194 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



1,351,995 pounds of salmon, and 232,229 pounds of fresh-water fish; also 7,860,030 frozen herring 

 in number received from the Provinces. 



The Boston vessels are manned by men of all nationalities, but those of Irish birth or descent 

 appear to be the largest element in the market fishery. The men generally fish on shares, the 

 owners of the vessel being entitled to one-fifth of the gross receipts, and the men dividing equally, 

 after the cost of stores, tackle, bait, ice, and some other incidentals is deducted. The cook has an 

 equal share with the fishermen. The vessel owners find boats and dories. 



Codfish and nearly all species of ground fish are taken on trawls armed with from 500 to 1,500 

 hooks each, according to the depth at which they are to be used. The main line or ground lino of 

 the trawl averages about an inch in circumference, and is coiled in a tub or half-barrel, with the 

 hooks arranged around the edge. From one to four tubs of trawl are carried by each dory, which 

 may be manned by one or two fishermen. Having previously baited their hooks, the men row 

 away from the vessel and set their trawls around her at a convenient distance, usually within hail. 

 In shallow water the trawls are constantly underrun ; the fisherman hauls in the fish caught and 

 rebaits the hooks; but in deep water the trawls are generally visited and run only two or three 

 times a day, owing to the great depth of water and the hard labor required to take care of so great 

 a number of hooks and length of line. Codfish are taken in the spring by the market-boats in 

 Ipswich Bay and on the Middle Bank, and by the Gloucester vessels on La Have and Brown's 

 Banks, and after February 1 on George's Banks. During the summer and early fall the larger 

 part of the supply comes from the South Channel and Middle Bank and all along the back of Cape 

 Cod, and from November 1 to January 1 all the way froui Swarapscott to Ipswich Bay, wherever 

 a ledge fit for the spawning fish presents itself. The total amount of fresh codfish received during 

 1879 was 11,013,915 pounds. 



The amount of fresh haddock received during 1879 was 17,447,902 pounds, by far tlie largest 

 amount of any single species. It is a favorite fish and is preferred by many to cod or other 

 species of ground fish. It seems hardly possible that not many years ago this fish was thought 

 of little or no value; none were cured, and only occasionally would a person use them fresh. The 

 fisherman on George's Banks or elsewhere, fishing for cod, on being so unfortunate as to find only 

 a haddock on his line, with a growl and a kick would send it back into the sea. Now these fish 

 are sought after on George's Banks as well as on other cod-fishing grounds. They are taken iu 

 the same manner as cod on trawl or hand lines, and usually bring about the same price as cod. 



Hake and cusk are found in deep water on muddy bottom, around the ledges and banks 

 frequented by cod, and are taken by the same gear, bait, and equipments. 



Halibut stands third in the aggregate number of pounds of fresh fish received, but leading 

 all other single species in the value of the catch. They are taken for the fresh fish market on 

 the borders of nearly all the banks. Many were formerly taken in shallow water, and some were 

 gaft'ed as they followed those hooked to the surface, but the larger portion are now caught in from 

 100 to 250 and even 300 fathoms, on the edges of the banks. It is still related that when the first 

 schooners fished on George's they did not anchor, but drifted across the shallows, taking several 

 with the gaff for every one hooked, and a similar experience was met by the first vessel sent to 

 Greenland, her crew having gaffed nearly 500 halibut in one day. 



Swordfish are taken off the New England coast iu considerable quantities, and during the 

 year 1879 there were 803,154 pounds marketed in Boston. They are brought to market mostly by 

 New Bedford and eastern vessels, and are captured with spears or lances. 



Salmon are sent to this market from April to August, the earliest coming from the Keunebec 

 and Penobscot, and the latest from the Labrador coast via Quebec and Montreal or the Inter- 



