REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [238] 



1843. — Scarcity of mackerel in nova scotia. 



Captain Stephens, the commander of one of the provincial revenue 

 cruisers, published a letter in the last Acadian Recorder, which states 

 that * * * the mackerel fishery in the spring proved remarkably 

 unsuccessful, not more than 500 barrels having been taken, where up- 

 wards of 23,000 barrels were obtained last year. The subsequent catch 

 has, however, been more abundant. — (Newburyport Herald, September, 

 1843.) 



1843. — Small catch or mackerel by the new England fleet. 



Mackerel sell on arrival at last week's quotations. (No. 1,$10; No. 2, 

 $8; No. 3, $5.75 per barrel.) There has been no great accumulation this 

 week, and we quote the article as before. The catch will probably fall 

 one-fourth to one-third short of what it was last year. — (Gloucester 

 Telegraph. October 30, 1843.) 



1843. — Failure of the mackerel fishery. 



The mackerel fishery, says the Hingham Gazette, has thus far proved 

 a poor business. Some vessels arrive in port with hardly fish enough 

 to pay the expenses of the trip. — (Barnstable Patriot, October 4, 1843.) 



1844. — Doings of the mackerelmen ; poor catch. 



The mackerel fishermen have done but little lately. Most of the vessels 

 heard from are clean, or nearly so. So says the Yarmouth Register. — 

 (Gloucester Telegraph, July 24, 1844.) 



The mackerel fishermen have been very unsuccessful for the last two 

 months, the catch, which commenced well in the early part of the sea- 

 son, having suddenly declined. A schooner arrived at this place on 

 Tuesday from a six weeks' cruise, with triily six barrels of mackerel on 

 board. — Yarmouth Register. — (Gloucester Telegraph, August 21, 1844.) 



1844. — The mackerel fishery of hlngham. 



The Hingham Patriot publishes a list of 23 vessels from that port 

 which have been employed in the mackerel fishery during a part or the 

 whole of the last summer, with the number of barrels of mackerel packed 

 by each, amounting in all to 8,097 barrels, or an average of 356 barrels 

 to each vessel. There are five other vessels owned in Hingham, whose 

 names are not given, which packed 1,170 barrels, making in all 9,267 

 barrels. — (Gloucester Telegraph, November 27, 1844.) 



1845. — A good haul. 



We learn that Holmes & Co., at Mauomet Ponds, who were seining 

 for menhaden, on Thursday afternoon last, in drawing their seine, found 

 thev had inclosed about a hundred barrels of mackerel. Barrels and 



