AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2025 



Q. That disappeared for a generation, for sixty years and more, from 

 the New England shores ? A. Y r es. 



Q. That is the blueflsh which is now so voracious ? A. Yeg. 



Q. It attacks mackerel, menhaden, and any other tish of the kind! 

 A. Yes. 



Q. Still it is a valuable fish when fresh ? A. It sells pretty well. 



Q. Are not menhaden, mackerel, and squid taken in large quantities 

 in weirs and pounds on the coast of Massachusetts and different places, 

 say south of Cape Cod ? A. Yes ; they catch a good many mackerel in 

 pounds about Monomoy Point and some other places. I don't know to 

 what amount. 



Q. They take menhaden in the same way ? A. Yes. 



Q. And squid in the same way ? A. Yes. 



Q. When you have spoken of the increase or decrease of fish, did you 

 refer to the absolute quantity of fish in existence or only to the relative 

 increase or decrease in particular localities? A. In particular locali- 

 ties ; for over this immense area I don't know. 



Q. When you say the bluefish disappeared for sixty years from 'the 

 Massachusetts coast, you don't mean us to understand that it had be- 

 come less numerous in the world ? A. I don't know where they went. 



Q. And they came back ? A. They came back after a long time. 



Q. Generally the habits of fish are so uncertain you cannot account 

 for their appearance in or disappearance from certain localities ; is not 

 that the case with mackerel and squid and all those varieties of ocean 

 fish ? A. That is the case with all varieties of ocean tish. 



Q. Take this particular speech that has been quoted from, it conies 

 from one of Professor Baird's reports? A. It may be so. 



Q. That was a speech you made in opposition to legislation against 

 trawling, was it not? A. No; against legislation against weirs, traps, 

 and pounds. 



Q. In opposition to legislation against them ? A. Yes. 



Q. You were arguing before that committee that it was not wise to 

 prohibit even weirs, traps, and pounds? A. It originated in the dimi- 

 nution of fish in Buzzard's Bay, and they asked us to make a law to 

 prohibit certain modes of fishing practiced in the waters of the Com- 

 monwealth ; and I opposed that. 



Q. You were making a speech against prohibition? A. It WHM 

 show there was no necessity to make a law to prohibit certain modes ot 

 fishing. 



Q. Mr. Thomson, when inquiring of you as to your observal 

 the spawn of fish and growth of the small fish from the spawn in u par- 

 ticular number of days, put to you finally some such question IIM 

 But you have not observed the same phenomenon since I 

 not as particularly observed it. 



Q. Do you mean that the same phenomenon had not existed * 

 that you had not noticed it, and not made it a subject of observatu 

 A. For certain reasons I was induced to make a very critical 

 tion. 



Q. And you have made no special observation since . 



Q. Do you think that the present knowledge possessed by 



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Q.' But* the bay mackerel are not branded as such, nor shor 



