290 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



men with 10 dories. The method of fishing practiced is termed " bob- 

 bing." The apparatus consists of a short pole with a line attached, by 

 which is suspended a ball of fine twine interwound with angleworms. 

 The eels, in their attempt to secure the worms, entangle their teeth 

 in the twine and are quickly drawn into the boat. 



The cunner fishery from Boston in 1902 was carried on near the 

 islands in Boston Harbor b}" 9 fishermen with 3 boats. The catch 

 was taken with hoop nets, or fyke nets, and amounted to 38,400 dozen, 

 or 57,600 pounds of cunners, valued at 1^3,840. The boats made two 

 trips a week during eight months of the year, and averaged 200 dozen 

 cunners each to a trip. The fish were of small size, weighing about 

 2 ounces each, and sold for an average of 10 cents a dozen. These 

 boats are the last of the "Irish market boats," being about -1 tons 

 each and similar to those used in Ireland. Formerly from 30 to 40 

 sailboats of this kind engaged in taking cunners, flounders, and her- 

 ring in and near Boston Harbor; but in recent years the owners who 

 continued fishing have changed to large vessels as their boats were 

 worn out or lost. 



Barnstable County had 2,251 persons employed in its fisheries. 

 The number of vessels engaged in fishing and transporting was 124, 

 valued at $223,225, having a net tonnage of 3,320 tons, and outfit 

 valued at $91,729; the number of boats in the shore fisheries was 

 9S4, valued at $72,275; the appai-atus of capture on vessels and boats 

 was valued at $150,024; the shore and accessory property in the fish- 

 eries and wholesale fishery trade at $146,073; and the cash capital 

 was $29,500, the total investment being $718,826. The yield was 

 36,156,018 pounds, valued at $932,828. 



Provincetown, which is the principal fishing port in this county, 

 had 1,001 persons employed in its fisheries; of this number 673 were 

 on vessels, 254 on boats, and 74 were shoresmen. There were 66 ves- 

 sels in the food fisheries and 4 in the whale fisheries, a total of 70 ves- 

 sels, valued at $169,425, the net tonnage of which was 2,814 tons and 

 the value of their outfit $77,944. The vessels in the food fisheries 

 included 3 small steamboats and 1 vessel propelled by gasoline. There 

 were 9 vessels engaged in the cod fisheries on the Grand Banks of 

 Newfoundland; 2 large vessels and 30 small ones varying from 5 to 20 

 tons each fished for mackerel; 20 of the larger vessels fished for cod 

 and haddock on Georges, Browns, and other banks off the New Eng- 

 land coast, ajid many small vessels and lx)ats, during the summer 

 months, took ground-fish, mackerel, and herring in the inshore 

 waters. The number of boats in the shore fisheries, including 11 

 power boats using steam or gasoline, was 226, valued at $24,820. 

 The apparatus of capture used on vessels consisted chiefly of hand 

 and trawl lines to the value of $11,043; 1,308 gill nets, $10,626, and 



