66 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 



The mackerel fishery on the coasts of Devon and Cornwall — ^The Lowestoft 

 mackerel fishery — Statistics of fishery — ^American mackerel fishery — Mode 

 of curing the fish. 



The mackerel {Scomber scombrus) is a much esteemed fish. 

 The excitement on the Devon and Cornish coasts when 

 the shoals of this fish appear is very great. On their 

 periodical arrivals, which is their custom in multitudes, for 

 the purpose of feeding on a small fry very similar to white- 

 bait, a practised eye will readily observe their manoeuvres 

 some distance from the shore, inasmuch as the moment 

 they discover the food they love so well, their numbers and 

 greedy propensities cause them to rush on their prey, which, 

 endeavouring to escape from death, disturbs the water in 

 large circles like a shower of hailstones dropping therein ; 

 indeed, we know of nothing more similar to compare it to. 

 The moment one of these disturbed spots appears on the 

 water, men are placed on the highest cliffs to look out, 

 while the boats with their crews and nets prepared are 

 launched and ready for action. The mackerel are some- 

 times seen at least a mile from shore, but the moment they 

 attack the small bait, the latter fly tov/ards the beach, till 

 at times they approach within a hundred yards or nearer ; 



