[351] HISTORY OF THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 



by United States vessels in the bay of Saint Lawrence. The receipts 

 by months were as follows: April, 7 barrels; May, 3,977 barrels; June, 

 1,730 barrels ; July, 19,105 barrels ; August, 28,030 barrels ; September, 

 39,534 barrels ; October, 30,996 barrels ; November, 12,395 barrels. 



The Cape Ann Advertiser record for the year 1880, gives the follow- 

 ing facts concerning the mackerel fishery of Gloucester in that year : 



The mackerel industry employed 175 vessels and about 2,500 men ; 

 the number of vessels engaged in no other fishing branch for the year 

 was 90. Fifteen were employed in mackereling and the shore fishery; 

 27 in mackereling, the herring and shore fisheries; and 38 in the mack- 

 erel, Georges and bank fisheries, &c. * * * The Block Island 

 mackereling fleet comprised 15 vessels, the Southern fleet 34, and the 

 Bay of Saint Lawrence fleet 15, all of which were successfully engaged 

 in the offshore mackerel fishery. Most of the southern fleet disposed 

 of their catch, in large proportion fresh, in the" Philadelphia, New York, 

 and Boston markets ; the bay of Saint Lawrence trips were failures ; 

 the Block Island catch was smaller than in 1879 ; but the shore catch 

 was larger than for many years, and proved profitable. The total catch 

 is estimated at 129,020 barrels. — (Cape Ami Advertiser, January 14, 

 1881.) 



1880.— Review of the new England mackekel fishery. 



In its review of the New England fisheries for the year 1880 the Bos- 

 ton Fish Bureau has the following concerning the mackerel fishery : 



The season opened by the early, or southern, fleet sailing in March. 

 First catch reported by schooner " Edward E.Webster,' 7 25,000 fish, April 

 2. The record of the fleet will be found in the report of the various 

 fleets, and shows another financially disastrous early catch, some of the 

 vessels returning without fish, very few with profit. We have in pre- 

 vious reports mentioned the injurious effects of this branch of the catch, 

 even when followed at a profit, a large catch of poor fish injuring the 

 demand later in the season. The past few years fully demonstrates that 

 the sooner the early catch is abandoned the better it will be for all in- 

 terested. The first catch in the weirs at Cape Cod April 2G ; first new 

 salt mackerel arrived at Boston May 10. The market for a new stock 

 ranged from $5 to $0, vessels doing only fairly up to July 1, the fish and 

 fleet being scattered from Cape Cod to Jeffrey's Banks. Early in July 

 an unprecedented large body of mackerel appeared in Massachusetts 

 Bay, at our very doors. The oldest dealers and fishermen report never 

 having known them so plentiful. They continued in the bay until the 

 close of the season in December, during which time the entire fleet did 

 well, while many of them made remarkable " stocks," as will be seen in 

 the reports of individual vessels. The catch was noticeable for the ab- 

 sence of large and very small fish, its excellent quality, however, caus- 

 ing an active demand for immediate consumption. The catch in the 

 North Bay and provincial waters by the American fleet was almost an 



