fishermen's memorial and record book. 97 



From what we can learn respecting the Iceland fishery, the trip of 

 the Membrino Chief was made in the wrong season. It is said that 

 two schools of fish, which afford the best fishing, frequent the coast 

 each year, one arriving in April, and the other in September'; there- 

 fore this trip was too late for one, and too early for the other. 



France employs quite a fleet in the cod-fishery on this coast, which 

 usually make two trips in a season. The English, also, have a few 

 vessels engaged in it, and the Danes, to whom the island belongs, 

 prosecute a large and profitable fishing business. It only requires 

 another trial on the part of the Yankee fishermen to learn the modus 

 operandi, and we should not be at all surprised if some of our skip- 

 pers yet make successful trips to Iceland. Why not? 



Estimated Product of the Fisheries of Gloucester 

 for the Year 1872. 



384,000 quintals codfish, - - • - - - $2,01 6,000 



67,395 barrels mackerel, 781 825 



10,000 " herring, 45,000 



Other fish, 25,000 qtls., 87,500 



Shellfish, 20,000 



Fresh fish, 8,000,000 pounds, .... 250,000 



Oil, 225,000 gallons, 129,000 



Fresh herring, 2,540,000 pounds, - - - 125,000 



All others, 10,000 



Total, $3,414,325 



Tonnage. — The total tonnage of the District of Gloucester for 

 the year ending June 30th, 1873, is 28,565.66 tons, an increase of 

 16,982 tons over the previous year. The whole number of vessels 

 is 517, employed as follows: six in the foreign trade; ninety in 

 coasting ; four hundred and twenty in fishing ; and one yacht. 



