

 salted, and pickled, and to some extent used in the country. There is quite a large 

 export of menhaden to the West Indies from the Southern States. 



Q. Is it used fresh ?— A. It is salted and pickled ; it is also eaten fresh very largely, 

 and considered a very capital article of food. 



Q. You have eaten it yourself? — A: Yes; it is a sweet fish, quite as good as herring, 

 but rather more bony; the bones are, however, more adherent to the skeleton. You 

 can prepare menhaden by maceration, so that the greater part of tho bones will stick 



