296 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



pounds, valued at |3, 007, 949, of which 141,871,580 pounds, worth 

 $3,423,426, were caught by vessels and 7,172,928 pounds, worth $184,- 

 523, by boats in the shore fisheries. The more important species 

 were cod, 67,647,095 pounds, 11,729,309; haddock, 39,215,730 pounds, 

 $801,792; hake, 14,349,954 pounds, $191,279; pollock, 10,579,219 

 pounds, §104,824; cusk, 2,893,307 pounds, $45,610; flounders, 885,350 

 pounds, $30,362; tautog, 197,500 pounds, $6,120, and halibut, 12,155,- 

 934 pounds, $648,643. A number of other species— blue-fish, mackerel, 

 cat-fish, cunners, dog-fish, eels, scup, sea bass, squeteague, striped bass, 

 and whiting or silver hake — were taken in smaller quantities. The 

 secondar}^ products, such as oil, roe, and sounds or swim-bladders from 

 fish taken by lines, amounted to 204,669 pounds, for which the 

 fishermen received $8,689. 



The seine catch, which was next in value, w\as 21,316,747 pounds, 

 valued at $879,412. The species taken were mackerel, 13,954,853 

 pounds, $804,529; herring, 3,841,866 pounds, $30,878; alewives, 1,749,- 

 450 pounds, $21,445; pollock, 965,612 pounds, $4,828; menhaden, 

 430,000 pounds, $2,950; sand eels, 120,000 pounds, $2,000; cod, 88,750 

 pounds, $1,855; blue-fish, 85,625 pounds, $6,850; tomcod, 30,000 

 pounds, $450; squeteague, 14,500 pounds, $145; eels, 8,400^ pounds, 

 $420; shad, 13,932 pounds, $757; striped bass, 1,459 pounds, $175, and 

 shrimp, 6,000 pounds, $1,500. 



Gill nets took 24,397,978 pounds of dsh, valued at $497,378. The 

 greater part of this quantity, or 19,814,835 pounds, valued at $318,354, 

 was herring, of which 18,469,335 pounds, valued at $305,909, were 

 from off the coast of Newfoundland, and 1,345,500 pounds, valued at 

 $12,445, were taken in the boat or shore fisheries. The remaining 

 species secured in gill nets were mackerel, 2,856,219 pounds, $134,844; 

 cod, 1,622,414 pounds, $37,664; blue-fish, 65,376 pounds, $5,034; bonito, 

 26,135 pounds, $1,046; squeteague, 6,000 pounds, $150; haddock, 

 3,800 pounds, $76, and shad, 4,200 pounds, $210. 



Gill nets were first used in the cod fisheries of this country in 1878, 

 being introduced from Norway by Prof. Spencer F. Baird, then Com- 

 missioner of Fisheries. For a number of years they were used quite 

 extensively in Ipswich Bay, but, shore cod becoming scarce, their use 

 was practically discontinued. Within the past few j^ears cod have 

 been more abundant and gill nets have again been employed success- 

 fully in this fishery. In the meantime the waters of this section 

 have been restocked each year w^ith young cod from the government 

 fish hatchery at Gloucester. 



Pound nets and trap nets secured 19,234,567 pounds of products, 

 valued at $241,220. The species taken in largest quantities w^ere her- 

 ring, 4,862,600 pounds, $46,219; squeteague, 3,712,717 pounds, $88,- 

 517; w^hiting or silver hake, 2,256,200 pounds, $7,685; pollock, 

 630,825 pounds, $8,116; scup, 476,200 pounds, $11,823; menhaden, 



