178 



STATEMENT— CoHli'Hoed 



THE MACKEEEL PISHEEY. 



- jFrom the seUhment of New England to the year 1852. 



It is frequently said that the mackerel fishery is of very recent origin, 

 or that, at least, vessels were not employed in it until about the close of 

 the last or the beginning of the present century. Both suppositions are 

 entirely erroneous. The Indians, regardless of the beautiful form and 

 color of the fish, called it wawwunnekeseag, on account of its fatnes^ 

 There' is mention of it in the earliest records of the country. Winthrop 

 relates , that, in 1633, the ship Griffin, two days before her arrival at 

 Boston, lost a passenger by drowning, as he was casting forth a line to 

 catch mackerel. The first settlers must have commenced the fishery 

 sobn after, since — ^to omit several minor incidents — we have the fact 

 that AUerton, one of the Pilgrims who came over in the Mayflower,' 

 received mackerd for sale at New Haven, on " half profits," in the year 

 J 653. That the business was prosecuted with success is evident from 

 the additional fact, that in 1660 the commissionfrw nl the colonie^s of 

 New England reeommedded to the general courts of the confederacy 

 to regulate it, "considering" that '*the fish is the most staple com^ 



