REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [142] 



one-half of the net proceeds of sale, and the vessel-owners to the other 

 half. The difference between the gross and net proceeds is the cost of 

 packing, including the barrel and the stock charges. Thus, a trip of 

 mackerel may be sold for $5,000. The stock charges may be $300 and 

 the cost of packing $600. The net proceeds would be $5,000, minus 

 $900, or $4,100. One half the net proceeds, or $2,050, is the owner's 

 share, and the other half the crew's share. From the crew's half must 

 be deducted the crew's expenses, which may be $150, thus leaving $1,900 

 to be divided among the men. 



Prior to 1872 a settlement with the vessel's crew for a trip was not 

 made until the mackerel were inspected and sold, which might be sev- 

 eral months after the trip was completed. As a general rule, the ves- 

 sel-owner packed and purchased the catch very soon after it was landed, 

 and then, having settled with the crew, he waited for a favorable time 

 to put the fish on the market. The crew have, perhaps, a legal right to 

 take their half of the fish, after deducting stock and packing charges, 

 and may sell that half whenever they please, but in practice the owner 

 of the vessel usually sells the fish for the crew or buys them outright. 

 The captain of the vessel may act as agent for the owner in selling mack- 

 erel away from home. 



Since 1872, and especially during the past two or three years, many 

 trips have been sold " out of pickle " immediately after being landed. 

 The crew at once receive their share of money, and may proceed on 

 another trip, and the fish may not be packed and put upon the market 

 for several weeks, or even months. In selling out of pickle a barrel of 

 mackerel is reckoned at 200 pounds of fish as they come from the sea- 

 packed barrel, without being drained of pickle or the salt washed off, 

 though the fishermen sometimes complain that there is a pretty thorough 

 draining and washing before the fish arer weighed. The price paid the 

 fisherman is so much per 200 pounds of fish, exclusive of the barrel, 

 which is furnished by the purchaser. 



Mackerel bought from the vessel out of pickle are sometimes re-sold 

 before being properly culled and inspected according to the letter of the 

 law. The practice of selling out of pickle is often an accommodation 

 to the fishermen, as it does not require them to wait for weeks or months 

 for their money. It is also often a source of considerable profit to the 

 purchaser, who, by careful culling, may realize a far greater proportion 

 of good grades offish than was estimated in buying them without being 

 assorted. 



A considerable source of profit to the dealers is the practice of buying 

 inspected barrels of mackerel and then re-packing them, perhaps mak- 

 ing a few more barrels of the better grades, or packing them as mess 

 mackerel by cutting off the heads and tails and scraping off the blood. 

 There is a loss of about 25 per cent, in weight from ordinary to mess 

 mackerel, but usually a more than proportionate increase in the value 

 of the fish. 



