THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 223 
obtained during the winter of 1882-’3 had inspired the fishermen 
with more confidence to engage in the net fishing in the succeed- 
ing fall. Consequently, we find chat the shore fishermen were 
prosecuting this method of fishing earlier in the season than ever 
before, even employing it for the capture of pollock before the 
winter school of cod had reached the shore grounds. This meth- 
od of fishing was found especially well adapted for taking the 
large pollock, which generally visit, in the fall, the inshore fish- 
ing grounds in Massachusetts bay. The singular fact was also 
discovered that many of the finest pollock, like the cod, may be 
taken with nets when they utterly refuse to bite a hook, and 
consequently cannot be captured by the old methods. 
Writing under date of October 28th, 1883, Captain Martin says: 
“ Pollock and cod have been scarce this fall. Forty sail of small 
craft, which were out two days on the pollock grounds, came in 
with 2,000 pounds. Captain Gill, of the boat ‘ Gracie,’ had four 
cod nets given him that were worn out in catching codfish last 
winter. He set them, together with two new ones, and the first 
night he caught 5,500 pounds of pollock and 400 pounds of cod- 
fish. The pollock averaged 21% pounds apiece, while those 
caught on hand-lines averaged 13 poundsa piece. * * * * 
There are three boats which have nets set. They catch three 
times as much pollock and three times as much codfish as they 
do on hand-lines. There will be more cod gill-nets used this 
winter than there have been since they began to use them. * 
* %* There are no sperling this fall, so that the most of the 
boats will use nets.” Under date of October 31st, 1883, he gives 
the following statement, which shows ina most striking man- 
ner the advantages that are sometimes derived from the use of 
gill-nets, and, at the same time, affords us an insight into the way 
in which the fishermen are often induced to adopt this method 
of fishing. ‘The schooner ‘S. W. Craig,’ of Portland, one of the 
high-line pollock catchers,” says Captain Martin, “was in here 
last Wednesday. I went aboard to see the skipper and to gain 
what information I could concerning the pollock fishery. The 
conversation ran thus: ‘How do you find the pollock, Captain?’ 
‘Pollock! there ain’t none. I have been out two days with 
twelve men and got 2,000 pounds—that is bad enough.’ I said: 
