MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 175 



and 2G1 for halibut, making a total catch of 20,000,247 pounds of the former, and 7,000,940 pounds 

 of the hitter. This shows an increase over the previous year of about 7,000,000 pounds iu the 

 Bank codfish catch, and a decrease of about 4,000,000 pounds in the catch of I3auk halibut. 



" The mackcreling industry employed 175 vessels, and about 2,500 men ; the number of vessels 

 engaging in no other fishing branch for the year, was 90. Fifteen were employed in mackereling 

 and the shore fishery ; 27 in mackereliug and the herring fishery ; 5 iu mackereliug, the herring, 

 and shore fisheries; and 33 in the mackerel, George's, and Bank fisheries, &c., as indicated above. 

 The Block Island mackereliug fleet comprized 15 vessels, the Southern fleet 34, and the Bay Saint 

 Lawrence fleet 15, all of which were also successfully engaged in the offshore mackerel fishery. 

 Most of the Southern fleet disposed of their catch, in large proportion fresh, in the Philadelphia, 

 New York, and Boston markets ; the Bay Saint Lawrence trips were failures ; the Block Island 

 catch was smaller than in 1879; but the shore catch was larger thau for many years, and proved 

 profitable. The total catch is estimated at 129,020 barrels. 



" The shore cod fishery was less profitable thau iu previous years, the schools of fish failing to 

 appear in their inshore haunts. The fleet numbered 56 vessels, of which about one-half were also 

 engaged during a part of the year in other branches of the fisheries. The number of fares lauded 

 was 96, aggregating 1,000,720 pounds, or about one half the quantity reported iu 1879. 



" The herring fisheries employed 50 vessels, most of which were also engaged in other fisheries, 

 as already indicated. The number of trips made was 79, and the catch about 30,000 barrels, or 

 twice the quantity received iu 1S79. 



"There were also half a dozen vessels engaged iu squidiug, a winter fleet of large vessels in 

 the fresh cod and haddock fishery, and a respectable fleet of small craft following the market cod 

 and haddock fishery all the season, whose catch, together with that of the dory fishermen, if 

 we were able to present the figures, would swell the Gloucester product to very considerable 

 figures, and substantiate her claim to the first rank iu the list of food-producing communities on 

 this side of the Atlantic."' 



THE GLOUCESTER FISHERIES IN 1881. The following review for 1881, though not properly 

 belonging to the census report, is given here to show the increase in the industry since 1879. It 

 appeared iu the Cape Ann Advertiser of January 6, 1882: 



"The Gloucester fishing fleet for 18S1 numbered 437 vessels, or 4 less thau for the previous year. 

 The Gloucester vessels numbered 313; 17 belonging elsewhere fished from Gloucester the greater 

 part of the season, and 77 others made one or more trips here during the year. The George's fleet, 

 pursuing that fishery all the season, was considerably smaller than iu 1880 62 against 107 but 

 163 vessels, the precise number as for the previous year, were engaged at some time during the 

 year iii the George's fishery. Twenty-six vessels coufiued their operations to the Western Bank 

 fishery, 10 were engaged exclusively iu the Grand Bank cod fishery, 25 made Bank halibutiug trips 

 ouly, and 29 were employed only on shore and Bay of Fuudy cod fishing trips. One hundred and 

 eight vessels, however, made more or less Western Bank trips during the year, 24 Grand Bank 

 cod fishing trips, 32 Bank halibuting trips, 40 were engaged iu the shore cod fishery, and 48 visited 

 the Bay of Fundy. The summer mackerel fleet numbered 149 vessels, 81 of which confined their 

 operations for the year to this department. The Grand Manan fleet uumbered 45 vessels. The 

 other fishing grounds visited by the Gloucester fleet were Brown's Bank, Cape Shore, Greenland, 

 Newfoundland, La Have Bank, Cape North, Banquereau, Seal Island grounds, Cape Sable, &c. 



" The table below shows the fish receipts at this port iu the leading departments of the industry 

 for the past three years, the La Have and Brown's Bank catch being credited to the George's 



