386 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
There was a brisk westerly breeze in the morning with fine clear 
weather, but later in the day the wind moderated slightly and there 
were light showers of rain in the evening. 
The trawl was hauled at 5 a. m. and, though it was torn considerably, 
there were about 1,200 pounds of fish in the “cod.” These were chiefly 
small haddock, such as the New England fishermen call “scrod” had- 
dock. According to the skipper, we “struck The Rough” about half 
an hour before we began to heave up the trawl, which accounted for 
its being torn. 
Most of the vessels in our fleet got fair catches of fish this morning, 
compared with what they had previously taken, and not a few of them 
had their nets torn. After the trawls were up, and while the crews 
were busy dressing and boxing the fish and repairing damages to the 
gear, the fleet filled aw ay and beat to windw ard to regain the position 
where they began fishing last evening. The catch was not sufficiently 
large to complete the cargo of the Sobriety , and consequently she did 
not start for market to-day. But I concluded, however, to change my 
quarters, and when the boat left the Willie and Ada to transfer the 
morning’s catch of fish I went in her, on board of the Sobriety , where 
I was welcomed by the captain and crew, and where I staid for the 
remainder of my cruise. 
It was an interesting sight to witness, from this point of view — on 
board of the carrier — the various phases of boarding the fish which 
have been alluded to elsewhere. Along the lee side of the Sobriety 
were crowded the boats of the fleet, the crew of some of them actively 
engaged in getting their fish on deck, upon which was gathered a 
group of hardy fishermen belonging to the other vessels, and who, now 
their fish were on board and their boats dropped astern, were inter- 
changing news, chaffing the newcomers, and apparently enjoying this 
break in the monotony of their lives on board their own vessels. 
The crew of the cutter which takes the fish in generally have to stow 
the boxes below and ice them, putting down alternate layers of trunks 
of fish and ice, the latter being ground fine in a mill which each smack 
of the fleet is provided with. Sometimes the carrier’s crew receive as- 
sistance from the men belonging to the other vessels, who, after they 
have discharged their boats and deposited their bills of lading in the 
companion, lend a hand to get the trunks below deck. When, however, 
all the vessels in a “cutter fleet” are sharing alike, each receiving an 
equal portion of the catch, no tallies are put on the trunks of fish and 
no bills of lading are needed. 
At 1.30 p. m. the admiral signaled to “ shoot the gear,” and accord- 
ingly the trawl was put out. But it got caught up on the bottom soon 
after it was down, and we had to heave it up and repair the damage 
which the net had sustained. As this took some time it was decided 
by our skipper that it would scarcely pay to make another shot during 
the afternoon, and ns several other smacks met with a similar mishap, 
