246 FISHERMEN'S OWN BOOK. 



Veteran Fishermen. — Mr. George Merchant, 74 years of age, was en- 

 gaged in the mackerel fishery from May 4 to Sept. i, 188 1, and helped to 

 take care of a catch of 1,200 barrels of mackerel ; he has been engaged in 

 fishing some part of the season ever since he was ten years of age. 



Mr. George Gerring of East Gloucester, 72 years of age, was engaged in 

 the Georges fishery in the Spring of 1881 on board sch. Light Whig, and 

 cauo-ht an average share ; he commenced fishing when thirteen years of age. 



Mr. Charles A. Furgerson of Robinstovvn, Me., 50 years of age, has fol- 

 lowed fishing from this port for thirty-four years, and for twenty-one years 

 was on Georges every season regularly. His first trip was in sch. Cherokee. 

 Mr. Furgerson was one of the original subscribers to "Procters' Able 

 Sheet." When he was in the Pioneer he hauled one pair of halibut weigh- 

 ing 300 pounds, which sold for $42.62. He is now on board the Charles 

 H. Hildrcth. He states that he never saw good luck on board a vessel 

 when a land bird flies on board. 



The New England Codfish Catch for 188 i.— The New England catch 

 of cod and other ground fish is reported at 775,627 qtls., against 647,426 

 qtls. the previous year. The Massachusetts catch alone was 548,640 qtls., 

 Gloucester taking the lead with 431,800 qtls. (nearly 55^ per cent, of the 

 New England catch, and nearly 77 per cent, of the Massachusetts catch), 

 and Provincetown coming next with 86,317 qtls. The Portland catch was 

 78,000 qtls., Eastport, 28,000, Boothbay, 19,071, Vinalhaven, 14,175, Bev- 

 erly, 10,400, and no other New England port exceeded 10,000 qtls. 



Catching Cod around Newfoundland. — There are two ways in which 

 the people around the Newfoundland coast and on that of Labrador engage 

 in catching cod. Fish are caught in boats about the size of small schoon- 

 ers, decked in and provided with comfortable "cuddies," which is where the 

 fishermen cook, eat and sleep, or rest after the immediate toil is ended ; 

 and they are caught in little open boats or skiffs, having two masts and 

 sometimes a saucy little jib-boom, and these little boats they sail when there 

 is wind, and row when it is calm. The large boats sometimes go a hundred 

 miles from home around the coast to fish, and the fishermen live in them 

 through the Summer, but the small boats go only a few miles from home, 

 seldom stay out all night, but getting their loads, return to land. The for- 

 mer belong to the towns and harbors, or large villages ; the latter to the 

 coves, we might say the crevices, around the coast. About the first of June 

 the fishery commences, and in the first gray of the morning flocks of little 

 boats with barked sails may be seen putting out from the rocks. At this 

 time of the year the cod is usually hungry, for it has just come in from the 

 banks of Newfoundland, meeting perhaps but few fish to prey on on its way. 



