XXXVIII REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



favor of regulatiog tbe fisheries on the south side of New Eugland by 

 law, are enforced by the experience of the season of 1872, and that it is 

 too evident that, unless some protective measures be adopted, the fish- 

 eries in these waters will be practically destroyed in a very short time. 



This result will, of course, bring its own relief in time, since the ces- 

 sation of trapping will permit the fish to recover their ground j but 

 several years will be required for this, and doubtless as soon as there is 

 any show of increase the traps will be again brought into use. 



For several days during the present season Spanish mackerel were 

 extremely abundant, so much so, in fact, that for a time they were sold in 

 iN'ewport at fifteen cents per i)ound. At Wood's hole pound five hundred 

 and ninety-three were taken in one day, (August 23,) being a larger 

 number than the entire catch of 1871. The total catch at this pound 

 amounted to nine hundred and sixty-four. 



Tautog, as already stated, were scarcer, and fewer striped bass were 

 captured. A few salmon were taken at Seaconnet and at Menemsha. 

 A marked increase in the abundance of shad and alewives was noticed, 

 the shad especially being so plentiful about Newport that, according to 

 Governor Stevens, they could not be sold in New York. When cap- 

 tured they appeared to be moving eastward. Alewives, too, were in 

 unusually large numbers, this being the natural result of the opera- 

 tions of the fish commissioners of New York, Connecticut, Rhode 

 Island, and Massachusetts in protecting the alewives and opening the 

 rivers for their entrance, while the abundance of shad was doubtless 

 due to the enormous number hatched out under the direction of the 

 Connecticut and New York commissioners and allowed to escape into 

 the water. This certainly is a speedy realization of all the anticipations 

 for the increase of shad, since fish, usually selling at a dollar a pair, be- 

 came so abundant as not to be worth taking to market. This abun- 

 dance, while rather unsatisfactory to the fishermen and dealers, is of 

 great moment to the consumer. 



Of mackerel none were taken off the south coast of New England, as 

 in 1871. Messrs. Jason Luce & Co. secured a larger number of squeteague 

 than in any previous year, and the testimony in regard to them else- 

 where varied considerably, some maintaining that they were more 

 abundant, others that they were scarcer. 



GENERAL SUMMARY OF RESULTS. 



The general conclusions at which I have arrived as the result of my 

 investigations of the waters on the south side of New England during 

 1871 and 1872 may be briefly summed up as follows : 



I. The alleged decrease in the number of food-fishes in these waters 

 within the past few years has been fully substantiated. 



II. The shore-fishes have been decreasing during the past twenty years, 

 gradually at lirst, but much more abruptly from about the year 18C5, 

 the reduction by the year 1871 being so great as entirely to prevent any 



