[97] HISTORY OF THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 



time with the line of toll bait. The effect of this maneuver was to keep 

 the fish from moving away by placing the bait in such a manner that 

 whichever course they took the fish must invariably meet with and be 

 attracted by it to the vessel's side. It frequently happened, however, 

 that the schooling fish took no notice whatever of the toll-bait, either 

 because they were not hungry, or were engaged in feeding upon some 

 form of Crustacea, of which they are exceedingly fond. 



The practice of "lee-bowing," the method of which, so far as the 

 management of the vessel is concerned, has been described in another 

 place, was simply to "heave to "to the leeward of another vessel which was 

 lying to and had a school of fish alongside, and, while so doing, to throw 

 a quantity of bait overboard: this bait passing under the bottom of the 

 first vessel would attract the fish, which would then follow the course of 

 the new bait, passing to leeward under the first vessel and appearing 

 alongside and close to the vessel which was executing the maneuver 

 of lee-bowing. The success of this maneuver is sometimes thwarted ' 

 by the crew of the first vessel throwing over such a quantity of bait 

 that the bait thrown by the second vessel is not noticed by the fish. In 

 this act it is frequently the custom to use a considerable quantity of 

 chopped clams, these being considered better to "hold" the fish along- 

 side than the menhaden bait. The clam bait is also used on other 

 occasions to "hold" the fish, or induce them to bite more rapidly when 

 they are supposed to be tired of the ordinary bait. 



A maneuver sometimes executed by the mackerel schooner is called 

 " springing up." This is done when the mackerel are so close to the 

 shore that the vessel cannot lie to and drift for them. It is accom- 

 plished by bringing the vessel to anchor and then putting a " spring" 

 on the cable, the latter, which is a stout rope, being taken to the port- 

 quarter, and the cable veered out so that the vessel lies with her port 

 side to the wind. The fishing is then carried on on the starboard side, 

 in the same manner as with vessels lying to. 



In former years, when an extensive mackerel fishery was prosecuted 

 in the vicinity of the Seven Islands and at the mouth of the Saint Law- 

 rence River, much jig fishing was carried on by small boats sent out 

 from the vessels. Each of the boats carried a small quantity of ground 

 bait, which was used in the same manner as on the vessels. This 

 method of fishiug has also been practiced to some extent on the coast 

 of Maine even as late as 1879. 



Vessels occasionally returned home from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence 

 to land their catch, leaving a portion of their crew to fish from small 

 boats until their return.* 



The above description of jigging mackerel has been written with 



* Schooner " B. D. Haskins" lately arrived from Bay Saint Lawrence with mackerel ; 

 left five of her crew to continue the fishery in dories until her return on her second 

 trip. — (Cape Ann Advertiser, August 17, 1860.) Instances of this kind were rare. — 

 Authors. 



