294 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



enough to allow it to shrink before heading up). The head of the barrel is put in reversed, on which 

 the private mark of the catcher is cut in to identify it when landed, after which the barrels of mackerel 

 are stowed hi the hold. Frequently, when mackerel are scarce and time hangs heavy, industrious 

 ones will "mess" their mackerel by scraping the blood from the backbone and cutting off the 

 heads and tails, losing by the operation 13 pounds on a hundred, but making the mackerel bring 

 more in the market for the labor. 



During our voyage we sometimes tried for mackerel with others of the fleet one or two miles 

 from shore, and being "hove to" together, and occasionally "picking" a mackerel which, as it glist- 

 ened in the sun coming over the rail, no doubt led those on shore to suppose we were getting a 

 good catch of fish, when 15 wash barrels would cover the whole catch for the fleet in several hours' 

 fishing. The latter part of October finds us on the way home, at Georgetown, Prince Edward 

 Island, where we put in for a harbor, paying $1 for harbor dues, and on 2d of November arrived 

 at Gloucester, having been absent two mouths and twenty-eight days, and caught 250 sea barrels 

 of mackerel. 



The mackerel are hoisted out by horse-power, the crew paying for the horse in preference to 

 doing the work by hand as formerly. After being landed each man's lot is stood upon the head to- 

 gether, with the marked head up. One of the crew unheads them, another pitches the mackerel as 

 wanted into a "culling crib," which is made about 3 feet wide and 4 feet long, with slat bottom, at 

 each end of which stands an experienced and careful "culler," who tosses the mackerel according to 

 their grade into " culling tubs," which hold a half- barrel each ; two of the crew then place the tubs, 

 when full, on the platform of a beam scale, where the "weigher" weighs them off, crying out "barrel 

 of one's," or whatever the weight or grade requires; two of the crew empty them into the "packing 

 cribs," while the master places the account of it under the name of the catcher, and the packer, with 

 a piece of red chalk, marks the head of the barrel or whatever package is used with the grade of the 

 mackerel. Half a bushel of salt to the barrel is used in packing, after which the cooper takes it, 

 and after putting in the head it is rolled out on the wharf by a laborer and there bored and pickled 

 off .by the "pickler." After being pickled off and bunged they .are stood upon their head and 

 branded with the deputy inspector's name and the grade of the fish; the trip is sold by the owner 

 with the master, he acting for himself and crew; the voyage is then made up in the ordinary man- 

 ner. When the mackerel are delivered to the packer the vessel and crew are done with them as 

 producers. 



4. THE MACKEREL GILL-NET FISHERY. 



1. APPARATUS AND METHODS. 



Considerable quantities of mackerel are sometimes caught in gill-nets at various points along 

 the New England coast, from Vineyard Sound to Eastport. For the most part, however, they are 

 taken west of Mount Desert. This fishery is carried on in two ways: The gill-nets may be anchored 

 and left out over night, as is the custom about Provincetown, or they may be set from a boat or 

 vessel. The latter method is called "dragging"; the vessels are called "draggers," or "drag- 

 boats," and the fishermen " mackerel draggers." 



The mackerel gill-nets are 20 to 30 fathoms long, 2J fathoms deep, with a mesh varying from 

 2J to 3 inches. In Provincetown Harbor they are set in the following manner: 



About the middle of November the fishermen of Provincetown Bay begin to put out nets for 



