Fishing Grounds of the Gulf of Maine

Toothaker Ridge This bank is 26 miles S. ½ E. from Monhegan and lies in an ENE. and WSW. direction. There seem to he two ridges here, the larger being about 5 or 6 miles long by about 1½ miles wide. This inner ridge has a shoal of 35 fathoms on the western end, from which it deepens eastward to about 45 fathoms, which is the general depth elsewhere on this piece of ground.

The outer ridge parallels the inner at about 1½ miles distance and there is a deep, narrow gully between. It apparently has about half the area of the other. This smaller ridge has a 45-fathom shoal of rocks on the western end. deepening the water, like the other, to the eastward to 75 and 80 fathoms over a broken rocky bottom and 90 fathoms on hard mud.

This is an all-the-year cusk ground. A few cod are present all the year. but this species is most abundant here and on the other ridge in the spring and through June. Hake occur on the muddy ground in summer and fall.

On both shoals are abundant growths of "lemons" and like species of fish food, and they are good "hand-line spots" over their rocky bottoms.

Fishing on both is said to be at its best in the spring and in June, the species taken being cod, cusk, pollock. and hake. As before stated. these are year-around cod and cusk ground. pollock and hake being present in summer and fall, the latter species over the muddy ground.

These grounds have been thought to lie too rough for trawling. But occasional good fares are taken on them by this method.