SUPPLEMENTARY TESTIMONY, ETC. , 189 



1871, from June 30 to September 30, 119,000 pounds. 



1872, from April 1 to June 30, 55,000 pounds. 



1872, from Jane 30 to September 30, 139,250 pounds. 



Wood's Hole, Noveniber 9, 1872. 



I have just returned from Edgartown, and have seen the fishermen. 

 Captain Francis Pease is dead; died last September. I saw the rest of 

 the men, besides other fishermen. The record of Captain JosiAH 

 Pease is as follows : 



Number of blue-fish. 



1871, June 1, 021 



July . . . . , 1, 471 



August 1, 600 



September 1, 101 



October, to 17 1, 014 



Total 6, 207 



Sea-bass during the year 312 



Number of blue-fish. 



1872, June 1, 616 



July 1, 005 



August 937 



September 976 



October, to 13. , . 174 



Total 4, 708 



Sea-bass during the year 17 



Captain Pease says he fished nearly double the time this year that he 

 did in 1871 ; had very good fish-weather this season ; better than usual. 

 He had been accustomed to go into the harbor and catch blue-fish ; but 

 there were none there this year, and he had to go outside for them. 



Little scup were plenty early in the season, but none in the latter part. 

 Xo large scup and no tautog were caught by him. Captain Pease keeps 

 an account of his catch every season. 



Captain EuFUS Pease did not keep an account, but knew* that not 

 more than two-thirds as many fish had been caught as last year, by all 

 the fishermen in Edgartown. All kinds of fish have been very scarce. 

 He thinks that if the decrease continues for three or four years, there 

 will be none to be caught with hook and line. 



Captain George Coffin thought fish had fallen off one-fourth since 

 last year, and nearly one-half since the year before. The blue-fish had 

 always come into the harbor to spawn, but tliis year the nets took them, 

 and none got in to spawn. Five years ago he could go down the harbor, 

 and in three or four hours could catch three hundred blue-fish. This 

 year he could not catch any. Other fish have decreased in the same 

 manner. 



