THE COD FISHERY 281 



awakened and dispelled and the torturing fate of the many 

 'lost in the fog/ of whose trying experiences nothing is 

 ever known. ' ' * 



The condition of the ground fishery of New England 

 proved to be prosperous for several years subsequent to 

 the war. There was no departure from the general condi- 

 tion of prosperity for about twenty years. Then there 

 occurred a marked decline, similar in many ways to the 

 decline in the mackerel fishery. This period of decline 

 was preceded, as in the case of the mackerel fishery, by a 

 few years of extraordinary activity and success. For the 

 six years from 1880 to 1885 the number of vessels employed 

 in the ground fishery was 686 yearly, carrying crews of 

 7,665 men, the average being 11 for a vessel. The catch 

 of cured fish for that time was 880,969 quintals, or 1,284 

 quintals per vessel. The catch, during these years, was 

 very evenly divided between the New England shore and 

 George's fleet, and the Grand and Western Bank fleet. 

 The tonnage of the Grand Bank fleet was in excess of the 

 other, as vessels for this fishery generally average a little 

 larger than those fishing near home. Only once, in 1888, 

 has the number of vessels employed in the Grand Bank 

 fishery exceeded the number engaged in the New England 

 fishery. In that year the numbers were 339 and 284 re- 

 spectively. Since 1891 the number of vessels going to the 

 Grand Bank has been on the decline, there being about 

 60 vessels there yearly for the last decade. 2 



The catch of cured codfish and other ground fish for 

 1880 was 646,426 quintals. For three years thereafter a 

 steady and even increase in the catch carried the amount 

 of the catch to 1,061,698 quintals in 1883, which is a record- 

 breaking quantity. In 1884, the catch was still in excess 

 of a million quintals. The fishery was on the decline, 



1 The Fisheries of Gloucester, pp. 56-58. 



2 Compiled from Boston Fish Bureau Reports. 



