[65] HISTORY OF THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 



fishermen when they have a large school of menhaden in their seine 

 alongside of the steamer. If the fish hang heavy on the twine one or 

 two quick turns is given with the propeller and the frightened menha- 

 den rise quickly to the surface. This method is called " whirling 'em 

 up." 



(e.) Methods of seining by night. — The practice of fishing for mackerel, 

 purse-seining in the nighttime, which has recently come iuto quite 

 general use, was first attempted, so far as we can learn, in 1877. The 

 honor of introducing this method of fishing is assigned to a number of 

 the more enterprising captains of the mackerel schooners, and, in con- 

 sequence, it is difficult to say here who should receive the credit for the 

 innovation. As is well known to all who are familiar with the sea, the 

 water, on dark nights, frequently exhibits a remarkably brilliant phos- 

 phorescent display. At such times objects moving in the sea can be 

 distinctly traced by the illumination which, they leave behind, and 

 schools of fish rising near the surface can be readily seen. Indeed on 

 some occasions so remarkable is the phosphorescence thrown oat from 

 a large school of fish that it frequently seems to light up the surrounding 

 darkness. From this reason, and the fact that the fisherman, by long 

 experience and close observation, can accurately determine the kind of 

 fish which he may see sporting at night, he is thus often enabled to 

 learn the whereabouts of certain species, such for iustance, as the mack- 

 erel, and their abundance, even when they do not come to the surface 

 during the day. The mackerel is a remarkably capricious fish, and per- 

 haps for many days in succession its presence can not be detected in its 

 favorite haunts while daylight lasts, and the fisherman therefore seeks 

 for it in vain, but as soon as the sun sets and darkness appears over the 

 sea the schools rise to the surface and the fish continue to disport them- 

 selves in this manner until near daylight when they again sink out of 

 sight. 



For many years after the introduction of purse-seines it was con- 

 sidered impracticable by the fishermen to catch mackerel in the night, 

 but at last some of the more adventurous skippers, having a favorable 

 opportunity for night fishing, and deeming it possible to catch the 

 mackerel, made an attempt and met with even better success than they 

 dared to anticipate. Thereafter they followed up this method of fishing 

 whenever a good chance occurred, but as it usually resulted greatly to 

 their personal success, as well as increased their reputation among their 

 fellow fishermen, on account of the additional amount of fish caught, 

 they were by no means anxious to tell that part of their catch was made 

 in the night, since if they did so, all the other mackerel fishermen would 

 at once come directly into competition with them. As a matter of 

 course, however, the fact of mackerel being seined at night could not 

 long be kept a secret, and the result was that one after another began 

 to adopt this practice until in the fall of 1881 it reached its climax, 



