[79] HISTORY OF THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 



hundred in number were often caught in this way, the seiners supposing 

 that their being with the pogies prevented them from trying to escape, 

 since pogies seldom leave the seine after it is around them, but we never 

 set the seine for them (mackerel) when in deeper water than ten fathoms, 

 our seines not being deeper than that at that time. One day in July, 

 1862, I lay at anchor near Boon Island, it being calm at the time. 

 While lying there a school of mackerel came up and began to play 

 around at the surface, not far from us. Knowing that the water was 

 twenty-five fathoms deep where the fish were, I did not go after them 

 right away, but after they had been schooling some time I concluded to 

 go out and look at them. I found the water to be as I had expected — 

 twenty-five fathoms deep. I thought, however, that I would try just to 

 see what would come of it, although the men said it would be no use, as 

 the fish would soon disappear, but we threw out our seine and went 

 around them, with as little noise as possible, and commenced to purse 

 up, the men saying that the mackerel would soon go, but they did not 

 go, but continued to school in the seine until the latter was pursed up, 

 and the rings on the boat. Then we thought we had done something 

 never before heard of. We took fifty barrels of large mackerel that 

 time." 



"After securing the fish I weighed anchor and ran to Eichmond's Isl- 

 and. When I arrived there I found fifteen fishing vessels at anchor. 

 I told them (the skippers and crews) that I had taken fifty barrels of 

 mackerel in deep water, but they would not believe it, saying that if I 

 had it would never be done again. But it set them to thinking, and 

 they soon found that mackerel could be caught in deep water. The 

 fleet of seiners began to increase from that time, and has kept groM ing 

 until the present, when it amounts to about two hundred sail.* I date 

 the catching of mackerel in deep water from the time and occurrence I 

 have mentioned above. I was in one of the first seven vessels that 

 sailed on seining voyages from Gloucester, Capt. Samuel Blatchford 

 and Capt. Nathaniel Watson being the two first to try the business, 

 and they both gave up seining, as it did not pay them." 



WelWeet, Mass., had 52 mackerel seiners in 1877. Seines were first 

 carried by the W T ellfleet vessels about 1857, but their use was soon 

 abandoned. In 1863 to 1865 the " Mary B. Dyer " had a seine, and since 

 that time more or less seines have been in use. In 1873 all the vessels 

 went into this business. 



The first purse-seine brought into Central Maine, writes Mr. Earll, 

 was bought by Mr. Amherst Spofford, and taken to Damariscove in 

 1859, and used with rather indifferent success until 1861; it was 130 

 fathoms long and 12 fathoms deep ; the parties kept it on the island 

 and took it out in small boats whenever fish were seen schooling in the 

 vicinity. It seems that Mr. Spofford did not thoroughly understand 

 setting it and caught but few fish. 



Sailing from Gloucester. 



