Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission 1883
May & June 1887 Pages 76-80
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION 1887
Notwithstanding a backward season and the almost continuous cold,
foggy weather, the fisheries have been actively prosecuted during the
month, and the receipts, while not large, have been in excess of those
of May, 1886. The demand has improved, but the receipts have been
ample to supply the trade at fairly remunerative prices.
Codfish have been reported scarce on many of the distant fishinf
grounds, especially on George's Bank; but they have been more than
ordinarily abundant on Western Bank and in the shore waters off Cape
Ann. The large school of cod found in these waters in April has
remained in the vicinity, and the Gloucester shore fleet have found excellent
fishing throughout the month in the immediate vicinity of the harbor.
On May 5 the schooner Northern Eagle, with a crew of ten men
secured 24,000 pounds of cod on the local grounds,, 3 to 5 miles souteast
from Eastern Point---the eastern extremity of the harbor.
On May 8 nine vessels landed a total of 176,000 pounds of codfish,
the result of two days' fishing with trawls. The following statemeent
shows the catch of each of the vessels separately and the number
men constituting the crew:
In addition to the above, each of these vessels landed a few hundred
pounds of haddock. The boat-fishermen also had a large catch on the
same grounds with hand-lines. The fishing in Ipswich Bay, on the north
side of Cape .Ann, was also much better than in May of 1886.
The receipts of fresh halibut show a gain over the corresponding
month of last year. The schooner Willie M. Stevens arrived on May
13, with 74,000 pounds caught on Grand Bank; this being the largest
fare landed during, the month. The prices at that time were, owing to
the oversupply of halibut, lower then at any previous period during
the year, the cargo selling at two and one half cents a pound. The
schooner C. B. Manning, while on a halibut trip, went ashore on Gannet
Ledge, Nova Scotia. The crew were saved, but the vessel proved a total loss.
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BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION.
Of the Gloucester fleet visiting the coast of Iceland for halibut during the
present season, the Davy Crockett was the first to arrive there. She
reached the fishing grounds on April 8, nineteen days after leaving
Gloucester. The second vessel to arrive was the schooner Annie M.
Jordan, after a passage of twenty-three days. Halibut were reported
abundant, though it was said that the only fishing by the natives was
sharks. Capt. John Cousins, of the schooner Annie M. Jordan,
writes that on the passage, while in latitude 59 degrees 20', longitude 30 degrees 10',
he sailed through vast quantities of dead fish, extending a distance of 5
miles. The fish were strange to the crew, differing from any heretofore
seen by them. They were from 12 to 16 inches loug, some of them resembling
rock cod.
The schooner Paul and Essie, of Swampscott, arrived home from
Pensacola, Fla., where she had been engaged for four months in the
snapper fishery, having stocked $4,400. She reported having found
new and valuable fishing grounds off the Florida coast.
The southern mackerel fleet received daily additions to its numbers
during the month; though fewer vessels have been engaged in the fishery
this season than are ordinarily employed. The catch was far from
satisfactory, owing largely to unfavorable and foggy weather during a
large part of the time. Only a few of the vessels have caught any considerable
quantity of fish, many of them having but a few barrels, and
others have returned to refit without having caught a single fish. The
total catch of mackerel by the southern fleet, from the beginning of the
the season up to the end of May, aggregated only about 5,000 barrels of
mackerel, sea-packed, and about 8,000 barrels sold fresh.
The mackerel are now well to the northward, and the body of fish seem to
disappeared for the time being. The mackerel vessels are widely
scattered. A large part of the fleet is cruising between Fire Island and
the Bay of Fundy, going as far to the eastward as George's Bank; quite a
number remain in the vicinity of Block Island, and the remainder are
cruising off the Nova Scotia shore. Large schools of pollock are reported
off Cape Cod, and the fishermen claim that they have kept the mackerel away from the shores.
The catch of small herring in the vicinity of Eastport has been unusually
light, and the sardine factories located there are reported to have
packed only 2,000 cases up to the end of May, against 50,000 cases to
the corresponding date in 1886.
The weir and trap fishing along other portions of the New England
coast has fluctuated considerably. At times large catches have been
made in certain localities, and again only small quantities have been
secured, but enough bait has been taken to supply the fishing fleet at
reasonable prices. Salt-clam bait, however, has proved very successful
in the Western Bank cod fisheries, and the vessels from this port making
the quickest trips and securing the largest fares have used salt clams
exclusively. The schooner John W. Bray, which sailed from Gloucester
January 18 to engage in the frozen herring trade, was detained by being
frozen in at one of the harbors. She returned on May 12 with a cargo
of 600 barrels pickled herring.
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BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION.
THE FISHERIES OF GLOUCESTER, MASS., IN JUNE, 1887 WITH
NOTES 0N THOSE OF OTHER LOCALITIES.
The fisheries of Gloucester during the past month have not been as
satisfactory as was anticipated. Vessels have sailed for the fishing
grounds at frequent intervals, many of them starting on their first trips
for the year, while others previously employed, after returning home
with small fares, have refitted and again departed.
The receipts of cod at Gloucester during the mouth show a large increase
over those of the corresponding month in 1886, but this increase"'
is due to the large number of vessels from other ports landing their
fares at Gloucester, and not to the gre ta er abundance of fish. Codfish
are reported to have been scarce on many of the distant fishing
banks, and vessels have, as a rule, returned with only partial cargoes.
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BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION.
On George's the catch was larger than during the preceding month,
iut not equal to the light catch of June, 1886.
The schools of cod frequenting the shore waters off Cape Ann during
the spring months have disappeared, and the catch in this locality has
been light. Of the Gloucester vessels employed in the cod fisheries on
the off shore banks those using salt-clam bait exclusively have, as a
rule, been more successful than those supplied with fresh bait.
Many vessels depending entirely upon fresh bait have returned from Western
Bank with an average of only 25,000 to 40,000 pounds. Among the
arrivals of vessels fishing on Quereau, Grand, and Western Banks with
salt clams are: schooner M. H. Perkins, 140,000 pounds; schooner J.
V. Collins,140,000 pounds; schooner Druid, 135,000 pounds; schooner
Flash, 90,000 pounds; and schooner Legal Tender, 60,000 pounds.
Hake have been reported more abundant off the eastern portion of the New
England coast, and on Cashe's and Jeffrey's Banks, during the month
than daring any preceding June for some years. A large percentage
of the catch has been landed at Gloucester, and the receipts show a
considerable increase.
Halibut have been scarce during the month, the Gloucester vessels
arriving with small fares: The bulk of these fish are landed fresh and
at once iced in boxes and distributed by rail to the trade. At times of
oversupply the surplus is sent to the smoke-houses.
Pollock have been found in usual abundance off Cape Cod, being
caught chiefly in traps and purse-seines.
The mackerel catch, although an improvement over that of 1886, has
not thus far been satisfactory. Almost daily additions have been made
to the mackerel fleet, and the fishing grounds about Block Island, off
the New England and Nova Scotia shores, and in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence,
have been well patrolled. At the close of the month the New
England mackerel fleet numbered about 250 vessels, most of them cruising
between Cape Cod and the Bay of Fundy, though about 30 sail had
already entered the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
The first American seiner
to enter the gulf during the present season was the schooner A. R.
Crittenden, which passed through the Gut of Canso on June 15. The
schooner Albert H. Harding followed soon after, but after a short cruise,
during which not a single mackerel was seen, she returned, reaching
Gloucester on June 27, and landed a cargo of 126 barrels, part of these
being taken before entering the gulf and the remainder on her return
passage after leaving same. Mackerel have schooled freely all along
the New England coast, and occasional good catches have been made;
but most of the schools have been small, containing only a few barrels.
Much of the time the weather has been foggy, and seiners have been
obliged to remain idle. The receipts have been light, and prices have
advanced from $6 per barrel to $9 for sea-packed mackerel.
Herring of good size have been abundant along various portions of
shore between Cape Cod and Eastern Maine.
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BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION
The catch in weirs and traps, and the occasional catches by the mackerel
seiners, have been ample to supply the fishermen with bait at satisfactory prices.
The small or sardine herring have been scarce most of the season in the
vicinity of Eastport, and the canneries have done but little.
As far as known, the first swordfish of the season was caught off
Block Island, and landed at New Bedford on June 11.
There has been a steady and good demand for all the varieties of
salt fish, the receipts being taken at more satisfactory prices than those
prevailing a year ago. No stock is accumulating. Prices for fresh sea
fish have fluctuated, but the demand has been good, and cod and
haddock have brought better prices than during June, 1866.[sic]
On June 30 there were 480 vessels, aggregating 30,848.02 tons,
belonging in the district of Gloucester. Of these, 380 (over 20 tons each)
aggregating 26,666.12 tons, and 49 (under 20 tons each) aggregating
556.07 tons, were employed in the fisheries. The fishing fleet of the district,
when compared with that of June 30, 1886, shows a decrease of 8 vessels,
and an increase of 164.23 tons; this increase in tonnage showing
that larger-sized vessels have replaced those lost or sold.
Fish landed at Gloucester by the fishing fleet in June, 1887.
END
By W. A. Wilcox
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By W. A. Wilcox
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