REPORT OF COMMISSIONER 07 FISH AND FISHERIES. [244] 



100 tons burden, manned by 18 bands, and bad been absent tbree months. 

 She reported very few vessels at the bay, and the prospect good. The 

 whole Gloucester fleet at that time were on this coast, and were doing 

 very poorly, and the prospects were not favorable for a heavy catch. 

 At Gloucester there were 200 sail of Cape Cod vessels at anchor in the 

 harbor, and many vessels had arrived at that port, absent four or five 

 weeks, with only 40 barrels of mackerel. The trips averaged about one- 

 third No. 1. 



1849. — Fall mackerel fishery of cape cod bay. 



The mackerel fishermen in several of the towns of the Cape during 

 the months of October and November brought in good fares, which has 

 helped to make up for an otherwise poor season's business. We learn 

 that the mackerel caught off Chatham by fishermen in the south part of 

 Dennis and Harwich during these months amount to more than $100,000. 

 The vessels packing at the new establishment of Messrs. Fred. Scudder 

 & Co., in the south part of this town, caught during the same time 

 mackerel to the amount of more than $10,000, and several vessels pack- 

 ing at Messrs. Baxter & Bragg's returned with some thousands in value. 

 All this was earned after many of the vessels of the Cape had hauled 

 up. — (Barnstable Patriot, December 12, 1849.) 



1849. — BeMINISCENCES OF CAPT. J. W. COLLINS. 



The mackerel off the New England shore in 1849 were all large fish 

 and fairly abundant. That summer I made my first trip mackerel fish- 

 ing, going out as one of the crew of the pinkey Walker. We fished off 

 Mount Desert Bock, and caught 40 barrels of fine, large mackerel in 

 three or four weeks. At that time each one of the crew was provided 

 with a hogshead tub to strike their fish in; the mackerel were salted in 

 butts, which were stowed on their heads in the hold, the catch of each 

 one of the crew being counted by the splitter and placed to his credit. 

 The pinkies of those days had no cabin aft, all hands sleeping in a dingy 

 little cuddy forward, where the meals were also prepared and eaten. 



1850. — Scarcity of mackerel. — influence of bluefish on the 

 movements of mackerel. 



The following extract, copied from the Newburyport Herald by the 

 Gloucester Telegraph of September 4, 1850, gives an idea of the mack- 

 erel fishery at that date : 



"We have never known fresh mackerel so scarce in this market in the 

 season for them as they have been this year. Up to the present time 

 no good mackerel, suitable for the table, have found the way here; and 

 considering how very desirable they are in dog days as an article of 

 food, it is quite a calamity to the lovers of good fish. Some attribute 

 the scarcity of mackerel in our bay to the presence of the bluefish. 



