BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 449 
the fleet, aggregating 71,055 barrels, of which 760 barrels were landed 
fresh in Portland. The vessels fishing with hand lines and nets se- 
cured 39 barrels of fresh mackerel and 27 barrels of salt mackerel in 
the Southern spring fishery; 3,357 barrels of fresh and 2,142 barrels of 
salt fish off the New England shore, and 191 barrels of salt mackerel 
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The total value of the mackerel taken by 
the fleet in 1886 was about $1,716,372. 
The extent of the mackerel fishery in 1887 is given in Table VIII, 
which shows, in addition to the number of vessels and the catch, as set 
forth in Table VII, the aggregate tonnage and value of the vessels in 
each district, together with the number and citizenship of the men em- 
ployed in the fishery and the value of the catch by districts. The ta- 
ble includes all vessels that during any portion of the year fished espe- 
cially for mackerel. The mackerel catch of vessels not regularly en- 
gaged in the fishery is shown in a foot-note. 
The extent of the American mackerel fishery in the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence in 1887 is presented in Table IX. The average catch per 
vessel, only 98 barrels, is considerably less than half the average 
catch of vessels fishing on the American shore, which was 220 bar- 
rels in 1887. A list of the vessels, 178 in number, which entered the 
Gulf for mackerel, follows the table, the arrangement being alphabet- 
ical under ports. 
The information contained in Table X was furnished by Messrs. 
D. L. Fernald & Co., of Portland. It shows the quantity and value of 
salt mackerel packed at Portland in 1887, with the percentage of same 
caught in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The table includes all salt mack- 
erel packed in Portland, regardless of where the vessels landing the 
fish were owned. The six packers handled 9,940 barrels, valued at 
$140,144.40; of which 2,198 barrels, valued at $26,407, were taken in 
the Gulf of St. Lawrence by 40 vessels that fished from six to twenty 
weeks in those waters ; the average time being nine weeks, and the 
average catch 55 barrels. 
In Tables XI, XII, and XIII the New England lobster- vessel 
fishery in 1887 is dealt with, the first table relating to Maine, the 
second to the other States having lobster fisheries, while the third 
is a condensed statement for the whole of New England. Reference 
to the tables, which give the statistics in great detail, shows, among 
other things, that Maine leads the other States in the number of 
vessels engaged in the fishery, the tonnage of same, the number of 
men employed, and the number and value of the lobsters transported ; 
and that Connecticut is second to Maine in all these respects, and 
excels in the value of the vessels and outfits, and the number and 
value of the lobsters actually caught by the vessels’ crews. The 
total output of this fishery was 1,960,939 lobsters, of which 639,294, 
valued at $49,908, were caught by the crews of the vessels; while 
the remaining 1,321,645, valued at $70,399, were caught by men 
Bull. IT. S. F. C. 87— — -29 
