[113] HISTORY OF THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 



EARLY CATCHES OF MACKEREL IN 1879. 



April 12. — Schooner " Sarah M. Jacobs," of Gloucester, caught first mackerel in 

 latitude 36° 35' N., longitude 74° 50 W. 



April 13. — Schooner "Augusta E. Herrick," of Swan's Island, Me., Capt. William 

 Herrick, caught first mackerel (130 barrels) in latitude 37° 37' N., longitude 74° 23' 

 W. 



April 13. — A few fish taken by schooner " S. G. Wonson," of Gloucester, 75 miles 

 south-southeast from Cape Henlopen. 



April 14. — Schooner " Charles Haskell," of Gloucester, caught first mackerel in lati- 

 tude 38° 08' N., longitude 73° 57' W. 



April li>. — Schooner "Alice," of Swan's Island, Me., caught first mackerel (140 bar- 

 rels) in latitude 37° 50' N., longitude 74° 03' W. 



— EARLY CATCHES OF MACKEREL IN 1880. 



April I. — Schooner "Edward E. Webster," of Gloucester, Capt. Solomon Jacobs, 

 caught the first mackerel of the season in latitude 35° 30' N., longitude 74° 15' W. 



EARLY CATCHES OF MACKEREL IN 1881. 



March 20. — Schooner "Edward E. Webster," of Gloucester, caught the first fish of 

 the season, and the earliest on record, in latitude 37° i0' N., longitude 74° 05' W. A 

 second trip was caught by the same vessel on April 18 in latitude 38° 38' N., longi- 

 tude 74° 00' W. 



May 1G. — The schooner "Alice," of Swan's Island, caught 30,000 mackerel oft" Block 

 Island. 



33. — The vessels. 



The southern mackerel fishery is participated in by 30 or 40 of the 

 Gloucester mackerel schooners and a number of vessels from Cape 

 Cod and Maine. The total number of vessels engaged in this fishery 

 in 1879-80 was 64, of which 23 were from Maine ports and the remain- 

 der from Massachusetts. These are among the swiftest and best of 

 the fleet, and are provided with the fullest amount of canvas for making 

 a quick passage to and from the fishing-grounds. Nearly all of them 

 have ice-houses arranged in the manner already described. 



34. — Apparatus and methods of fishing. 



The apparatus is in every respect identical with that used in the 

 summer fishery; the vessels, however, carry, as has been stated, a much 

 smaller number of barrels than when engaged exclusively in salting the 

 fish. The manner of fishing is the same as that already described, except 

 that the fish being much scarcer and their movements less regular 

 than in summer on the more northern fishing grounds, a greater amount 

 of vigilance and perseverance is required on the part of the fishermen. 

 This is the season of the migration of the mackerel, and it is necessary 

 that the fishermen should understand how to follow the schools of fish 

 as they make their Avay northward, even if they are out of sight for 

 days at a time. They cruise sometimes for weeks off the capes of the 

 Delaware and Chesapeake, sometimes venturing farther south to the 

 latitude of Cape Lookout, though they rarely find mackerel south of the 



