BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 219 
I suggest, however, in ease you arrive ou the fishing-ground north of Hatteras be- 
fore any mackerel are seen by the fishing vessels, that you run some distance south or 
southeast of them and set gill-nets, if the weather permits. And it may be a good 
plan to set gill-nets where the mackerel vessels are, if they have not seen fish. By 
doing this you may get the first trace of the fish as they approach the coast. 
Later, when the fleet gets to work, it will be well for you to leave it occasionally 
to run from 25 to 75 miles farther north, set nets at night, and also try “toll-bait” by 
day, to ascertain if the fish are moving faster than the fleet. Also, when the fleet is 
working inshore, you can run offshore 25 or even 75 miles, and try the same methods ; 
or, if the fleet is offshore, run in. 
By doing this and keeping a careful record of your work — such as the number and 
kinds of nets set, at what distance from the surface fish were most plentiful, the 
depth they were sunk, the occurrence of and apparent abundance of fish, the rela- 
tive size of the mackerel as compared with those taken by the fleet, the number of 
trials made with toll-bait, location of same, results, etc. — you will add much val- 
uable information to that we now have. 
In this connection let me say that it will be desirable to give the fishermen any 
information that may result to their advantage ; always, however, keeping a record 
of the fact, the name of the vessel, etc., xo which this information is imparted, and, 
so far as it comes to your knowledge, a record of the result. 
I think it will always be desirable, after making independent researches, to return 
to the fleet without too much delay, so as to keep open communication with the 
vessels and closely watch their movements. 
Having opened communication with the fleet and learned something of its move- 
ments, what has been accomplished in your absence, etc., you can then make another 
cruise on your own account, if you see fit. You will always bear in mind that any- 
thing you can learn independent of the fishing vessels will be much more valuable 
than the information gained simply by watching their movements, although the lat- 
ter is too important to be neglected. 
It will not, of course, be necessary that trials be made very close together, and for 
results I think you will have to depend largely upon gill-nets. Trials with “ toll- 
bait ” made at distances of say 15 to 25 miles ought to be near enough, while gill-net 
experiments could be made at longer distances, say 25 to 75 miles apart, as circum- 
stances seem to dictate. 
In carrying on your work it is desirable that you should observe the following 
methods : 
(1) Keep hourly records of the temperature during the day, and note the tempera- 
ture every two hours at night, whenever practicable ; also to continue to record, as 
you have been doing, the height of barometer and condition of the weather, state of 
the sea, kind of sky, etc. 
(2) Note carefully the hours when mackerel appear and disappear, at night or 
otherwise, whether you may be in a fleet or at a distance from any fishing vessels, 
also the direction and rapidity of their migrations. 
(3) When in a fleet, either in harbor or otherwise, obtain all possible information 
in regard to the appearance of mackerel, as observed by the fishermen. The date, 
locality, abundance of fish, number of vessels present at the time, and the catch (as 
nearly as it can be obtained) should be ascertained and recorded. It will also be de- 
sirable to write down the observations of the fishermen on the movements of the 
mackerel, and get from them statements of opinion as to the influence the weather 
and winds have on the movements or on the abundance of fish. These data and 
other facts can be kept in a book separate from the log-book. 
(4) Note the appearance and approximate numbers of sea-birds, such as gulls, gan- 
nets, hagdons, jaegers, etc. 
(5) When in a fleet, note the numbers of vessels in sight and the area of ground 
they cover ; that is, the distance from one side of the fleet to the other in an east and 
