134 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



decline is the inconvenient entrance to the otherwise good and safe harbor. From the first settle- 

 ment of the place to the present time the ever-shifting sands have been forming great obstructions 

 at the mouth of the Merrimac. 



In former years Newburyport sent a large fleet of fishing vessels to the coast of Labrador, 

 but during 1879 not a single United States fishing vessel visited those waters. During 1880 

 only one vessel went there, and she returned with 1,000 quintals of cod and 400 barrels of herring. 



We record, concerning the ship-building industry of Newburyport and near towns, that in 

 Newburyport and the neighboring towns of Salisbury, Haverhill, Rowley, Newbury, Amesbury, 

 Bradford, and Ipswich, 1,001 vessels were built from 1781 to 1881. During the same period G71 

 schooners were registered as built in the customs district of Newburyport, many of which were 

 fishing vessels. From 1875 to 1880, out of the thirty vessels built on the Merrimac, nine, with an 

 aggregate tonnage of 267.26, were fishing schooners. 



The town of Salisbury, adjoining Newburyport, is the headquarters of the dory industry. 

 Here the dory originated, many years ago. An account of this business will be given in the 

 chapter on fishing vessels and boats. 



Clams are found in abundance on both banks of the Merrimac River from the "hump-sands," 

 just inside its mouth on the south, to the " black rocks " on the north, a distance of one mile ; here 

 the river is from one-fourth to one-half mile wide. The clam flats are free to all with no restric- 

 tions, and the diggers say that the more they dig, the more plentiful the clams become. On an 

 average sixty men are working the beds during the whole year. The products are largely shipped 

 to Boston and sold to cities in the vicinity ; quantities are also used by the fishermen for fresh 

 bait ; none are barreled and salted. 



Sperling, or small herring, are caught in November with seines or with dip-nets by torch- 

 light. They are taken just outside the harbor when the torch is used. The light is placed in the 

 bow of the boat, which is slowly rowed along near the shore. The fish, being attracted by the 

 bright light of the torch, surround the boat and follow it in such numbers that they may easily be 

 bailed or dipped in. This operation is continued until a load is obtained. Should the oarsmen 

 cease rowing or draw away from the shore into deep water, the fish at once disappear ; they are 

 taken only for bait, usually by the clam-diggers. One thousand barrels were caught during the 

 fall of 1879. 



In 1879 Newburyport had 23 vessels, aggregating 903.39 tons, employed in the cod and mackerel 

 fisheries; and about 60 boats in the shore- fisheries, including some 30 boats used by the clam- 

 diggers. The capital employed in the fishing industry was $195,000, and the value of the products 

 in first hands was about $120,000. The number of persons engaged in the fisheries was 332, and 

 the number of shoremen was 40. The principal part of the product was sold fresh. Among other 

 products was about 25,000 bushels of clams, some smoked halibut, dry and pickled fish, and oil. 



From Salisbury Point, and other beaches in the neighborhood of Newburyport, a great quan- 

 tity of sea sand is annually taken. Vessels of from 80 to 150 tons have some years taken as 

 many as a thousand cargoes, aggregating 100,000 tons of this sand, carrying most of it to Boston. 



In 1877, according to Capt. Moses Pettingell, Newburyport had twenty vessels engaged in 

 the mackerel fishery, seven of which were fishing in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. In summer eight 

 vessels were engaged in fishing for mackerel with gill-nets. These vessels ranged from five to ten 

 tons each, and carried each about thirty nets and three dories. One man manages a single dory 

 and about ten nets. These same vessels are engaged in the winter cod fishery. Captain Pettiu- 

 gell estimated that the average catch to each of these vessels would be about 50,000 pounds of 



