﻿60 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  claimed 
  by 
  them 
  that 
  if 
  contmued 
  any 
  great 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  

   scale 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  will 
  eventually 
  be 
  destroyed. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  

   hand, 
  those 
  using 
  or 
  advocating 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  otter 
  trawls 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  

   of 
  ground 
  fish 
  assert 
  that 
  this 
  apparatus 
  is 
  no 
  more 
  destructive 
  to 
  fish 
  

   or 
  injurious 
  to 
  the 
  fisliing 
  grounds 
  than 
  other 
  forms 
  of 
  fishing 
  gear 
  

   now 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  calendar 
  year 
  1912 
  the 
  otter- 
  trawl 
  fleet 
  landed 
  at 
  Boston 
  

   over 
  16,000,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish, 
  of 
  which 
  nearly 
  14,000,000 
  pounds 
  

   were 
  haddock. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  in 
  1913 
  this 
  amount 
  wiU 
  be 
  

   exceeded 
  by 
  several 
  milhon 
  pounds. 
  

  

  This 
  fleet 
  of 
  vessels 
  has 
  confined 
  its 
  fishing 
  chiefly 
  to 
  Georges 
  Bank 
  

   and 
  adjacent 
  grounds. 
  In 
  March, 
  however, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  scarcity 
  

   of 
  fish 
  on 
  Georges, 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  fieet 
  fished 
  on 
  Western 
  Bank, 
  

   which 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  since 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  was 
  introduced 
  

   in 
  New 
  England 
  that 
  vessels 
  operating 
  otter 
  trawls 
  have 
  operated 
  

   on 
  other 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  than 
  Georges. 
  Several 
  trips 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  

   Western 
  Bank, 
  after 
  which 
  the 
  entire 
  fleet 
  repaired 
  to 
  Georges 
  and 
  

   the 
  South 
  Channel, 
  shifting 
  from 
  one 
  ground 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  according 
  

   to 
  the 
  abundance 
  or 
  scarcity 
  of 
  fish 
  found. 
  At 
  times 
  the 
  otter 
  

   trawlers 
  have 
  landed 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  catch 
  of 
  haddock 
  at 
  Portland, 
  

   Me., 
  for 
  canning 
  purposes. 
  

  

  This 
  fishery 
  has 
  been 
  under 
  constant 
  investigation 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  

   for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  determining, 
  among 
  other 
  things, 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  immature 
  fish, 
  which 
  is 
  an 
  unavoidable 
  feature 
  of 
  this 
  

   method, 
  varying 
  with 
  the 
  grounds 
  and 
  the 
  season. 
  Agents 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bureau 
  have 
  been 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  trawling 
  vessels 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  each 
  haul 
  of 
  the 
  net, 
  and 
  a 
  vast 
  

   amount 
  of 
  data 
  has 
  thus 
  been 
  secured. 
  It 
  is 
  expected 
  that 
  the 
  inquiry 
  

   wiU 
  be 
  practically 
  completed 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  calendar 
  year 
  1913, 
  

   and 
  a 
  report 
  will 
  then 
  be 
  prepared 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  practicable 
  giving 
  the 
  

   results 
  of 
  the 
  inquiry 
  and 
  containing 
  recommendations, 
  as 
  required 
  

   by 
  Congress. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  has 
  been 
  facihtated 
  by 
  the 
  

   owners 
  of 
  the 
  trawHng 
  fleet, 
  who 
  have 
  made 
  no 
  objection 
  to 
  the 
  pres- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  the 
  agents 
  on 
  board 
  any 
  or 
  aU 
  of 
  the 
  vessels. 
  

  

  GILL-NET 
  FISHING 
  FOR 
  COD 
  AND 
  HADDOCK. 
  

  

  The 
  style 
  of 
  giU 
  nets 
  used 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  was 
  introduced 
  into 
  

   New 
  England 
  fisheries 
  about 
  three 
  years 
  ago. 
  The 
  first 
  year 
  a 
  few 
  

   vessels 
  or 
  power 
  boats 
  were 
  brought 
  by 
  lake 
  fishermen 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  testing 
  the 
  fisliing 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Cape 
  Ann. 
  The 
  

   result 
  of 
  the 
  experiment 
  was 
  very 
  satisfactory, 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  

   year, 
  1911, 
  about 
  20 
  vessels 
  were 
  employed, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  

   Gloucester 
  vessels, 
  manned 
  by 
  fishermen 
  from 
  that 
  port. 
  In 
  the 
  

   winter 
  of 
  1912 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  captains, 
  who 
  had 
  generally 
  followed 
  the 
  

   haddock 
  fishery 
  in 
  winter, 
  engaged 
  in 
  net 
  fishing, 
  which 
  increased 
  the 
  

  

  