[313] HISTORY OF THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 



so far as is known Las been free from molestation by British cruisers of 

 late. The fleet now in the bay is quite respectable in point of numbers, 

 though probably uot as large as the last lew years. — (Gloucester Tele- 

 graph, August G, 1870.) 



The shore mackerel fishing is now at its height, and employs a large 

 fleet from the Cape Ann and Cape Cod fishiug towns. During the 

 month of August 117 Gloucester vessels were reported as arriving from 

 mackereling cruises east, 11 of which arrived twice, making a total of 

 128 fares of shore mackerel landed at Gloucester in August, against 

 some 80 fares in July. Besides these, 17 vessels engaged in seining ar- 

 rived during, the month, many of which had secured good fares of 

 mackerel. There were 20 arrivals i'rom seining in July. The fleet has 

 met with good success, although as a rule the mackerel have not been 

 of a very good quality. The last week or two, however, has shown an 

 improvement in the quality of the smaller grades, and the disparity of 

 prices between the ones and twos will probably soon be lessened. No. 1 

 mackerel have commanded good prices, ruling from $22 to $20 per bar- 

 rel for shore, but most of the 2's have been closed out at $9.75 per bar- 

 rel, and 3's have ruled at $0 per barrel since the 1st of July. The ar- 

 rivals from the bay have not been numerous. Only 10 vessels have ar- 

 rived here this season, and these have met with a moderate success, 

 averaging about 200 barrels each. The bay mackerel received have 

 been of good quality, and sold at $24 to $25 per barrel for No. l's; 

 $12.50 to $13 for 2's, and $10.50 for 3's. 



Last year the number of arrivals from the bay to this date was 13. 

 In 1868 only 8 vessels arrived in August. In 1867 there were 51 arrivals, 

 and in 1866 81 arrivals from the bay previous to this date. The aver- 

 age fares of the bay fleet arriving previous to September, last 3'ear, was 

 about 200 barrels. The Portland fleet are doing about the same as the 

 Gloucester vessels, 13 arrivals having been reported, with a total catch 

 of 2,381 barrels. 



Letters received at Newbury port state that 9 vessels belonging to 

 that port had fares on the 15th ultimo ranging from 20 to 110 ban els, and 

 averaging 55.1 barrels each, and there has been one arrival from the bay, 

 at Newbury port, with only 80 barrels. Three vessels have arrived- at 

 Booth Bay from the bay, averaging less than 150 barrels each. — (Glou- 

 cester Telegraph, September 3, 1870.) 



1870. — Reminiscences of capt. j. w. Collins. 



In the summer of 1870 I started on a mackerel trip to the Gulf of 

 Saint Lawrence, about the middle of June, in the new schooner" Alice 

 G. Wonsou." We reached the fishing ground about the 25th of June. 

 The mackerel in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence were large, but very scarce, 

 and they did not seem to fatten so rapidly as in previous years. We 

 returned home in August after an absence of eight or ten weeks, with 

 a fare of 175 barrels of mackerel, which brought a high price, our No. 



