AWARD OP THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2919 



sumed in the United States ? A. I should say that this is the case with 

 a large portion of them. 



Q. J)o yon know how many barrels of mackerel are caught and con- 

 sumed in the United States? A. I do not know how many are there 

 consumed. 



Q. Can you give us any sort of an idea as to how many barrels of 

 mackerel are consumed annually in the United States? A. I should 

 think that fully three-quarters of the entire catch are there consumed. 



Q. How many is that ? A. I cannot give the catch for last year. 



Q. The largest number of barrels ever consumed in the United States 

 is very small compared with the population ? A. Yes, somewhat so. 



Q. Very little of this kind of fish is consumed there in comparison 

 with the population ? A. I think so ; the catch some 15 years ago was 

 from 360,000 to 350,000 barrels ; and last year it was only 180,000 bar- 

 rels. I am now giving the figures for the State of Massachusetts alone. 

 Some years the catch has been as high as 300,000 barrels. 



Q. Those were caught in that State? They were packed in that 

 State. 



Q. Does this number include what was caught in the bay and packed 

 in that State ? A I presume so. 



Q. During what years was the catch 300,000 barrels ? A. I cannot 

 tell you. I am now only speaking in general terms. 



Q. You spoke of a decline in the catch ? A. In 1863 and 1864 we 

 had a very large catch of mackerel. 



Q. Can you give any sort of an idea as to the extent of such decline ? 

 A. It has gone down from the quantity mentioned to 180,003 barrels 

 for last year ; and this year the catch will be less. 



Q. What was it previously? A. I have no figures which would enable 

 me to give such a statement. 



Q. You cannot tell us what it was previously ? A. I cannot give you 

 the figures. 



Q. We were told yesterday by Mr. Pew that the custom now was to 

 ship fresh mackerel into the interior? A. It is so shipped very largely. 



Q. Fresh mackerel ? A. Yes ; packed in ice. 



Q. I understood you to say that the decline in the mackerel trade 

 was owing to existing facilities for sending fish into the interior ? A. 

 I think that to a certain extent is a cause for it. 



Q. But if they send this very fish in the interior in the fresh state, 

 how can that cause a decline in the mackerel trade? Would this uot 

 rather cause an increase? A. I was speaking up to the present time of 

 salt mackerel entirely. 



Q. Then you admit that fresh mackerel are being sent into the inte- 

 rior in the fresh state ? A. Yes. 



Q. And that trade is increasing? A. I think so; the trade in all 

 kinds of fresh fish is increasing. 



Q. Those fish are caught on your own coast? A. The fresh mack- 

 erel; yes 



Q, Do you not think that this would increase the demand for mack- 

 erel very greatly? A. It would increase the demand for fresh mackerel. 

 I do not think that the one branch has any influence at all over the 

 other; that is ray impression. There is only a limited demand for 

 mackerel. 



Q. And only a limited quantity of mackerel is caught? A. Certainly. 



Q. Do you not think that the demand for fresh fish, which is increas- 

 ing in the interior, opens an increased demand for salt mackerel f A. 

 Not at all. 



