THE BLUE-FISH. I 79 



may allow one thousand millions as occurring in the extent 

 of our coasts referred to, even neglecting the smaller ones, 

 which, perhaps, should also be taken into the account. 



"An allowance of ten fish per day to each Blue-fish is not 

 excessive, according to the testimony elicited from the fisher- 

 men and substantiated by the stomachs of those examined; 

 this gives ten thousand millions of fish destroyed per day. 

 And as the period of the stay of the Blue-fish on the New 

 England coast is at least one hundred and twenty days, we 

 .have in round numbers twelve hundred million millions fish 

 devoured in the course of a season. Again, if each Blue-fish, 

 averaging five pounds, devours or destroys even half its own 

 weight of other fish per day (and I am not sure that the esti- 

 mate of some witnesses of twice this weight is not more 

 nearly correct), we will have, during the same period, a daily 

 loss of twenty-five hundred million pounds, equal to three 

 hundred thousand millions for the season. 



"This estimate applies to three or four year old fish, of at 

 least three to five pounds weight. We must however, allow 

 for those of smaller size, and a hundred-fold or more in num- 

 ber, all engaged simultaneously in the butchery referred to. 



"We can scarcely conceive of a number so vast; and how- 

 ever much we may diminish, within reason, the estimate of 

 the number of Blue-fish and the average of their captures, 

 there still remains an appalling aggregate of destruction. 

 While the smallest Blue-fish feed upon the diminutive fry, 

 those of which we have taken account capture fish of large 

 size, many of them if not capable of reproduction, being with- 

 in at least one or two years of that period. 



"It is estimated by very good authority that of the spawn 

 deposited by any fish at a given time not more than thirty 

 per cent, are hatched, and that less than ten per cent, attain 

 an age when they are able to take care of themselves. As 

 their age increases, the chances of reaching maturity becomes 

 greater and greater. It is among the small residuum of this 



