T ITI. 



THE FISHERIES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



A. THE COAST OF MASSACHUSETTS AND ITS FISHERIES. 



54. OUTLINE AND PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES. 



Massachusetts is the center of the sea-fisheries of the United States. From here arc carried 

 on all the various branches of the bank and shore cod, haddock, and halibut fisheries, the mackerel 

 fishery, menhaden and whale fisheries, lobster, oyster, clam, and other fisheries; and numerous 

 industries related to them have their headquarters here. 



The coast of the State possesses excellent harbors and peculiar facilities for carrying on an 

 extensive maritime business. For more than two hundred and fifty years the bays have abounded 

 in fish of many kinds, and the inhabitants have looked to the sea as a means of support. Cape Cod, 

 "the right arm of the State," has always been the home of hardy fishermen, and Cape Ann, on the 

 northern side of Massachusetts Bay, is the headquarters of the largest fishing fleet belonging to 

 any port in the country. 



For convenience the coast towns are divided into eleven districts, corresponding to the eleven 

 customs districts of the State. Commencing at the New Hampshire line, the first district is that 

 of Newburyport, which includes the towns of Newburyport and Ipswich. Next in geographical 

 order is the Gloucester district, embracing Essex, Rockport, Gloucester, and Manchester. The 

 Saleui district comes next, and includes Beverly and Salem. The other districts are Marblehead, 

 including Marblehead, Swampscott, Nahaut, and Lynn ; Boston, including towns from Boston to 

 Cohasset on the south shore of Massachusetts Bay; Plymouth, embracing Scituate, Duxbury, 

 Kingston, and Plymouth; Barnstable, including Provincetown and other places in Barnstable 

 County; Nan tucket, embracing the fisheries of Nantucket Island; Edgartown, including Martha's 

 Vineyard, No Man's Land, and the Elizabeth Isles; New Bedford, embracing all towns from 

 Wareham to Westport; and the Fall River district, which embraces the fisheries of the Tauntou 

 and adjacent rivers, and in which is included the fishery for shad in the Connecticut River at 

 Holyokc. 



In the early history of the colonies, whales were abundant near shore and were easily captured 

 by small boats. Later, as they became scarce inshore, they were pursued by vessels, and in time 

 the whaling grounds extended to all parts of the world. The whaling fleet in the United States 

 was largest in 1S4G, when 722 vessels were engaged in that business. Of this number 470 were 

 owned in seventeen ports of Massachusetts, and the rest in towns of other New England States, 

 New York, and Delaware. New Bedford owned 250, Nantucket 74, Fairhaven 48, and other towns 

 from 1 to 23 sail. The tleet in the United States on January 1, 1880, numbered 170 sail, owned as 

 follows: New Bedford, 125; Provincetown, 19; Boston, 5; Dartmouth, 2; Marion, 2; Westport, 3, 

 and Edgartown making a total of 162 in Massachusetts; New London, Conn., 5; and San Fran- 

 cisco, Cal., 3. 



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