fishermen's memorial and record book. 65 



The Haddock, Pollock, Cod and Halibut Fisheries, 



giving an account of the First Trips to 



Georges for Codfish. 



An important feature in the Spring fishing, from 1812 to 1S17, was 

 tlie haddock market fishery, which was pursued by the fishing boats. 

 The fish were very abundant in the vicinity of Nahant, and were mar- 

 keted at Charlestown, where the alewives used for bait could be ob- 

 tained. These were caught at Medford. The fishery commenced 

 from the first of March and continued until the latter part of April. 

 At this date herring came into the bay, and the Spring codfishing 

 began. 



Two-thirds of the boats engaged in the fisheries at this time be- 

 longed to Sandy Bay, (now Rockport,) and at the approach of storms 

 would come round into this harbor for shelter, mooring in fleets, fast- 

 ened together, and in numbers not less than from thirty to forty sail. 

 The skippers and crews would walk* home, leaving the boats in the 

 care of a suflicient number to look out for them until the storm waa 

 over. * 



During the month of May, 1821, Capts. Simeon Burnham, in the 

 President, George Friend, in the Columbus, Elisha Brown, in the In- 

 dependence, and Samuel Brown, in the Volant, sailed for the Bay 

 of St. Lawrence, on the first codfishing voyage to that locality from 

 this port, arriving home on the third of July, with full fares. At that 

 time nothing was known of keeping fish salted in butts through the 

 summer, and the facilities for curing were very poor, consequently they 



