388 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



bright, Moiiuiouth Beach, arid Long Branch. At other places along tne shore and in the bays the 

 fishermen are more scattered and the ground is less valuable. Here they are allowed to land at 

 various points, and they frequently use the public or other landings, or have small landings of 

 their own. 



THE DISPOSITION OF THE FISH. As a rule the fishermen ship their own fish. A few are sold 

 to middlemen, but these arc chiefly for local supply. On reaching the shore they at once clean, 

 box, and ice their catch, and ship to the commission dealers of New York and Philadelphia by the 

 first train. They never weigh the fish, but merely keep account of the number of packages, trust- 

 ing to the dealers to send correct returns. The rates charged by the dealers are 10 per cent, of the 

 selling price, and the transportation charges vary from $1 to $1.50, according to the size of the 

 package and the distance it has been carried. These with the cost of packages make the expenses 

 about one-quarter to one-third of the gross sales. 



143. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MORE IMPORTANT FISHERIES. 



THE DIFFERENT FISHERIES OF THE DISTRICT ENUMERATED. The fisheries of the district 

 may be divided into branches as follows: Bluefish trolling, still-baiting, the pound-net fishery, the 

 gill-net fishery, the haul-seine fishery, the band-line fishery, the winter cod fishery, the eel fishery, 

 the lobster fishery, the crab fishery, the quahaug fishery, and the soft-clam fishery. Of these, all 

 are to a greater or less extent separate and distinct, though the fishermen often engage in two or 

 more during the year, while some may be interested in several at the same time. 



TROLLING FOR BLUEFISH AND OTHER SPECIES. Trolling, or "squidding" as it is sometimes 

 called, is chiefly confined to the region lying between Sandy Hook and Squau River, and to Bar- 

 negat Inlet. Open boats and small sloops are generally employed for this purpose, each crew using 

 from one to four lines. The "squids" vary considerably; some are made of bright metals in the 

 form of a fish and are provided with a single hook, others are painted in brilliant colors and may 

 have several hooks, while a piece of red or white cloth attached to an ordinary fish-hook some- 

 times answers the same purpose. The lines are towed through the water at an average speed 

 of 2 to 4 miles per hour. The principal species taken are bluefish, Spanish mackerel, and bonito. 

 The average daily catch for a boat with two men is from 300 to 400 pounds, though the quantity 

 varies greatly and may exceed 1,000 pounds. 



The method of trolling was introduced into the region at an early date, and was more exten- 

 sively adopted by the fishermen ten years ago than at the present time, as other methods have 

 since been introduced that are thought to be more desirable. Trolling is now extensively practiced 

 only by the "still-baiters" and gill-net fishermen. At Sandy Hook the vessels and boats using 

 this method usually fish a number of miles from the shore and trolling is confined largely to the 

 months of May and June, a few following it at intervals during the greater part of the summer. 

 At Barnegat trolling is the method employed by the pleasure-seekers during the entire season, the 

 fishing being confined to the waters near the inlet. 



THE METHOD OF STILL BAITING DESCRIBED. " Still-baiting" was not extensively followed by 

 the fishermen of the region prior to 1870, but the method is rapidly growing in favor. It is prob- 

 ably the outgrowth of the old method of mackerel "hooking," and, as far as known, is peculiar to 

 the fishermen of Sandy Hook and Long Island. By this method two men usually fish from the 

 same boat, one chopping and throwing the bait, which in most cases consists of fresh menhaden, to 

 toll up the fish, while the other catches them on a hook baited with pieces cut from the backs of 

 the menhaden. The season continues from the last of May till November; and the fishing grounds 



