THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 225 
sels in Ipswich bay, and the schooner “ Onward,” which left 
Gloucester that day to go round the cape, had a gang of thirty- 
five nets. The little schooner “ Morrill Boy,” previously allud- 
ed to, set her nets for the first time on the Sunday preceding 
November 18th, and at the last mentioned date she had landed 
43,000 pounds of cod and pollock, stocking $1,066.75. There 
were seven men in the crew, who shared $124 for their week's 
work, and this, too, when two days of the time were lost on ac- 
count of high winds. On one day (Wednesday) they made $50 
toaman. At the same time bait was so scarce and difficult to 
obtain that the hook and line fishermen could do almost nothing. 
Sperling, when obtainable at all, brought the high price of fifty 
cents a bucket-full, which was a very heavy tax on the cod fish- 
ermen. On the six days ending November 25th, 487,000 pounds 
of cod and pollock were taken in gill-nets set in Massachusetts 
bay, and during the same time four small gill-netting vessels 
caught 55,000 pounds of fish in Ipswich bay. Writing under the 
last mentioned date, Capt. Martin says that “about all the fish 
caught in-shore is by nets,” and he also remarks that “ if they 
could be knit fast enough the whole fleet would have nets.” So 
urgent was the demand for cod nets at that time that many of 
the women at Gloucester were employed in making them. 
Capt. Martin tells us that “every body is at work,” and he con- 
tinues: ‘‘A great winter’s work is anticipated.” By the latter 
part of November the fleet of netters had increased to 35 vessels, 
and it is probable that a larger number might have been engaged 
in this fishery at that date if they could have obtained gear. The 
fishermen were often bothered to get nets, and on one occasion 
several boats had to wait four days to get a supply of glass 
floats which are so essential in this fishery. By the last of Jan- 
uary the fleet numbered fifty-two vessels, which appears to be 
the maximum; for about the middle of March only forty-two 
schooners were engaged in netting, a few of the boats having 
probably worn out their nets, and not caring to refit so late in 
the season, left shore fishing to go to the outer banks, or else, 
perhaps, to fit out for the spring mackerel fishery. In addition 
to the vessels a few open boats engaged in the gill-net cod fish. 
ery last winter, and as early as December, according to Captain 
