PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES. 33 



blue-fish about five cents a pound ; but we make the most on squeteague. 

 We have taken 10,000 pounds of squeteague this year • we took 6,000 

 pounds at one haul in the middle of June. That was nearly the first 

 run. The biggest squeteague we have caught, I think, would weigh 

 ten pounds. A north wind or northeasterly wind is the best for fish 

 here. 



Beuben Dyer, at Mr. Forbes's farm, west end of Naushon : 



We caught two or three scup a day ; not so many this year as last. 

 There are more little scup around the wharves near Jfew Bedford than 

 there are here. Squeteague are not more than half as plenty about 

 here this year as last. We catch them up at Quick's Hole. When 

 fishing for tautog, once in a while we would catch one. We use men- 

 haden as bait for squeteague. Most are caught after dark. We used 

 to catch a good many blue-fish at the bottom. All fish are scarcer this 

 year than last. There have not been any blue-fish around this year, 

 except very small ones. I have seen, formerly, this hole (Robinson's 

 Hole} all alive with blue-fish. 



Scup began to get scarce about here seven or eight years ago. The 

 decrease was not sudden, but gradual. I cannot say it was the traps, 

 exactly. I think the blue-fish destroy a great many fish ; they eat up 

 the little fish. 



The men who have pounds here caught a few mackerel the first part 

 of the season. They do not catch many Spanish mackerel ; but a few 

 bonito. I do not think shore-seines destroy the fish much ; but some 

 kinds of fish are destroyed by traps. 



Sylvanus Westgate, at Robinson's Hole : 



I am out on a seiniug-cruise. I have a net of about sixty fathoms. I 

 am not doing much now ; catch some blue-fish and bass. I generally 

 haul at night. I think I should not catch anything in the day-time. I 

 have not caught a hundred scup in five years with the seine. I have not 

 caught any bass this year that weighed over twenty pounds. I don't 

 think they are half as plenty as last year ■ there is no kind of fish as 

 plenty, unless it is menhaden. 



Mr. Dyer. I have caught three sea-bass this year. A few years ago 

 I could go out and catch fifty or sixty. 



Mr. Westg-ate. I think the traps destroy the fish ; I don't think the 

 seines do much hurt. We have seined ever since we were born ; but a 

 trap is a stationary thing, and if a fish is going by he must go in. 



Mr. Dyer. They catch more than they can sell in the traps. The 

 pockets are sometimes crowded, and a great many die. This spring 

 they could not get smacks to take the fish to New York fast enough. 



Mr. Westgate. They need not try to stop trapping ; they will run 

 themselves out pretty soon. 



Mr. Dyer. The fish taken at the pound here are not worth $25 a day. 

 Last year a man hired the privilege of the pound at Menemsha Bight, 

 and he sold $1,200 worth in a week. Squeteague are not half as plenty 

 this year as last. The scup, sea-bass, and tautog, when they come in in 

 the spring, are full of spawn, ready to shoot. They have ripe spawn in 

 them when they come into the pounds. I had some and dressed them, 

 and found spawn in them so ripe you could not take out the spawn whole. 



Mr. Westgate. I think blue-fish and squeteague kill about as many 

 fish as pounds. A blue-fish will kill twice his weight in a day. A blue- 

 S. Mis. 61 3 



