174 GEOGRAPHICAL BE VIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



a greater or less part of the season. The number of arrivals reported at this port in the shore 

 mackerel industry for the season was about 250. Three vessels engaged in the Greenland fishery, 

 bringing home about half a million pounds of Hitched halibut. Eight vessels followed the squid 

 fishery, making two trips each, one ofl' the Southern coast and one to Newfoundland, meeting with 

 indifferent success. Over a score of vessels were employed in the Eastport, Grand Manan, and Bay 

 of Fundy herring fishery, and half a score made herring trips to Newfoundland. Leaving out of 

 account the receipts of mackerel and herring, and the item of fish-oil, we cannot be far out of the 

 way in estimating that, including the catch of boat and dory fishermen, the average weekly receipts 

 of fish at this port for the current year has been fully 1,000,000 pounds. 



" This is a large showing for a single fishing port, because, as a rule, the business is only carried 

 on elsewhere as one element of a varied industry. Gloucester gives her sole energy to this pro- 

 ductive enterprise, practically speaking, and would be unfortunate indeed if she did not reap 

 commensurate results, placing her at the head of the list of fish-producing communities. The 

 returns are not excessive for the amount of capital and talent and labor and risk involved; and 

 while in some cases vessels have been fortunate in securing large fares, moderate success from 

 constant and patient delving has been the rule, and it is only through extensive operations that 

 large results have been secured. The catch has found a ready sale all through the year, and, with 

 an almost bare market, the outlook for the fishing industry in 1880 is a most encouraging one." 



THE FISHERIES IN 1880. The following review for the year 1880 appears in the Advertiser of 

 January 14, 1881: 



" The Gloucester fishing fleet for 1880 numbered 441 vessels, of which 334 belonged to this 

 port, 11 in Rockport, 81 to other New England ports, and 15 to the British provinces. Some of the 

 outside vessels visited Gloucester only once or twice, to avail themselves of the advantages of our 

 market in disposing of their Bank, herring, or shore catch, but a very respectable portion of the 

 number made Gloucester their headquarters during the greater part of the fishing season, or 

 throughout the year. 



" We find by reference to our files that 163 vessels from this port were engaged in the George's 

 fishery at some time during the year, a part of which made a few George's trips during the height 

 of the season, engaging in other branches of the fisheries subsequently. One hundred and seven 

 vessels, however, followed the George's fishery exclusively, many of them making 14 trips or more 

 during the year. Twenty made trips to George's and the bay ; 20 made George's and mackereling 

 trips ; 5 were in the George's and Grand Manan fisheries ; 4 engaged in the George's and shore 

 cod-fisheries; 3 went to George's, the Banks and mackereling; 2 to George's, mackereling and 

 Grand Mauan ; 1 to George's and squiddiug ; and 1 to George's, the Banks, and shore fishing. 



" The 163 vessels engaged at different times in this branch of the fisheries employed about 

 1,800 men, and made during the year 1,430 trips, landing 27,000,511 pounds of codfish, and 

 1,125,450 pounds of halibut, an increase over the previous year of 101 per cent. 



"The number of vessels engaged in the Bank cod and halibut fisheries during the year was 

 133, of which number 90, employing about 1,200 men, followed the Bank fisheries throughout the 

 year. Twelve were engaged in Bank fishing and mackereling ; 4 in the Bank and herring fisheries; 

 1 in the Bank herring and mackerel fisheries; 1 in the Bank and shore cod-fisheries; 1 went to the 

 Banks and Greenland, and 21 to the Banks, George's, &c., as above stated. But few of these 

 vessels made the long trip, occupying all the season, as was formerly the practice, finding better 

 returns in shorter trips and quicker handling of fares. The halibut fleet made from ten to a dozen 

 trips each, and being considerably smaller than for the previous year made good stocks on a much 

 smaller aggregate catch. The total Bank fleet included in our figures made 249 trips for codfish, 



