370 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



breeding is practiced. Their angling is mainly done in April, May, and June. The following is 

 the catch, from their books: Brook trout, 1876, 903 pounds; 1877, 350 pounds; 1878, 1,087 pounds; 

 1879, 1,583 pounds. The catch of 1880 has not been drawn off, but exceeded that of any previous 

 year. In 1881 they sent a surplus to market for the first time. It was said that it would be 4,000 

 pounds. The club is limited to one hundred members, who are restricted to twelve trout each, 

 per day. The hatching-house has a capacity of 250,000 eggs. The trout are fed on "mummies" 

 (minnows) and liver. The average amount expended for the latter is $50 per month. 



ISLIP. A clam and vegetable packing establishment, belonging to Messrs. J. H. Doxsee & 

 Low is located at Islip. Eight years ago they put up small menhaden under the name of "Amer- 

 ican Lunch Fish," but the business not proving very profitable was abandoned. Two brands of 

 clams are put up: "Little Neck clams," and "clam chowder." In 1880 the above cannery used 

 about 5,000,000 hard clams in number; soft clams, none; number of men employed in factory, 10; 

 number of women, 12 ; boys and girls, 4 ; men employed catching clams, about 80 ; number of 

 2-pound cans clams 75,000; number of 1 -pound cans clams, 40,000; number of 2-pound cans clam 

 chowder, 10,000; number of 3-pound cans clam chowder, 3,000; amount of capital invested, 

 $10,000. The packing was done during the summer months, from the 1st of May to the 1st of 

 October. During the winter only three or four hands were employed making cans. 



The "Olympic Club" have their house here. They are a club of salt water anglers and employ 

 five men. Islip is quite an angling resort, and many handsome boats are kept to supply the city 

 sportsmen on their annual visits to the locality. This is the case with most other places, but this 

 town is preferred by many both on account of its proximity to the inlet (to which it is nearly 

 opposite) and of the lower price charged for boats, $3 to $4 per day. Of the fifteen fishermen at 

 Islip nine are married. A total of fifty persons are dependent on the fisheries. The methods of 

 fishing are the same as at other places. A few hard crabs are shipped from the village. The 

 catch, exclusive of the clams, was distributed as follows : Eels, 7,000 pounds ; fresh fish, 350,000 

 pounds; hard crabs, 500 pounds; soft crabs, GOO dozen. About $1,200 are invested in boats, and 

 $1,500 in nets. 



BAY SHORE. Some pound-nets owned here are set on the south side of the bay, in the 

 channel, although their use is unlawful. Some hard crabs are taken for market ; some are kept 

 in boxes and fed until they shed their shells, the others are sold in the hard state. From three to 

 six men do quite a business at times during the season in the sale of menhaden to anglers, for 

 bluetish bait. In May and June there are forty or fifty fly-net boats taking menhaden for 

 manure. They sell bait also. In August the demand for bait is often greater than the supply. 

 Most of the men fishing with fly-nets for menhaden go with purse-nets, outside, later in the year. 



Mr. Frank Doxsee, a "bay man," says that the fishery for bluefish and weakfish was better in 

 1880 than for five or six years prior to that date. Older fishermen say that thirty years ago it was 

 not uncommon to take 10-pound bluefish on the shallows among the grass where only those of 1 

 pounds are now found. 



In the "bunker fisheries" (menhaden) there were formerly twenty to thirty boats, each carry- 

 ing 25 to 40 tons of fish, but for the past few years, especially the last two, not much has been done 

 in this line, only two or three schools having been seen outside the beach. No men from this 

 place now follow this fishery, although a few menhaden were taken this spring and used as a fer- 

 tilizer upon the land. 



James Wicks, seventy- three years old, says: 



"About fifty years ago the first bluefish was caught, and no one knew what it was. Jonathan 



