170 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [54] 



was considerable sea running outside the harbor. Fishing and coasting 

 vessels arriving in port came in under close-reefed sails. 



Monday, October 22. — At daylight there was a moderate northeast breeze 

 and clear weather. Got under way at 6.50 a. m. and stood out of Glou- 

 cester Harbor. After passing Eastern Point, the ship was steered on a 

 course which took her a little northeast of Stellwagen Bank, thence 

 down by Cape Cod, passing the Highland at a distance of about 12 to 15 

 miles. From this point the course took us out the south channel, over 

 the ground where mackerel would be most likely to occur when mak- 

 ing their fall migrations southwardly. A sharp lookout from aloft was 

 kept throughout the entire day. I spent some time aloft myself, but 

 not the least indication of schooling fish of any kind was observed until 

 about 10.30 p. m., from which hour until 11.30 p. m. scattering small 

 mackerel (tinkers) were seen darting away from the ship's bow. We 

 did not, however, see any large body of these fish, and the presence of 

 those observed would not necessarily indicate that schools of larger 

 mackerel might be met with in the vicinity. Had there been less swell, 

 it might have been advisable to have tried during the day to raise 

 mackerel by throwing out toll bait, but the probabilities are that, even 

 had it been i)racticable to make this experiment, no good result could 

 have been obtained with the wind from the eastward. Though it is by 

 no means impossible to " raise " mackerel during easterly winds, ex- 

 perience has nevertheless proved that oftentimes they will not follow 

 bait to the surface under such conditions of weather, even where they 

 are known to be abundant. 



Tuesday, October 23. — Began with a moderate breeze about ENE. in 

 the early morning, gradually increasing in force as the day advanced. 

 A little before noon we tried with hand-line for cod on Cox Ledge, 

 having got " good bottom," coarse gravel and sand, in a depth of 18 

 fathoms, l^othing but a dogfish was caught on the first trial. A sec- 

 ond trial, a mile or two from where the first was made, in the same 

 depth and on the same kind of bottom, proved more successful, a fine cod, 

 fish having been caught on the single hand-line put out ; the dinghy 

 was dropped from the davits, and 500 hooks of a haddock trawl, baited 

 with fresh menhaden, were set. In the mean time all the available hand- 

 lines were baited up with fresh menhaden and put over, the ship lying 

 broadside to the wind and making a very good drift for fishing. As 

 was to be expected at this season, dogfish were numerous and trouble- 

 some in so far as they often succeeded in getting hold of the hooks be- 

 fore the cod, notwithstanding that the latter species appeared to be in 

 tolerably fair abundance on the ground; 13 codfish, 11 dogfish, and 1 

 hake were taken on the hand-lines while the ship was drifting, perhaps, 

 three-fourths of a mile. 



The dinghy, having set her trawl at about 1 p. m., began hauling 

 about an hour later ; came alongside, and was hoisted up at a little 

 after 3 p. m. Her catch was as follows, namely : 21 codfish (averaging 



