REGULATION OF THE SEA-FISHERIES BY LAW. 107 



Breii toil's Reef; one owned at IS'ewport and one at Portsmouth. There 

 used to be one at Gastle Hill — whether now there or not 1 cannot tell — 

 small one. On west side of Conanicut, north of Beavertail, there is a 

 trap owned by Gladding, as I understand ; took three hundred pounds 

 of menhaden yesterday there. Sometimes a trap is set this side and 

 north of Point Judith, in pleasant weather ; but not much is done with 

 it." 



That an approximate estimate may be made as to the cost of these 

 traps and necessary apparatus, the committee refer to the following 

 statements of Mr. Tallman. In answer to the 8th printed interrogatory 

 he stated that "it takes about four hundred and fifty pounds of twine 

 to make a trap, for the trap part alone ; that's the average for an aver- 

 age sized trap. The leader about two hundred fathoms long; that's 

 the average of the leader at Seconuet Point; weight about six hundred 

 pounds. We have a purse-seine used a year and then made into a 

 leader. Twine costs now about $1 per j)ound ; some is over that; most 

 of the twine costs $1 15 down to 85 cents; worth about half-price when 

 used as a leader. As a general thing, we use new twine for the trap 

 and pound. Cables cost about $6 apiece; use ten for a trap; ten an- 

 chors to a trap, costing $15 each, and worth that. Cables would last 

 two years good. Think the best way is to have a new cable ; cable after 

 being used one year would be worth $2. Three little boats (14 feet 

 long) to each gang, and worth $65 apiece, new ; they will last about six 

 years ; depends upon where you use them, somewhat. Two large boats 

 (30 feet keel) to carry fish to vessel, to a gang. Boats worth $1,400 

 each will last ten years ; could be used for other purposes. There are 

 two boats (19 feet keel) to a gang, which are used to carry out the an- 

 chor-warps, set the traps, &c., cost about $165 each ; these boats are 

 also used for menhaden-fishing. Kew twine put into traps and taken 

 good care of, would be good for another year." 



To the 11th and 12th p^rinted interrogatories, he answers that " there 

 is a law among the trappers at Seconuet Point that no leader shall be 

 more than two hundred fathoms ; the leaders come out in a line ten 

 fathoms beyond the one above it. At the Flints, the leader is five hun- 

 dred fathoms from the beach, but the one on the Point is seventy-five 

 fathoms. On the five hundred fathom leader three traps are set ; on the 

 one at the Point only one trap is set. The trap is about twenty-eight 

 fathoms wide, so that a trap set in seven fathoms of water would be 

 about fourteen fathoms across ; the length is about thirty- four fathoms." 



In regard to the diminished number of fish, Mr. Tallman testifies, in 

 reply to printed interrogatories 23 and 24, that " sea-bass are not so 

 plenty as fifteen years ago ; then the^^ were worth three cents per pound, 

 and the same now. Tautog same price as fifteen years ago, three cents 

 per pound. With the exception of scup, prices are the same. Scup are 

 three times the price they were then. The first thing we did forty-five 

 years ago, if we saw scup, we used to pull up the nets when fishing for 

 menhaden and let them go, for fear they would cut the seine to pieces. 

 Ten years after, we sold them at ten cents per barrel, for manure. Ten 

 years after, we began to send fish to ^^ew York, packed in ice, and they 

 were then sold for twenty-five cents per barrel. Not more than two 

 vessel engaged in the business. Most of them used for manure were 

 sold at about sixteen cents per barrel. About twenty years ago you 

 could buy as many as you wanted for sixteen cents. About twelve 

 years ago the price would average for shipping fish, fifty cents per bar- 

 rel. Not more than one-fifth was used for food. Those sold for manure 

 brought about twenty cents per barrel. No scup have been sold and 

 used for manure for about eight years, to my knowledge. The price 



