BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 233 
in length. He expressed his belief that six or seven vessels of the 
fleet had obtained fares of mackerel during the night and had sailed 
for market. During the latter part of the day we steered a northeast 
course. At 7.30 p. m. we hove to 'and set two mackerel gill-nets and 
one herring gill-net in lat. 38° 30' N., long. 73° 55' W. 
During the evening we saw torches burning on board of several fish- 
ing vessels to the northwest, which indicated that those vessels had 
taken catches of mackerel, or were among the schooling fish. 
The following morning (May 12) the wind was easterly, blowing a 
moderate breeze ; the weather clear and pleasant. 
At 4.30 a. m. hauled the gill-nets and found one mackerel in the her- 
ring net, and a few small dogfish. As soon as the nets were onboard we 
got under way and stood to the northward in the direction of a fishing 
vessel which we saw “lying to” under her mainsail, and the crew of 
which were busy dressing fish. The vessel proved to be the Warren 
J. Crosby , of Gloucester, and her captain reported catching 70 barrels 
of mackerel during the previous night. These mackerel, he said, ranged 
from 11 to 13 inches in length. Shortly after we spoke with the 
schooner Lizzie Maud. Her captain reported leaving New York the day 
before. Up to that time, he said, about twenty-five vessels had landed 
fares of mackerel at that port, most of the fish being taken between the 
parallels of 37 and 38° 40' north, from 15 to 25 miles offshore. All 
vessels landing fish reported that the body of fish from which they ob- 
tained their catches covered an area of about 25 to 30 miles north and 
south, and about 15 miles from east to west, and had occupied that po- 
sition for nearly ten days. At 8 a. m. twenty-seven sail of fishing ves- 
sels were seen, most of them “ jogging.” Put out the small towing net 
and collected some Crustacea and a lot of minute shells which. were float- 
ing in the water. We made a trial with u toll-bait” for mackerel in the 
evening (lat. 38° 40' N., long. 73° 55' W.) but got no fish. In an inter- 
view with Captain Chase, of the schooner Clara S. Cameron , he said 
that the body of mackerel seen by him this spring exceeds in amount 
anything he has experienced while engaged in the southern mackerel 
fishery. 
At 6.57 p. m., put out the large towing net and took a quantity of 
Crustacea and small floating shells, our position being lat. 38° 40' N., 
long. 73° 55' W. The vessel was headed to the northwest during the 
night, and a lookout was stationed at the mast-head to watch for fish. 
Saw nine schools of fish between 9 and 10 o’clock p. m. 
On the morning of May 13 the wind was west- southwest, hauling to 
northwest and northeast later in the day. At 7 a. m. our course was 
southwest by south J south, seven fishermen in sight, steering in the 
same direction. We sailed 57 miles in this direction, and saw three 
fishermen ahead “haul to” and drop their seine-boats; soon after we 
saw five large schools of fish. The seine-boat of the schooner Henry 
Morganthau , of Portland, was seen taking mackerel. The Morganthau 
