May 18, 1882. | 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



311 



Hitching ah Atxigator.— "An alligator," said Bartolo, 

 ''Ms like a bull-dog; he shuts his eves and holds On. Did! 

 ever tellyouof the scrape we had up the. Porno ko hitching 

 an old hull alligator? The brute lived in a hole in the bank 

 of a creek, and he helped himself to a smart cnanbe of Htjgs 

 and calves. 8o one daynte aud the boys undertook to get 

 him out'en his hole and kill him, but he Wouldn't come. We 

 run a long heavy pole into his den, and lie grabbed it and 

 hung on, but he was that strong that three of us couldn't 

 start hirn. Bo we got a powerful mule and hitched her to 

 the pole, and at the second pull she fetched him. But when 

 she looked round and saw what was behind her. she started 

 to run, and dragged the alligator along. She thought the 

 brute was chasing her, and there is nothing that scares a 

 mule like an alligator. Nothing could slop "her, and she ran 

 through the woods dragging him along fill he was dead, but 

 he never let go the pole. As for the .mule, she was ruined, 

 and was never worth shucks afterwards. "— S. C. C. 



Caup ts xVlleoeo Sat.t "Water— The New York daily 

 papers have recently had accounts of the taking of a Ger- 

 man carp in the salt waters of Moriches Bav, and its display 

 on Mr. Blackford's stand. The Times said: "This is the 

 first German carp yet found in salt water in the United 

 States. Undoubtedly this fish being novel to us, and not 

 indigenous, must have escaped from some of the fish breed- 

 ing ponds in Long Island." We have investigated the case. 

 We saw the fish, which was a leather carp of three pounds. 

 Moriches Bay is in the eastern end of Great South Bay, 

 Long Island, and twenty miles from the inlet. Its waters 

 are too fresh to allow the horsef oot crabs to go there, and 

 the little "mud-pike," Kso.r amcriranu*, is found there. Mr. 

 Jacob A. Miller, of East Moriches, speared the fish with an 

 eel-spear while "tire-lighting" for eels, within ten feet of the 

 shore. Much fresh water comes into the bay here. Our 

 experiments with goldfish in salt water have "proved that 

 they will not live in it, and we doubt if the carp would. 



An Ajtolkk's Library.— Quite an original idea has been 

 developed by a gentleman whose modesty does not allow his 

 name to appear on the title page of Ids book in which he has 

 published a catalogue of the works which he has gathered 

 during the. past twenty-five years. We have seen a copv of 

 the work, the full title of which is, "Catalogue of Books on 

 Angling, including Ichthyology, Pisciculture, Fisheries, and 

 Pishing Laws. From the library of a practitioner of more 

 than fifty years' experience in the art of Angling," This 

 book gives the titles of such works as the eompiler'possesses 

 and remarks on some of them, and we have looked it over 

 with great interest. The gentleman has a large collection of 

 interesting books, many of which we would like to own, and 

 his catalogue is handsomely printed. The book is a small 

 cruarto of seventy-seven pages with authors' names alphabet- 

 ically arranged. It is privately printed, but Little, Brown & 

 Co. , 254 Washington street, Boston, have a few copies for 

 sale at $2. 



The Fishermen's Own Book. — We have received a copy 

 of the above book from the publishers, Messrs. Proctor 

 Brothel's, publishers of the Cape Ann Advertiser, Gloucester, 

 Mass. It comprises a list of men and vessels lost from the 

 port of Gloucester, Mass., from 1874 to April 1, 1882, and a 

 table of losses from 1830, together with valuable statistics of 

 the fisheries, notable, fares, narrow escapes, startling adven- 

 tures, fishermen's sketches, ballads, descriptions of fishing 

 trips and much other interesting matter. We notice several 

 communications from Capt. J. W. Collins, of the U. S. Fish 

 Commission, in which he gives many interesting incidents 

 of his skipper life in his frank, truthful way. The book is 

 a handsome 8vo. of 274 pages. Price, bound, $1.50 and 15 

 tents postage; paper, §1.00, and 10 cents postage. 



Salmon Scales and Changes of Color. — I believe that 

 a salmon sheds its skin just as a snake or lobster does, hut 

 with this difference — the snake and the lobster get rid of 

 theirs at one "go," the salmon does it in bits like a man 

 peeling after fever. In the winter and autumn up till spawn- 

 ing time a salmon is of a reddish dirty brown; the momeut 

 the spawning is over he begins to brighten until he is ready 

 to enter the sea again, when he is as bright as a teaspoon, 

 actually brighter though not so iridescent as a. new-run fish, 

 but I cannot tell whether this acquired brightness a rises from 

 a fresh polish put upon the old scales for the occasion, or 

 whether it. is a fresh set of scales altogether, though I am in- 

 clined to think it is fresh scales. — J, J). B., in Land and Wi iter. 



Fishes op the Pacific Coast. — Bulletin No. II. of the 

 United States National Museum contains the bibliography of 

 I he fishes of the Pacific coast of the United States to the'end 

 of the year 1879, by Theodore Gill, published under the 

 direction of the Smithsonian Institution. This is the 

 eleventh of a series of papers intended to illustrate the 

 collections of natural history and ethnology belonging to 

 tlte United States, and constituting the National Museum. 

 The work before us gives the titles of books containing 

 notices of the Pacific coast fishes, as well ns the principal 

 articles on the same subject, and is very full. It makes 64 

 8vo. pages, with index, and is a contribution to American 

 ichthyology winch will prove of great value to the student. 



Thottt in the Eastern Townships of Canada.— Magog, 



Quebec, May 8. — No trout have yet been caught in this 

 section, as the best trout lakes are covered with ice, but we 

 hope that they wiU be clear in a few days, though the season is 

 very cold and" backward. Friend Caseau, of Sheldon, Vt., and 

 the' writer visited Trout Lake, near that place. May i, and 

 had fair sport, our largest S. fontinalis, caught by C, weighed 

 two pounds. — Stanstead. 



Fresh Water Messels Wanted. — The Ichthyophagous 

 Club is desirous of experimenting with the fresh water clam 

 or mxit^vl (Union id/i), to see if by any means it can be ren- 

 dered palatable as an article of food. The dinner will take 

 place June 5, at the Palisade Mountain House, up the 

 Hudson. Anv person who can furnish a barrel of the 

 bivalves mentioned will confer a favor by writing us 



Do Suckers Bite?— Chippewa Falls, Wis. — Notwith- 

 standing the oft-repeated assertion, "suckers don't bite," a 

 gentleman fishing in the Chippewa River with a spoon hook 

 caught a sucker which evidently did bite — at least two of 

 the hooks were in the fish's mouth when he was landed, — 

 Badger. 



Stater Island Fishing.— The Westfield, Statcn Island, 

 fill! reports from the principal fishiug 

 Wlau.4 from week to w^k, 



$i%\\mltwe. 



THE AMERICAN FISHCULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 



PROCEEDINGS ELEVKNTH ANNUAL MEETING, 

 rcOXTlNTED.] 



ME. MATHER— It is not uncommon to see small lobsters, 

 much below the legal size, offered for sale in New York 



city. It seems to be no person'.- 

 Mb. Blackeohu— Some peopl 

 Commissioners to enforce the I: 

 States, but not in the State of 

 missioners have nothing whatev 



iai it v to complain of it. 

 think it the duty of the Fish 

 ,vs. This is the ease in some 

 XewYork. The Fish Corn- 

 er to do with thi 



of the laws. There are eight public officers whose duty it 

 to enforce the laws relating to fish and game in the Star- of 

 New York. They arc called ''Game Protectors." Their 

 appointment is for the State, at large, and they have no par- 

 ticular districts. The nearest one to New York city resides 

 in Hudson. 



The President— We should ha/ve one for New York city 

 alone, and it might be well for this association to take some 

 action looking to the appointment of one for the City. 



Ma. Mathek— I would state that a short time ago I 

 attended a meeting of delegates from the KewTork State 

 Sportsmen's Association in Albanv. The object of the meet- 

 ing was to revise the game and fish, laws and draft a bill for 

 introduction into the Legislature. This has been done, and 

 the bill provides for the appointment of four more "flame 

 Protectors," making twelve in ah. Two of these new ones are 

 for western counties, one. for Long Island and one for New 

 York city. 



Ma. Blauvblt — I have tried to enforce some laws, but 

 there seems to be a difference of opinion as to the way the 

 mesh of a net should he measured 



Mu. _ Mather— These differences of opinion are not to be 

 taken into account. There is but one way to measure a mesh, 

 as you will find if you order a net of any net maker, and this 

 is to stretch the mesh the longest way and measure it. Those 

 who measure from knot to knot do not measure the mesh, 

 but only a "leg." The mesh is twice, as large as they make it. 

 For instance, when it is one inch, between knots it is a two- 

 inch mesh. 1 am aware, that some inland fishermen measure 

 differently, but an inquiry at any house that sells nets will 

 show that they are wrong. 



The President— I would recommend that the officers of 

 this association send a communication to either the Legisla- 

 ture or the Governor asking for the appointment of a game 

 constable expressly for tins city. I don't see that we can do 

 more. I notice that Mrs. Amelia Lewis, the editor of that 

 popular paper, Food and Health, is with us, and as she has 

 promised to read a paper on the carp and its treat meat from a 

 culinary point of view, we will be pleased to listen to it: 



The paper was read but Mrs. Lewis took it away for re- 

 vision and it has not been returned. 



The Prkseoent— Mrs. Lewis is the first lady who has hon- 

 ored us with a paper, and there are some things which she has 

 said that I shall remember, especially that carp should never 

 be boiled, never fried nor cooked in lard 



The Secretary then read the following: 



THE WINTER HADDOCE FISHERY OF NEW ENGLAND. 



BY G. BKOWN GOODE AND CAPT J. W. COLLINS. 

 The winter fishery for the capture of the haddock, Melano- 

 grammus aeglefinus. is carried on chiefly from the ports of 

 Gloucester and Portland, though participated in to some ex- 

 tent by vessels from Portsmouth, Swampscott, and Boston. 

 Although haddock are caught in large quantities, from spring 

 to fall, by numerous vessels and boats employed in the inshore 

 fisheries between Portland and Philadelphia, lie winter had- 

 dock fishery is peculiar in its methods. It is of comparatively 

 recent origin, dating back about thirtv years. We are told 

 that hi 1850 immense quantities of haddock were caught on 

 the trawls in Massachusetts Bav, and that a petition was pre- 

 pared by the Swainpseott fisheiinen asking for a law which 

 should prohibit trawl-fishing, on the ground that this method 

 would isoon exterminate the haddock. It is impossible, to 

 trace "with any degree of certainty the stops in the history of 

 this fishery, since it is pursued for a few months in the year 

 only, by vessels otherwise occupied a large portion of the time. 

 Since the fish have always been disposed of in a fresh con- 

 dition, they have been less carefully recorded. 



FISHING GBOUNDS. 



The winter haddock fishery is prosecuted, from October to 

 April, on all of the inshore ledges and the nearest of the off- 

 shore banks south of Sable Island bank and north of Cape 

 Cod. The depth at which the fish arc taken varies with the 

 locality, bnt is within the limits of 25 and 90 fathoms; usually 

 in water deeper than ot) fathoms. 



In the fall, when fishing first begins, the vessels set their 

 trawls along the coast horn Nantucket Shoals to Grand 

 Menan, is 30 to 90 fathoms of water. On the outside of Cape 

 Cod the fishing is within 5 to 15 miles of the shore; in Massa- 

 chusetts Bay, principally on the outer slope of Middle Bank 

 and the southern slope of the shoal ground that lies to the 

 eastward of Cape Ann, usually called "the Southeast," the 

 eastern part of the shoal-water on Jeffries Ledge, and along 

 the. coast of Maine within tit) miles of the shore, especially 

 about Monhegan Fall, Southsouthwest and Western Ground. 

 Fishing in this region continues until midwinter, and is kept 

 up by a smaller class of vessels, such as those hailing from 

 Portland, throughout the whole season. In the latter part of 

 January and in Febi-uary the larger vessels comprising the 

 major portion of the Gloucester fleet, strike farther out to sea, 

 fishing upon George's Bank, usually in 25 to 40 fathoms, near 

 the localities frequented by the winter cod-fishermen, and also 

 on the western part of the bank. They also fish on Brown's 

 Bank, in water about the same dentin and on Le Have and 

 about Cape Sable. The fishing on Le Have Bank for haddock 

 was first attempted in the winter of 18S0-SL1 This fishery has 

 been attended with the greatest success. Fishing continues 

 on these outer banks until the end of the season, when it is 

 time for the vessels to engage in other branches of the fishery. 

 the fishermen 



The fishermen who take part in this fishery are usually 

 picked men from the Gloucester fleet. A large portion of 

 them are engaged in the mackerel fishery in the summer. 



This fishery requires as much skill, pluck and endurance as 

 the halibut fishery, and men are selected in both of these 

 fisheries on account of similar qualifications. Not unfre- 

 quently the same crew will remain with the vessel in the sum- 

 mer when she is in the mackerel fishery. There i.s so much 

 competition among those who desire to ship with a good skip- 

 per that very often his entire crew list is made out five or six 

 months in advance. 



THE VESSELS. 



The vessels composing the winter haddock fleet are chieflv 

 stanchest and swiftest of those which in summer engage in 

 the mackerel and cod fisheries, The Portland fleet is made 

 up of a smaller class of vessels, averaging from thirty-five to 



forty tons; these in summer are engaged in the mackerel or 

 shore fisheries. The few Swainpseott and Boston vessels 

 which take part in the winter haddock fishery are market- 

 men and irtaeke'Tlmr u in the su mm er. 



The rigging of the haddock catchers is precisely similar to 

 that of the halibut catchers, with the exception that very few 

 of them carry gaff-topsails and riding-sails. Their outfit, of 



1 Capt. S. J. Martin, or Gloucester, writes, under date of May 10, 

 1651, as follows: "The first vessel that went to L<- Have Bank for bad- 



: 



rip UwelMt. Winter." 



nautical instruments and charts is, as might be expected, less 

 complete. The larger ones, however, have everything which 

 belongs to the outfit of the halibut schooner excepting the 

 chronometer, the Epitome, and the Nautical Almanac, 



Since the haddock vessels are rarely, if ever, anchored on 

 the fishing grounds, their arrangement of cables and anchors 

 is very (Afferent from that in the halibut and George's fleets. 

 Tliey usually have a chain cable on then- starboard • |ad 

 upon the port side ;1 . cable sinula 

 and halibut vessels, from 150 to ' 

 is stowed in the fore hold. One i 

 the anchor and the other passe: 



id is coiled below in t h 

 "Ge 



* in length, which 

 - cable is bent to 

 ugh b hole in the 

 old. The anchors 



fore hi 



are 1 



The deck is arranged in a manner different from any that 

 has yet. been described. There is usually a single gurrv-pen 

 forward of the house, and the space between the sides of the 

 gurry -pen and the house, and the rail on either side, is so ar- 

 ranged that it can be divided into pens for the reception of 

 the lish. Three or four pens may be placed on each side. 



The remainder of the deck is clear, but there is a booby- 

 hatch over the main hatch, through which access is gained to 

 the bait-room. 



The haddock catchers do not ordinarily carry davits or a 

 reefing plank. The mainsail is provided with an "out- 

 hauler" or patent reef-gear, which answers the purpose of a 

 reef-tackle and gearing, and facilitates the process of reefing 

 from the deck. A few of the larger vessels, however, are 

 provided with davits and reefing-planks. 



The arrangement of the hold is also peculiar. The space 

 which in a halibut catcher is occupied by the forward ice- 

 house is here taken up by the bait room. The bait room is 

 sometimes, but not always, btdkheaded off from the fore. hold. 

 It is one large compartment, with rough board benches all 

 around, on which the men sit while baiting their trawls. In 

 the center stands a stove. In this room the fishing-gear is 

 always stowed when not in use. The after hold is generally 

 fitted up with pens resembling those in the after hold of a 

 halibut schooner. In these pens ice. is carried when the vessel 

 is making long trips. When large fares are obtained, part of 

 the fish are. stowed in the bait room, which, on the larger ves- 

 sels, is so arranged that partitions can be bmit in it by "sliding 

 boards into grooves. The haddock schooners carry a larger 

 amount of ballast than those, of any other class, a vessel of 50 

 tons requiring 30 or 35 tons of ballast. 



THE APPARATUS AND METHODS OF THE FISHERY. 



Dories.— The larger haddock catchers carry six dories, the 

 smaller four or five. 2 Most of the dories used in this fishery 

 are deeper and wider than those in any other fishery, and are 

 built specially for the purpose, The ordinary dory is also fre- 

 quently in use. These dories are 14 feet in length. When on 

 deck they are. nested in the ordinary manner, two or three on 

 a side, and are stowed nearly amidships on each side of the 

 booby hatch, not nested close to the rail, as is the practice 

 upon other vessels carrying dories. 



A haddock dory ready to leave, the vessel, in order to set its 

 trawl, is provided with the following articles in addition to 

 the trawl fines: Trawl-roller, two pairs woolen nippers, dory 

 knife, gob stick, gaff, bailing-scoop, tholepins, two pahs 9ft. 

 ash oars, buoys, buoy lines, anchors, and black balls. 



Trawls— The haddock trawls have the. ground line of tarred 

 cotton, of 14 to 18 pounds weight to the dozen. Hemp is oc- 

 casionally used, especially by the Maine vessels and by some 

 of the Lash vessels from Boston. The ganging:-- arc of white 

 or tarred cotton, in weight about 4 to 0" pounds to the dozen. 

 They are about, 2 feet in length, and are fastened to the 

 ground line at intervals of Z}.{ feet! The maimer of fastening 

 the gangings to the ground line is very different from that 

 employed upon the halibut trawls.3 The" hooks arc No. 15 or 

 hi, center draft, and eyed.4 The hooks are fastened to Shi 

 gangings in the same manner as on the cod trawls. The had- 

 dock trawls are coiled in tubs, these being similar to those 

 employed in the Georges fishery. A flour-barrel, sawed oil- 

 above the lower quarter hoops, is used for a tub. Each tub 

 of haddock trawl contains 500 hooks, or about 292 fathoms of 

 ground line. Each dory is provided with six or eight tiJ ■ 

 trawl, and two to eight of Ihese tubs of line, are set at once, 

 as the case may require. Sometimes only two or three tubs 

 are set at a time, and several sets are frequently made in a 

 day when the weather is suitable. 



One of the anchors is similar to those used upon the cod 

 trawls, wlnle the second anchor is often of the killick pattern. 

 The. buoy line is the same as in the cod or halibut trawl, and 

 its length is 15 to 30 fathoms more than the depth of water in 

 which it is used. The buoys are similar to those used hi cod- 

 trawling. Each buoy at the end of the trawl has a black bad 

 upon it, and a middle buoy, without a staff or black ball, is 

 also used* when the whole length of the trawl is set.ii Instead 

 of the regulation keg buoy, a Yv kit" is sometimes used by the 

 haddock trawlers. 



Bait.— When it can be obtained, the principal bait used by 

 the haddock-catchers is menhaden slivers, salted. This is 

 considered the best bait, and it is said that haddock will often 

 bite at this when nothing else will tempt them. The. trawl-hooks, 

 when this bait is used, may bo baited days, or even weeks, in 

 advance, while the vessel is waiting for a chance, to set. 

 When fresh bait is used, the trawls can be baited only a 

 short time before, indeed, only a few hours before they are to 

 be set. 



Fresh herring is also used for bait, though to a compara- 

 tively limited extent, untd within the past two or three years, 

 when they have been the principal bait relied upon as a 

 sufficient quantity of menhaden could not be procured. 



Capt. S. J. Martin, of Gloucester, writes: "Five or six years 

 ago pogie slivers were exclusively used for bait by haddock 

 fishermen, but for the past two Winters none of 1 1 le'sc. could bo 

 obtained, and mackerel and herring have been the principal 

 bait. The first vessels that startedin October 1 1860) took fresh 

 mackerel for bait. When the herring came on the coast, or 

 were brought to Gloucester frozen, they were the bait de- 

 pended on "by the haddock catchers." 



In cutting up menhaden slivers for haddock bait, sections 

 are made trapezoidal or square in form, with a surface area of 

 about a square inch. One of these pieces is placed on 

 hook, and as the hooks are baited the fine is coiled in the tub, 

 the hooks being placed around on the side, points up, 7 When 

 the fisherman is ready to bait his trawl he sits upon Ids 

 bench with the empty tub between his legs and the trawl- 

 fine remoyed from the. tub and turned right side up in front 

 of him, his bait being in a bucket at his side. In his left hand 

 he takes eight or ten^pieces of bait, and with both hands he 

 pulls the line towards him, coiling it in the tub after baiting 

 the hooks; he places them in the. tub in the manner just de- 

 scribed. 



As is always the case when a number of men are working 

 together at the same employment, there is a sharp competition 

 among the. men as to who shall be the first to get his trawl 

 baited, The average, time consumed in baiting 500 hooks is 

 from 45 to 60 minutes, though the most skillfulmen have been 



i parts in Ma«a- 

 one for eacfi man besides 

 et long, and managed ay 



2 The haddock-catchers of Miiine, and so 

 : gle dories," carry 

 tin- skipper and cook. These boats are 13 n 

 lermatL 



a They are fastened either by tucking and bitching, or by a simple 

 , und the ground tin'-. 



4 The Irish fishermen i ,f Boston sometimes use a galvanized hook a 

 the sri'i. 1 1. eye, 



5 This is to aid the fishermen in recovering their trawls in ease the 



ted at either end. 



r. where There is a rock 



7 The Iri h 

 rug the line In one part and pitftUl? the h^jt 



Ian of the i... 



