[51 J WORK OF FISH COMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. 167 



of notice. It is true that hagdous {Puffinus major) were nbimdaut, aud 

 a flock of these birds followed the ship all day, aud we also saw several 

 jaegers, and, what was more noticeable, we saw two fine specimens of 

 great skua gull at 10 a. m., when the ship was about 30 miles E. by N. 

 from South Shoal light-ship. As, however, the presence of these birds 

 is no indication that schools of pelagic fishes are in the vicinity, no im- 

 portance was attached to their appearance on the grounds passed over. 

 At 10.55 p. m. we anchored in Provincetown Harbor, where, lying at 

 anchor, many of them with mainsails set, a fleet of 300 sail or upwards 

 of mackerel schooners was seen. 



Thursday, October 18. — Began with light easterly wind and fine, clear 

 weather. At 4 a. m. the first of the fishing schooners began to get un- 

 der way and, being called, in accordance with orders, I turned out and 

 made preparations for boarding some of the vessels. At 5 a. m. I went 

 onboard of the Ellen M. Adams, of Gloucester, and later boarded the Ada 

 E. Terry, of the same port, and the Alice of Portland. The captains of 

 these vessels agreed in stating that no mackerel of any consequence 

 had been taken for the previous five days because of the prevalence of 

 fresh easterly winds and rough sea. Therefore they were unable to 

 give any definite information relative to the movements or present lo- 

 cality of the mackerel. Each one, however, had his own idea as to the 

 whereabouts or movements of the fish, though it is no more than fair to 

 say these were mere speculations, based on supposition, or on rumors 

 which might be more or less incorrect. The fact is that at this season, 

 when mackerel are generally moving with greater or less rapidity along 

 the coast or departing from it, there is not only great difficulty in keep- 

 ing run of them during bad weather (when the fishing fleet is kept in 

 harbor nearly all the time), but it is practically impossible for the most 

 experienced fishermen to do better than to guess where fish may be met 

 with in greatest abundance. Thus the skipper of the Ellen M. Adams 

 thought mackerel would be found broad off Cape Cod, 30 to 40 miles 

 east of Eace Point or Highland light ; the captain of the Alice had heard 

 that mackerel had been seen a few days previous off the coast of Maine, 

 and believed it possible that a body of fish might still be found to the 

 eastward of Cape Ann ; while Captain Terry, of the Ada E. Terry, held 

 the opinion that the greater part of these fish had passed to the south- 

 ward, out hy Cape Cod, and believed little more would be done by the 

 fleet during the fall. He thought, however, that small quantities of 

 mackerel would probably be taken in Barnstable Bay and vicinity until 

 about the 10th of ]S"ovember, but believed that the fish would, in nearly 

 all cases, have to be tolled up and caught with hook and line, or else 

 surrounded with a seine after being attracted with bait alongside of tbe 

 vessel. The skippers of the vessels above mentioned all held the opinion 

 that few schools of mackerel would be seen at the surface in the day- 

 time, and stated that they depended, at this season, chiefly on seeing 

 fish at night when the nights were dark enough to note the presence 



