[305] HISTORY OF THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 



thing has been done within the power of mortals to render the season a 

 successful one. The vessels have been on the ground early and late, 

 and in some instances days have merged into weeks without having a real 

 lively catch. This has been exceedingly discouraging, no one can 

 deny. * * * 



That there are very many families in this town who have no money 

 wherewith to support life the coming winter, on account of the poor re- 

 turns of the mackerel season, is also a fact that stares us in the face in 

 these dull and cheerless days of November. * * * The fishermen 

 with families dependent upon them for bread are eager and anxious to 

 be earning. It is no fault of theirs that they have not a balance of two 

 or three hundred dollars whereby to meet the wants of their families. 

 They did their best and failed. Such men are deserving of praise and 

 substantial encouragement. * * * 



Let us hope that winter fishing will yield good returns; and it hardly 

 seems possible that there can be another unsuccessful mackereling sea- 

 son to follow in the footsteps of the past three years.— (Cape Ann Ad- 

 vertiser, November 13, 1867.) 



186S. — Eeminiscences of capt. j. w. COLLINS. 



During the early part of 1868 I was engaged in the cod fisheries on 

 George's and Western Bank ; but leaving this fishery, I started for the 

 Gulf of Saint Lawrence on the schooner "Glen wood "in July. We 

 fished about the north side of Prince Edward Island, on Bank Bradley 

 along the west shore, in the Bay of Chaleur, and about the Magdalens. 

 Mackerel were large, but perceptibly scarcer than for a number of years 

 previous. Having obtained a fare of over 200 barrels, we returned 

 home in the latter part of August to pack out our fish and refit for a 

 second trip to the bay. On our second trip we fished chiefly about the 

 Magdalens, though to some extent off east point of Prince 'Edward 

 Island and along the north shore of Cape Breton. We obtained a fare 

 of good barrels, and arrived home about the middle of November. 



1868. — Mackerel fishery on the French coast. 



The mackerel fishing on the French coast is at present exceedingly 

 good. Two smacks have just returned to Dieppe, one with 12,060 fish 

 and the other with 18,525. Also a boat belonging to Boulogne has 

 brought in nearly 18,000.— (Barnstable Patriot, May 12, 1868.) 



1869. — American vessels in the gulf of saint lawrence. 



The following statement of the number of fishing vessels in the Gulf of 

 Saint Lawrence mackerel fishery and the American shore mackerel 

 fishery, was submitted by David W. Low to the Halifax Commission :* 



Barrels. 



194 vessels in Gulf, average catch 209 barrels 40, r>4f> 



151 vessels off shore, average catch 222 barrels 33, 552 



Mackerel caught by boats and some eastern vessels, packed in Gloucester 19, 02d 



* Documents and Proceedings Halifax Commission, 1877, U. S. edition, p. 2595. 



