EEGULATION OF THE SEA-FISHERIES BY LAW. 85 



Captain Tdiothy Gayitt, of Westerly : 



Has known bass caught in June that weighed from one-half to one 

 pound, that were put in a pond, and, when taken out in October, weighed 

 six pounds. 



A boy living with him caught, by wading in, a tautog weighing five 

 pounds, at the month of a little brook two miles above the fishing - 

 ground at Pawcatuck River. It was a female fish, very full and very 

 far developed spawn 5 he thinks the spawn would weigh one pound. 

 He also states that the light-house keeper at Watch Hill, Mr. Pendleton, 

 (not the present keeper,) lost a bob fishing for bass that was taken next 

 day with the fish on Long Island. It was identified and returned to 

 him. Bass return west in August and September, by the same route 

 they came, but wider off shore. 



Statement of Job Tew, aged seventy-six : 



Ten years ago saw the heads of scup in the water and along shore, 

 and considered it as an indication of the presence of horse-mackerel, 

 as there were no other fish in water at the time that would do it, it be- 

 ing too early in the season for sharks. 



In 1810 bass were sciirce. 



Fishermen used to complain sixty years ago that fish were not as 

 plenty as they used to be. Have kuowm bass to be very plenty in a par- 

 ticular location, and never appear there again in numbers, without ap- 

 parent cause for the change. 



Think fish generally as plenty as ever. Always did vary one year 

 with another. 



Benjamin Hunwell's statement : 



Has fished thirty years with hook and line. Two hundred and fifty 

 pounds tautog used to be considered extremely good fishing. Often did 

 not catch enough to eat during the month of August. My day's catch 

 is about the same now as it used to be, both in tautog and codfish. 



The seasons vary, but average about the same ; do not observe any 

 reduction of fish ; go further when fishing for tautog ; think that owing 

 to the destruction of them, by being chilled in 1857, since which they 

 havQ not been so i)lenty in the bay. 



■ Scup used to be plenty in the bay, but horse-mackerel have driven 

 them off. There are a great many more half-way fishermen now than 

 formerly, and they do not follow it up so w^ell. 



Edwin Brown's statement: 



Early in May, 1866, saw at Gardner's Bay very small fry of scup and 

 sea-bass, just large enough to distinguish their species. 



Fished at Seconnet in 1857 ; sea-bass were very plenty then. Since 

 that time they have very much decreased, but have again become very 

 numerous, and the last season were as plentj^ as at any time since I 

 first fished at Seconnet. Caught more tautog the present than any 

 previous year. 



