70 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
24.— TIIE FISHERIES OF GLOUCESTER, MASS., I IV MARCH, 1883% WITH 
NOTES ON THOSE OF OTHER LOCALITIES. 
By W. A. WILCOX. 
During a large part of the month the weather was so stormy as to 
seriously interfere with fishing, and many vessels lost anchors, cables, 
and deck-gear, but they escaped serious disaster. 
The leading receipts of the month have been cod, halibut, and frozen 
herring. On George’s Bank cod and halibut have been scarce ; old fish- 
ermen report them more so than for twenty-five years, but the decreased 
receipts are accounted for, in part at least, by the weather, which was 
unfavorable for fishing. In Ipswich Bay a fleet of sixty sail has found 
codfish both abundant and large in size. The fish were mostly taken 
with trawls, the largest catches being made where the trawls were most 
numerous ; the thousands of baited trawls apparently attracting the 
fish. 
Halibut receipts were mostly from 18 to 20 miles ENE. of Sable 
Island. These grounds have of late years been seldom visited by 
American fishermen, but fish were recently found plentiful there, about 
two-thirds of the catch being white halibut. The few vessels fishing on 
the Grand Bank have had a moderate catch of halibut, though they met 
with much drift ice, which in many cases carried away their trawls. 
Fish from this locality averaged only one-half white. 
The Western Bank codfish fleet have begun to sail for the fishing- 
grounds. A larger proportion than usual will fish with hand-lines and 
salt-clam bait, instead of using trawls and fresh bait, as formerly. By 
this means they will avoid the necessity of visiting any fo reign port 
except for wood, water, shelter, or repairing damages. It is reported 
that about 7,000 barrels of clam bait have been sold to provincial fish- 
ermen by dealers in Maine. 
Fourteen sail of cod-fishermen are reported as having started for the 
Western Bank from Booth Bay and Southport, Me. Provincetown will 
this season have a reduced fleet engaged in the cod and mackerel fish- 
eries, as a number of the vessels have been sold, some of them having 
left the country and no new ones have been added. That port during 
the month has had twenty-two vessels engaged in catching fresh fish 
for the Boston market. 
The schooner Grampus, of the U. S. Fish Commission, has done good 
work in gathering codfish eggs for the hatchery at Wood’s Holl, and in 
turning loose the young fry. Much time has been lost by rough weather 
yet the millions of eggs gathered, hatched, and turned out into the 
waters of Massachusetts Bay may reasonably be expected to produce 
good results in the future. Her work in this line for the season ends 
with March, as she is to go south to meet and follow the mackerel, ale- 
