288 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
OUTLINE OF THE VESSELS’ MOVEMENTS. 
By tlie selection of vessels making their headquarters on Long Island Sound and 
Chesapeake Bay, respectively, and fishing chiefly in or near these bodies of water, it 
was possible to cover the most important fishing regions on the coast and to secure 
data that were typical of a large part of the menhaden fleet. It happened, however, 
that the vessels in question did not confine their operations to the vicinity of the 
factories which they supplied, but extended their cruises over a wide area, and, in 
fact, took fish from Maine to North Carolina, inclusive. 
Prior to June 22, during the period when the observations were conducted on the 
steamer Quickstep, that vessel mostly frequented the outer coast of Long Island, a 
few lots of fish being obtained from the northern part of the New Jersey coast and a 
few off Rhode Island. During the last few days of June and until July 3 the Arizona 
fished in Long Island Sound and off the adjacent coasts of Rhode Island and Massa- 
chusetts. Prom July 5 to 15 most of the time was spent in New York Bay, one visit 
being made to the New Jersey coast. During the last two weeks in July most of the 
fishing was done off the southern part of New Jersey and in New York Bay. During 
August and September practically all the time was passed in or near the mouth of 
Delaware Bay, where an unprecedentedly large body of fish was found. By October 1 
the vessel moved east, and during the remainder of the season restricted its operations 
to Gardiner Bay, Neapeague Bay, and the Long Island coast. 
The observations on the J. TP. Hawldns began May 7 and ended December 3, fishing 
having commenced a few days before the agent reached the vessel. Up to June 18 
all the fishing was done in Chesapeake Bay. The vessel then went east, and on June 
29 began a six weeks’ fishing cruise on the coast of Maine, chiefly near the mouth of 
the Kennebec River and in Casco Bay. On August G the vessel left Maine waters 
and started for the Chesapeake. Ten days were passed in Boston Harbor, where fish 
were found to be abundant. Pishing was renewed in the Chesapeake on August 30 
and continued until October 13. The steamer then again cruised east and had a few 
days’ fishing off the coast of New Jersey and New York. The remainder of the season 
was passed near the mouth of the Chesapeake and along the coast of Virginia and 
North Carolina, the final set being made November 27, 8 miles north of Cape Lookout, 
North Carolina. 
GENERAL RESULTS OF THE FISHERY. 
The season of 1894 was, on the whole, considered a very fair one for the menhaden 
fishery. While none of the menhaden firms made a great deal of money, nearly all 
had a balance to their credit at the close of operations. There was a large body of 
menhaden along the entire coast from Maine to North Carolina. One of the vessels 
on which observations were conducted had a much larger catch than usual, but the 
other’s output was less than the average in recent years. 
During the time when observations were conducted on the Quickstep , that is, from 
May 16 to June 21, the catch of that vessel was 2,532,000 menhaden. The number of 
menhaden taken by the Arizona in the remainder of tlie season was 1G, 174, 800. The 
combined catch of these two vessels, while their operations were being studied by 
agents of the Commission, was therefore 18,706,800 menhaden. The Arizona took 
about 5,870,000 fish before June 22, and during the entire season obtained 22,000,000 
menhaden. The catch in 1894 was the largest in the history of the vessel, with the 
exception of one season, when nearly 23,000,000 were secured. 
