[53] WORK OF FISH fOMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. 1 ('>D 



Friday y October 19. — Diuiug the morning I interviewed several of tlie 

 fishing skippers, and also the fitters and owners of the fishing vessels, 

 but failed to gather any important information concerning mackerel. 

 The fishermen here, as at Proviucetowu, had been prevented by the 

 prevalence of unfavorable weather from making any satisfactory trials to 

 catch mackerel for a week or thereabouts. Only a comparativ^ely small 

 fleet remained at Gloucester, the majority of the vessels having gone 

 over to Cape Cod, the impression being somewhat general among the 

 fishermen that the probabilities of catching mackerel were greater there 

 than off Cape Ann. 



Capt. S. J. Martin, of the U. S. Fish Commission (who is stationed at 

 Gloucester for the purpose of obtaining full and reliable information 

 concerning the movements of fishing vessels, catches of fish, «&c., and 

 who is probably better informed on these subjects than any one else), 

 told me that during the past week, or thereabouts, the fleet had been 

 kept in harbor, and consequently little or nothing was known or could 

 be known of the movements, presence, or absence of mackerel on the 

 coast. On Tuesday, October 16, a fleet of 315 mackerel vessels lay in 

 Gloucester Harbor, but since that time most of them had gone over to 

 Provincetown. So far as Captain Martin had been able to learn by con- 

 stant inquiries among the fishermen arriving from the banks and else- 

 where, no mackerel had been seen at the surface, either at night or day. 

 As these fish are usually disinclined to come near enough the surface, 

 during the prevalence of easterly winds in autumn, to be seen by day, 

 and, as previously mentioned, the moonlight for several preceding nights 

 made it improbable, at least, that their presence could be detected after 

 sunset, the fact that mackerel were not reported by incoming vessels 

 did not prove that they might not be still on some parts of the coast in 

 considerable abundance. At the same time, the fact that no schools of 

 mackerel had been observed for several days and nights past by the 

 experienced crews of the numerous fishing vessels coming into port from 

 various directions rendered it extremely improbable that we could be 

 successful in a search^for them until more favorable weather set in. 



The weather to-day was especially unfavorable, the wind blowing fresh 

 from S. to SSW. In the afternoon, a dispatch was sent to General Ha- 

 zen. Chief Signal Officer, D". S. A.^ at Washington, to learn the proba- 

 bilities for the next 60 hours. No reply was received this evening. 



Saturday^ October 20. — A reply was received this morning, at 9 o'clock, 

 from General Hazen, stating that the probabilities indicated SW. to NW. 

 winds and clearing weather. 



A drizzling rain and fog during the first part of the day was followed 

 in the evening by a smart NE. squall, which settled down to a strong 

 steady breeze. This kept the mackerel vessels in harbor and also pre- 

 vented us from g-oing to sea, since there was no opportunity of making 

 anything like satisfactory observations. 



Sunday, October 21. — The wind blew fresh all day from ]S"E., and tliere 



