BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION.

Notes on the Gloucester Fisheries. February 19, 1882.
By S. J. Martin. [From a letter to Prof. S. F. Baird.]

Five boats are fishing for cod with nets, each boat having 24 nets. They have a new set of nets. The rest of the vessels that had nets are using trawls. They have done better with nets the last week. The five boats with nets landed at Rockport last week 44,000 pounds of large cod. Some of the trawlers got as many fish. They were mixed fish-- cod, haddock, hake, cusk--so the trawlers did not get half the money the netters did.The fish they got in nets are large, mostly male fish.

I looked at 800 pounds and found that two-thirds were male fish. The female fish had very little spawn in them. I found 6 females with spawn nearly ripe. I was glad to hear that you got plenty of cod spawn at New York. Cod have been plenty off the Long Island coast all winter.

I will tell you a little about haddock fishing on George's. There has been a large school of haddock on George's for the last three weeks. I will give you some facts, then you can judge for yourself. Schooner Martha C. arrived yesterday with 90,000 pounds, gone eight days; schooner Josie M. Calderwood, 85,000 pounds, gone seven days; schooner H. A. Duncan, 80,000 pounds, gone seven days. Four vessels left here Saturday and were back Wednesday with 40,000 pounds of haddock, having fished one day and a half. That is good work and quick work. The vessels don't find the codfish very plenty on George's.

The average pounds of fish brought in by the George's vessels the last trip were 16,000 pounds of cod and 2,000 pounds of halibut. Most of them were gone three weeks.

The halibut-catchers have done nothing. Schooner Corrina H. Bishop arrived yesterday; been out 6 weeks; lost 6 men and 1,500 pounds of halibut. Two of the haddock fleet are missing; I don't think they will ever come back; they have been out since the 18th day of January. The vessels are schooner Edith M. Pew, Captain Corliss; schooner Paul Revere, Captain Bently. They have not been seen since the gale of February 4.

The price of fresh fish the last week has been high; there was a large pile of haddock yesterday. They all sold at 2 cents to 3 1/2 cents a pound--good prices since there are so many fish.