1986 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



By Hon. Mr. Kellogg : 

 Q. When was that ? A. In 1850, I think. 



By Mr. Foster : 



Q. Has there been good mackerel fishing at various points off the 

 coast of the United States, say during the last ten years ? A. Oh, yes. 

 It has been twenty years, however, since I participated in the mackerel 

 fishery. During the last ten years the mode of fishing has changed, 

 being entirely different from that formerly pursued. The mode of catch- 

 ing mackerel has changed more than once since I first went fishing. 



Q. Explain. A. In my boyhood when I caught my first mackerel no- 

 body thought of jigging them. We then took them in the same way blue- 

 fish are caught. My first experience in mackerel fishing took place when 

 1 was a little boy. I went out with two old men. One of them fished 

 in the stern of the boat, and when it did not sail fast enough the other 

 and myself I \vas eight years old at the time had to row, in order, by 

 the more rapid motion of the boat, to induce the fish to bite. They 

 would not bite unless the line was towed. Two great long poles were 

 run out, one just forward in such a manner that our vessel had the ap- 

 pearance of a long armed spider. The poles were straight and one line 

 was fastened at one part and another line on the end of the pole, in order 

 to have them separated. This style of fishing continued until about the 

 time when I began to go to sea. Jigging for mackerel then commenced, 

 bait being thrown overboard and the fish being thus attracted along- 

 side of the vessels, and it came into general use. The first year that I 

 fished for mackerel on this coast was in 1826, and having changed from 

 the laborious and exposed business of cod-fishing on the Labrador coast, 

 I took a good deal of notice of what passed, and consequently I still re- 

 member a good deal about the voyage. We sailed from Provincetown 

 on the 28th of June, and went down to a point some twenty leagues north- 

 east of Cape Cod. 



On the day following we saw one school of mackerel, and, getting into 

 it, we threw out bait, and caught, well, some three or four barrels. That 

 was the first school which we met with; and this happened on the 29th of 

 J une. It was the last school we saw until the 13th of September, my birth- 

 day ; this was a very large school. In five weeks we caught 238 barrels of 

 mackerel, and, although it was early in the season, still they packed 

 very well. After they were packed we went out again and secured 250 

 barrels where we saw the school of mackerel on the 13th of September. 



Q. What is the present mode of catching mackerel ? A. Now they 

 carry a large seine, worth 1,000 or more, and have very large crews. 

 Men go out from the seiniug-vessel in a boat, and shoot the seine these 

 seines are from 200 to 300 fathoms in length and from 20 to 25 fathoms 

 in depth around the school, and thus catch from 100 to 150 barrels at 

 a time; this is the present mode of fishing. We have 30 mackerel- 

 fishing vessels which left Proviucetowu this year, being two less than 

 last year, and one of them went to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. All of 

 them carry seines. 



Q. Do you know what success the one which came to the gulf has 

 had ? A. No. I have not heard from her, though I called on her 

 owners. 1 obtain my statistics personally from the owners and agents 

 of the vessels. 



Q. With purse-seines, of course it makes no difference whether the 

 mackerel will take the bait or not? A. No. 



Q. A good many opinions have been expressed with regard to the 

 throwing overboard of gurry, or the offal of mackerel. Does this, iu 



