FRESH-HALIBUT FISHERY. bl 
attempting to regain the vessel would soon have been solved. Soon after he had been picked up, 
the storm came on in all its fury, a regular George’s blow, with all the accompaniments, which 
would have proved certain death ta any one exposed to its fury in a dory.” 
The above paragraphs are supplemented by the following reminiscences of Mr, Samuel G. 
Wonson: “ Before this time (1830) a good many halibut were taken between Gloucester and Cape 
Cod, especially on the southeastern part of Middle Bank. They were taken to Charlestown, Mass., 
and traded off to the farmers for produce. Mr. George Wonson, father of Samuel G. Wonson, used 
to take a good many in those early times. During the first of the season, before it was time for the 
herring to come in, all fresh fish (halibut were sold fresh then) were taken to Charlestown and 
traded off, alewives being brought back for bait; but later, when herring were plenty and they 
were not obliged to go to Charlestown for alewives, the halibut were cut away, not being landed 
at all, as there was no market nearer than Charlestown. After the first trip of the Nautilus to 
George’s, finding halibut scarce, she made two or three trips off Nausett (Cape Cod), and at times 
found halibut plenty, the fish being sold, as before, to Mr. John Hareling, of Charlestown. Went 
to George’s again in June for cod, but found halibut so plenty that they took a trip of about 130 
fish and run into Salem, where they disposed of part; another portion was sold to parties to take 
to Marblehead, and the remainder thrown overboard, as they could not sell them. They fished in 
from 20 to 50 fathoms, generally on bottom, but at times could take them up in the water. 
“The first smack for bringing in halibut alive was owned by John F. Wonson, and went 
first about 1835 or 1836. ‘These smacks used to carry seven men and average a round trip a week, 
a trip being what the vessel would carry alive, or about 12,000 pounds.” The quickest time of tak- 
ing a trip that he recalls was by anchoring at 10 a. m., and getting under way at sundown with 
14,000 pounds (about 300 fish in number). 
“About 1838,” according to Mr. Wonson, “a little ice was taken by the smack Mount Vernon 
to put in the napes of such fish as might be accidentally killed.” 
The following additional facts concerning the early George’s fisheries have been obtained from 
interviews with Captains William Tarr and John Pew, of Gloucester. These gentlemen, who 
were formerly actively employed as fishermen, were two of the crew of the pinkey Romeo on her 
first trip to George’s Bank in the spring of 1830. This trip of the Romeo was the second made to 
George’s for halibut by a Gloucester vessel, that of the Nautilus being the first. While going out 
of the harbor the former met the latter vessel coming in, having on board only a few halibut. 
The Romeo caught a good fare, and may therefore be given the credit of making the first success- 
ful voyage to George’s for halibut. 
During the first five or six years of the George’s halibut fishery, that is to say, previous to 
1836, the vessels never anchored on the Bank, but “ fished at a drift,” the men fearing the tide 
would run them under if they should be unwise enough to anchor. When halibut were found 
abundant, as was generally the case at that time, it was a common occurrence for a vessel’s crew 
to catch a full fare—12,000 to 15,000 pounds—in one day’s fishing. In some cases, when the fish 
could be caught “pair and pair,” a part of the men would not put out any lines, finding enough to 
do in assisting their shipmates to gaff in the halibut which were hauled up. It often happened, 
too, that halibut which were free would follow those which were hooked to the surface of the 
water, and the fishermen with their gaffs frequently succeeded in catching them. Indeed, it is 
stated by some of the old fishermen that it was not unusual for one-half of the fish to be taken in 
this manner. After the day’s fishing was over the halibut were eviscerated, washed out, but not 
blooded or scrubbed. They were then thrown into the hold on top of the stone ballast, where th 17 
remained until the vessel reached a market. Sometimes, owing to bad weather, the fisherm-n 
