76 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
27.-THE FISHERIES OF GLOUCESTER, MASS., IN MAY, 1887, WITH 
NOTES ON THOSE OF OTHER LOCALITIES. 
By W. A. WILCOX. 
Notwithstanding a backward season and the almost continuous cold, 
foggy weather, the fisheries have been actively prosecuted during the 
month, and the receipts, while not large, have been in excess of those 
of May, 1886. The demand has improved, but the receipts have been 
ample to supply the trade at fairly remunerative prices. 
Codfish have been reported scarce on many of the distant fishing 
grounds, especialty on George’s Bank ; but they have been more than 
ordinarily abundant on Western Bank and in the shore waters off Cape 
Ann. The large school of cod found in these waters in April has re- 
mained in the vicinity, and the Gloucester shore fleet have found excel- 
lent fishing throughout the month in the immediate vicinity of the har- 
bor. On May 5 the schooner Northern Eagle, with a crew of ten men, 
secured 24,000 pounds of cod on the local grounds, 3 to 5 miles south- 
east from Eastern Point — the eastern extremity of the harbor. 
On May 8 nine vessels landed a total of 176,000 pounds of codfish, as 
the result of two days’ fishing with trawls. The following statement 
shows the catch of each of the vessels separately and the number of 
men constituting the crew : 
Vessel. 
No. of 
men. 
Catch. 
SfVhnrvnflT’ A ViWa A. Snow 
12 
Pounds. 
43, 000 
38. 000 
40, 000 
18. 000 
10, 000 
9, 000 
7, 000 
6, 000 
5, 000 
Sr/h firmer "Rising Star 
10 
Sltuvp "nivpiy . . . 
10 
Sloop Breeze 
4 
Slnnp . 
3 
Schooner Chromo 
4 
Schooner Grade...... 
4 
Sehnoner Optimal, ns ... 
2 
Schooner Julia A................ 
4 
In addition to the above, each of these vessels landed a few hundred 
pounds of haddock. The boat-fishermen also had a large catch on the 
same grounds with hand-lines. The fishing in Ipswich Bay, on the north 
side of Cape Ann, was also much better than in May of 1886. 
The receipts of fresh halibut show a gain over the corresponding 
month of last year. The schooner Willie M. Stevens arrived on May 
13, with 74,000 pounds caught on Grand Bank ; this being the largest 
fare landed during the month. The prices at that time were, owing to 
the oversupply of halibut, lower than at any previous period during 
the year, the cargo selling at 2£ cents a pound. The schooner C. B. 
Manning, while on a halibut trip, went ashore on Gannet Ledge, Nova 
Scotia. The crew were saved, but the vessel proved a total loss. Of 
