FISH—CULTURAL ASSOCIATION, 
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during the greater part of that winter than in the previous year; 
and consequently the success of this branch of the fisheries was 
not so pronounced as has generally been the case. 
Writing under date of November 15th, 1881, Captain Martin 
savs: “TIT find that pollock will meshas well as codfish. The first 
night the schooner “Maud Gertrude” set her nets, twelve in 
number, they caught 3,000 pounds of pollock and 2,000 pounds 
of cod. The nets were set on “ Brown’s” [This is a small rocky 
shoal lying off to the southward of Eastern point, at the entrance 
to’ Gloucester) harbor]. .* o*) *)@aptain) Gill<told me. that jit 
the nets had eight-inch meshes, they could get them full of pol- 
lock. The ten-inch mesh catches large pollock, some of them 
weighing 20, 21 and 21% pounds.” The nets are often very badly 
torn by the pollock, which is well known to be a remarkably 
strong and active fish. 
It does not seem necessary that I should go into detailed state- 
ments of statistics of the amount taken each season, since the 
following instances that are given of catches made on various 
occasions will, I think, serve to convey a fair idea of the results 
obtained. 
Although the winter of 1881-’82 was unquestionably the least 
productive of any season since the introduction of gill-nets into 
the shore cod fishery, we find that the catches were often of con- 
siderable magnitude. [For instance, Captain Martin mentions 
the following facts: Early in November twelve nets set in Ips- 
wich bay caught 12,000 pounds of cod in two nights’ fishing. A 
little later the ‘‘ Northern Eagle” landed 33,000 pounds of large 
-cod from an eight days’ trip, stocking $800, and each of hercrew 
sharing $63. Captain Martin, writing under date of December 
6th, said that during the previous week there were 145,000 pounds 
of codfish caught in gill-nets, and he makes this remark: “If it 
were not for the gill-nets we could not get fish enough to eat.” 
He also says: “ All the vessels that were fishing with trawls are 
getting nets.” 
Again :.on, December , 22nd, she, states: ,“* There ,were, 165,000 
pounds of codfish caught in gill-nets last week.” This, too, was 
when codfish were remarkably scarce upon the shore grounds, 
