THE MACKEREL PURSE-SEINE FISHERY. 271 
and with it in two hauls caught about 90 barrels of mackerel off Monhegan in 90 fathoms of water. 
Capt. George Merchant, jr., of Gloucester, writes as fullows regarding the early attempts to seine 
mackerel in deep water. He says: “Previous to 1862 the only mackerel caught in deep water in 
seines were taken with the schools of pogies. J'rom one to ten or twelve hundred in number were 
often caught in this way, the seiners supposing that their being with the pogies prevented them 
from trying to escape, since pogies seldom leave the seine after it is around them; but we never 
set the seine for mackerel when in deeper water than 10 fathoms, our seines not being deeper 
than that at that time. One day in July, 1862, I lay at anchor near Boone Island, it being calm at 
the time. While lying there a school of mackerel came up and began to play around at the surface 
not far from us. Knowing that the water was 25 fathoms deep where the fish were, I did not go 
after them right away, but after they had been schooling some time I concluded to go out and look 
at them. I found the water to be as I had expected—25 fathoms deep. I thought, however, that I 
would try just to see what would come of it, although the men said it would be no use, as the 
fish would soon disappear; but we threw out our seine and went around them with as little noise 
as possible, and commenced to purse up, the men saying that the mackerel would soon go; but 
they did not go, but continued to school in the seine until the latter was pursed up and the rings 
onthe boat. Then we thought we had done something never before heard of. We took 50 barrels 
of large mackerel that time. 
“ After securing the fish I weighed anchor and ran to Richmond’s Island. When I arrived 
there I found fifteen fishing vessels at anchor. I told the skippers and crews that I had taken 50 
barrels of mackerel in deep water, but they would not believe it, saying that if I had it would 
never be done again. But it set them to thinking, and they soon found that mackerel: could 
be caught in deep water. The fleet of seiners began to increase from that time, and has kept 
growing until the present, when it amounts to about two hundred sail.* I date the catching of 
mackerel] in deep water from the time and occurrence I have mentioned above. I was in one of 
the first seven vessels that sailed on seining voyages from Gloucester, Capt. Samuel Blatchford 
and Capt. Nathaniel Watson being the two first to try the business, and they both gave up seining, 
as it did not pay them.” ; 
Wellfleet, Mass., had fifty-two mackerel seiners in 1877. Seines were first carried by the Well- 
fleet vessels about 1857, but their use was soon abandoned. In 1863 to 1865 the Mary B. Dyer had 
a seine, and since that time more or less seines have been in use. In 1873 all tl ves «1s went into 
this business. “ 
The first purse-seine brought into Central Maine, writes Mr. Earll, was bought by Mr. Amherst 
Spofford and taken to Damariscove in 1859, and used with rather indifferent success until 1861; it 
was 130 fathoms long and 12 fathoms deep; the parties kept it on the island and took it out in 
small boats whenever fish were seen schooling in the vicinity. It seems that Mr. Spofford did not 
thoroughly understand setting it and caught but few fish. 
In 1861 he sold it to Messrs. William Gray and Miles Pierce, and it was taken to Cape Newagen, 
where it was successfully used by carrying it out in a small boat and landing the fish on a dressing 
stage on shore in the same way. The next year it was put aboard a small schooner, the Leon, and 
the fish landed as before in small boats to be dressed, the vessel being only large enough to carry 
the seine. 
In 1863 the seine was put aboard the schooner Dawning Day, 73 tons (old measurement), and 
the fish were dressed aboard. This was really the commencement of deep-water seining in this 
section, and the vessel did so well as to induce others to go into the business the following year. 
“Sailing from Gloucester. 
