THE MACKEREL PURSE-SEINE FISHERY. 



269 



Financial profits of seining Continued. 



* 3,663 barrels pickled and 1,240 barrels fresh. 

 1 1,600 barrels pickled and 2,900 barrels fresh. 

 ; The Heirick did not sail until July 22. 



When it is taken into consideration that these vessels are employed in fishing barely eight 

 months at the longest, and some of them only four to six months, it will be seen that the business 

 is an exceedingly profitable one for many of the fleet, while the greater portion make fair returns.* 



9. HISTORY OF THE USE OF PURSE-SEINES. 



The earliest record of the use of the purse seine is the following, obtained from Capt. E. T. 

 Deblois, of Portsmouth, R. I. : 



" The first purse-seine that was made, so far as I know, was made by John Tallman the first, 

 and Jonathan Brownell and Christopher Barker, in the year 1826. It was 284 meshes deep and 65 

 fathoms long. The purse-weight was a 56-pound weight, and the blocks were the common single 

 blocks, and they had to reeve the end of the purse-line through tl.e blocks before they put the 

 purse- weight overboard. The first time the seine was set there were fourteen men to help; they 

 set around what they called a 500-barrel school of meuhaden, and while they were pursing, the fish 

 rushed against the twine so hard that they twisted and snarled the net around the purse-line and 

 weight to that extent that the men could not gather the seine up or get her into the boat again as 

 they were, and after they had worked six hours, and quarreled over the matter, they decided to 

 tow or warp the seine ashore at high water, and when the tide left the seine they would be able to 

 unsnarl it, which they did the next day. It was a number of days before they could muster courage 

 to set her again, and when they did they set around a small school with better success." 



There is a general impression among the fishermen of Northern New England that the purse- 

 seine was a development of the " spring-seine," elsewhere referred to, but this would seem to be a 

 mistake, since the spring-seine, which really appears to have been nothing but a large sheet-net 



"Among the "fishing items" in the Cape Ann Advertiser of October 21, 1881, we find the following mention of 

 catches of mackerel made by some of the seiners, which may serve to show the energy and activity with which this 

 fishery is prosecuted: "Schooner Moro Castle sailed from this port on Thursday morning of last week, and returned 

 in the evening of the same day with 140 wash-barrels of handsome mackerel. Schooner Dreaduaught sailed from Port- 

 land after mackerel the other night, was gone twenty-one hours, and returned with 205 barrels. Schooner David A. Osier 

 sailed from Hull Friday evening, and was at this port next morning with 105 was-h-barrels of mackerel. Schooner 

 Wildfire, Captain McLain, has lauded and sold $3,200 worth of mackerel in the past foi (night, and has enough fish on 

 board to add another $1,000 to her stock. Schooner Fleetwing took 210 barrels sea-packed mackerel at one haul of the 

 seine off Plymouth on Saturday. Schooner Wm. M. Gaffuey took 140 wash-barrels at one haul Sunday, and schooner 

 Henry Friend 140 wash-barrels at one haul Sunday night. Schooner Madawaska Maid left Gloucester Sunday, turning 

 Eastern Point at 11 o'clock a. m., and arrived at Boston at 5 o'clock Monday morning, with 225 barrels sea-packed 

 mackerel. In five weeks the Madawaska Maid has landed 1,000 barrels of mackerel. The schooner Wm. M. Gaffney 

 landed 900 barrels of mackerel in twenty-one days." 



