If si ; CD : rn ; CD o UNITED STATES COMMISSION OF FISH AND FISHERIES SPENCER, F. BA.IRD, COMMISSIONER THE FISHERIES FISHERY INDUSTRIES UNITED STATES PREPARED THROUGH THE CO-OPERATION OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES AND THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE TENTH CENSUS BY GEORGE BROWN GOODE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF TIIE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AND A STAFF OF ASSOCIATES SECTION II A GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES INDUSTRIES AND FISHING COMMUNITIES FOR THE YEAR 1880 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1887 ASSOCIATE AUTHORS. JOEL A. ALLEN Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge. TARLETON H. BEAN U. S. National Museum, Washington. JAMES TEMPLEMAN BROWN U. S. National Museum, Washington. A. HOWARD CLARK U. S. National Museum, Washington. JOSEPH W. COLLINS Gloucester, Massachusetts. R. EDWARD EARLL U. S. Fish Commission, Washington. RICHARD H. EDMONDS Baltimore, Maryland. HENRY W. ELLIOTT Cleveland, Ohio. ERNEST INGERSOLL New Haven, Connecticut. DAVID S. JORDAN Indiana University, Bloomington, Imliaua. LUDWIG KUMLIEN Milwaukee, Wisconsin. MARSHALL MCDONALD . U. S. Fish Commission, Washington. FREDERICK MATHER N. Y. Fish Commission, Cold Spring, New York. BARNET PHILLIPS Brooklyn, New York. RICHARD RATHBUN U. S. National Museum, Washington. JOHN A. RYDER U. S. Fish Commission, Washington. CHARLES W. SMILEY U. S. Fish Commission, Washington. SILAS STEARNS Pensacola, Florida. FREDERICK W. TRUE U. S. National Museum, Washington. WILLIAM A. WILCOX Boston, Massachusetts. in LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. WASHINGTON, D. C., March 1, 1883. Prof. SPENCER F. BAIKD, U. S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries: SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith a geographical review of the fisheries of the United States, including the fishery districts of the Atlantic, the Gulf, and the Pacific coasts, and of the great lakes. This report has been prepared by the following-named census agents and assistants of the United States Fish Commission : Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, Mr. A. Howard Clark, Capt. Joseph W. Collins, Mr. R. Edward Earll, Mr. Richard H. Edmonds, Mr. Ernest Ingersoll, Prof. David S. Jordan, Mr. Ludwig Kumlien, Col. Marshall McDonald, Mr. Frederick Mather, Mr. Silas Stearns, Mr. Frederick W. True, and Mr. W. A. Wilcox. The manuscript of this volume was prepared for the press by Mr. R. E. Earll, and has been printed under the editorial supervision of Mr. A. Howard Clark. This report constitutes Section II of the Special Report on the Food Fishes and Fishery In- dustries of the United States, prepared through the co-operation of the Commission of Fish and Fisheries and the Superintendent of the Tenth Census. Section I, the Natural History of Useful Aquatic Animals, has already been published. The accompanying statistical statement gives a summary of the fisheries of the country in 1880. We find that the total number of persons actually employed in the fishery industries, either as fishermen or in preparing the products for market, was 131,420, of whom 101,684 were fisher- men, and the remainder shoresmen. The fishing fleet consisted of 6,605 vessels (aggregating 208,207.82 tons) and 44,804 boats, and the total amount of capital invested was $37,955,349, distributed as follows: Vessels, $9,357,282; boats, $2,465,393; minor apparatus and outfits, $8,145,261 : other capital, including shore property, $17,987,413. The value of the fisheries of the sea, of the great rivers, and of the great lakes was $43,046,053, and that of those in minor inland waters was $1,500,000; in all, $44,546,053. These values were estimated upon the basis of the prices of the products received by the producers, and, if average wholesale prices had been considered, the value would have been much greater. VI LETTEli OF TEANSMITTAL. STATISTICS OF THE FISHEEIES OF TIIE UNITED STATES IN 1880. (a) 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 It 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 States and territories. GBAXD TOTAL. PERSONS EMPLOYED. ATrAKATUS AND CAPITAL. Persons em- ployed. Capital in- vested. Value of products. Fisher- men. Shores- men. Vessels. Number. Tonnage. Value. Number. 131, 426 $37, 933, 349 $43, 046, 053 Number. 101, 684 Number. 29, 742 6,005 208, 297. 82 $9, 357, 282 37, 043 14, 981 52, 418 6,131 1C, 803 5,050 19, 937, 607 4, 426, 078 8, 951, 722 645, 584 2, 748, 383 1, 343, 975 14, 270, 393 8, 070, 579 9, 602, 737 1,227,544 7, 484, 750 1,784,050 29, 838 12,584 38, 774 4,382 11,613 4,493 7,205 2,397 13,644 749 5,190 557 2,006 1,210 3,014 197 56 62 113,602.59 23, 566. 93 60, 886. 15 3, 009. 86 5, 463. 42 1, 768. 87 4, 502, 131 1, 382, 000 2, 375, 450 308, 051 546, 450 183, 200 Middle states, exclusive of great lake fish- 635 6,130 3,094 3,131 1,979 2,480 899 300 52 1,597 11,071 26, 008 20, 117 1,781 35 180 414 6,220 7,266 5,274 1,040 6,835 552 2,310 1,005 C01 18, 864 744 800 38, 200 447, 000 1, 139, 675 1,421,020 268, 231 406, 117 78,770 83, 400 29, SCO 93, 621 3, 375, 994 6, 342, 443 14, 334, 450 442, 665 10, 160 8,800 209, 465 1, 492, 202 2, 629, 585 506, 561 473, 800 1, 131, 350 119,810 596, 678 66, 275 42, 400 1,914,119 30, 358 222, 840 119, 275 2, 661, 640 1, 860, 714 1, 456, 866 997, 695 643, 227 119, 993 60, 100 32, 740 392, 610 3,614.178 5, 221, 715 8, 141, 750 718, 170 5,200 22,540 176, 684 3, 176, 589 4, 380, 565 815, 695 518,420 2, 781, 024 320, 050 880, 915 212, 482 128, 300 3, 121, 444 181,372 253, 100 545 6,000 2,089 2,585 1,662 2,284 809 265 45 1,300 8,110 15, 873 17, 165 1,600 30 110 376 5,659 5,650 4,729 925 2,795 511 1,602 964 491 16, 051 729 730 90 130 1,005 546 317 196 90 35 7 297 2,961 10, 135 2,952 181 5 76 38 661 1,616 545 121 4,040 41 708 41 110 2,813 15 70 24 317. 20 14, 585 49 291 03 124 1 3 1 49 606 1,450 1,054 36 1 5, 246. 80 9, 215. 95 1, 226. 00 2,152.97 12.00 209. 73 21.90 539. 69 17, 632. 65 43, 500. 00 83, 232. 17 014. 42 33.59 535, 350 514, 050 51, 600 372, 645 450 8,500 2,500 20, 821 era, 542 1, 750, OUO 3,171,189 98, 5110 5,000 Florida Georgia . 23 590 541 95 9 1, 019. 05 10, 445. 90 11, 582. 51 1, 457. 90 359. 51 51, 500 545, 900 777, 600 39, 000 38, 400 Ohio .. .. .- 11 92 22 321. 99 2, 502. 77 337. 32 10, 500 191, 850 15,000 Texas Virginia 1,446 7 11 15, 578. 93 210. 62 220. 25 671, 000 11, 100 26, 700 a The value of fishery products taken by unprofessional fishermen in the minor inland waters of the United States ifl roughly estimated jit $1,500,000. It wae impossible during the fishery Investigation to obtain details of this industry. LETTER OF TEAKSMITTAL. STATISTICS OF THE FISHEE1ES OF THE UNITED STATES IN 1880. Vll APPAF.ATUS AND CAPITAL continued. VALUE OF PRODUCTS BY FISHERIES. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 13 14 15 10 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 2G - 1 28 29 Boats. Valne of minor appa- ratus ami outfits. Other cap- ital, includ- ing shore property. General fish- eries, (b) Whale fish- ery. Seal fish- ery. Menhaden fishery. Oyster fish- cry. Spongofish- ery. iTarine- solt in- dustry. Number. Value. 44, 804 $2, 405, 393 $8, 145, 261 $17, 987, 413 $22, 405, 018 $2, 323, 943 $2, 289, 813 $2, 116, 787 $13, 403, 852 $200, 70" $305, 890 14, 787 8,203 13, 331 1,252 5,547 1,594 739, 970 546, 047 640, 508 50, 173 404, 695 83, 400 5, 038, 171 674, 951 1,145,878 52, 823 467, 238 760, 200 9, 597, 335 1,822,480 4, 789, 886 134, 537 1, 330, 000 313, 175 10, 014, 645 2, 882, 294 2, 217, 797 713, 594 4, 792, 638 1, 784, 050 2, 121, 385 111, 851 539, 722 1,261,385 315, 680 1, 478, 900 4, 532, 900 7, 068, 852 313, 200 10, 000 3,890 408 200, 750 202, 150 2, 177, 962 302, 000 119 3,000 853 1,173 839 1,058 358 101 15 1C5 5,920 2,825 6,749 454 10 58 211 4,005 8,441 2,714 4S7 1,360 150 734 601 107 C, 618 334 319 10, 215 60, 000 91, 485 73, 585 33, 227 28, 508 15, 425 2,000 1,050 4,800 245, 624 180,448 351, 736 10, 345 900 4,000 7,780 223, 963 289, 885 123, 175 29, 830 210, 6CO 13, 272 61,245 9,790 15, 000 292, 720 6,610 24,975 7,000 7,000 205, 840 375, 535 70, 324 39, 927 18,445 11,900 20, 210 18, 000 934, 593 297, 145 3, 528, 925 272, 920 3,760 1,600 CO, 385 232, 3.19 390, 200 225, 436 253, 795 245, 750 40, 538 138, 733 25, 985 4,400 500, 763 8.C48 145, 105 6,400 380, 000 307, 000 457, 850 113,080 65, 037 44, 4:0 61, 000 5,000 50, 000 1, 562, 235 4, 108, 850 7, 282, 600 60, 900 500 2,600 sn, 800 490, 000 1,171,900 118, 950 151, 775 039, 000 55, 500 204, 830 15, 500 23, 000 4SH, 030 4,000 26, 000 74, 325 504, 640 1,341,314 383, 887 309, 029 420, 527 84, 993 60, 100 32, 740 44,950 500 201, 650 32, 048 2, 096, 500 15,750 111,851 302, 000 230, 205 941 672, 875 687, 725 15, 950 35, 000 200, 750 192, 610 200, 000 37, 500 4, 730, 476 405, 550 3, 576, 678 479, 388 5, 581, 204 716, 170 5,200 12,540 170, 034 949, 678 1, 689, 357 785, 287 518, 420 2, 770, 724 132, 550 11, 851 61, 769 2, 089, 337 3,890 10, 000 6,050 2, 080, 625 1, 577, 050 60, 000 146, 286 1,114,158 408 4 300 187, 500 356, 925 20, 000 47, 300 2,218,376 10, 000 302, 242 192,482 221, 748 81, 000 602, 239 109, 960 253, 100 3(13, 829 61,412 6 Includes fisheries for all food species except oysters. vm LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. Since 1865 the fisheries have greatly increased iu extent and value, chiefly due to improved methods of preservation of products and means of transportation. The fisheries of the New England States are the most important. They engage 37,043 men, 2,066 vessels, and 34,787 boats, and yield products to the value of $14.270,393. In this district the principal fishing ports, in order of importance, are : Gloucester, Portland, Boston, Provincetowu, and New Bedford, the latter being the center of the whale fishery. New England was settled in 1620 by colonists chiefly from the western counties of England, who selected that portion of the coast on account of its peculiar fitness for the prosecution of the fisheries, and by the middle of the seventeenth century there was a considerable fleet of ketches and snows engaged in the cod fishery on the off-shore banks, where especially on the banks of Newfoundland France, Spain. Portugal, and England already had a fleet of several hundred large vessels. Just before the war of the Revolution New England had 665 vessels and 4,405 men employed in its fisheries. Next to New England in importance are the South Atlantic States, employing 52,418 men, 3,014 vessels (the majority of which are small and engaged in the shore and bay fisheries), and 13,331 boats, and returning products to the value of $9,602,737. Next are the Middle States, employing in thecoast fisheries 14,981 men, 1,210 vessels, and 8,293 boats, with products to the amount of $8,676,579. Next are the Pacific States and Territories, with 16,803 men, 56 vessels, and 5,547 boats, with products to the amount of $7,484,750. The fisheries of the great lakes employ 5,050 men, 62 vessels ? and 1,594 boats, with products to the amount of $1,784,050. The Gulf States employ 5,131 men, 197 vessels, and 1,252 boats, yielding products to the value of $1,227,544. Forty-three distinct fisheries are recognized by American writers, each being carried on in a special locality and with methods peculiar to itself. Among the most important of these are thw oyster fishery, the off-shore cod fishery, the whale fishery, the fur-seal fishery, the mackerel fishery, the menhaden fishery, the halibut fishery, the antarctic seal and sea-elephant fishery, the west-coast salmon fishery, the lobster fishery, the shad and alewife fisheries, the swordfish fishery, and the clam fishery. The off-shore fisheries are carried on by citizens of the New England and Middle States, and are prosecuted on the great oceanic bauks extending from Nantucket to Labrador, and upon the ledges and shoals between these and the coast. The great purse-seine fisheries for mackerel and menhaden are carried on north of Cape Hatteras, at distances from the sliore varying from 1 mile to 150 miles. The fishing-grounds in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, formerly frequented by many hundreds of American vessels, have been almost entirely abandoned since the introduction of the purse-seine, and in 1882 only one vessel visited those waters, returning with about 200 barrels of mackerel. The oyster fishery is located for the most part between Cape Uatteras and Cape Cod, chiefly iu the great inland bays. In all the great rivers of the Atlantic coast are fisheries for the anadromous shad and the two species of alewife. About the keys of Southern Florida is an extensive sponge fishery, and on the shoals of the Gulf of Mexico the red snapper and grouper fisheries are yearly increasing in value. The fur- seal fishery is chiefly located upon the Pribylov islands of Alaska. A small fleet of vessels yearly penetrates to the ice-bound islands of the Antarctic for seal-skins and sea-elephant oil. The whal- ing fleets, with headquarters at New Bedford and San Francisco, frequent all oceans, the larger vessels cruising chiefly iu the North Pacific, while the smaller ones pursue their prey throughout the Atlantic and South Pacific. The salmon fishery is seated upon the Columbia River and its trib- utaries, though other rivers in Oregon and California produce large quantities of salmon, which is extensively canned and exported. The most Valuable product of the great-lake fisheries is the whitefish. The swordfish fishery of Southern New England, though employing but 40 vessels and perhaps 160 men, produces 1,500,000 pounds weight annually. The export of American fishery products is comparatively small, owing to the fact that the demand for such products for home consumption is really greater than the supply, and is constantly on the increase. In 1880 the total value of exported fish products amounted to $5,744,580, of which, according to custom-house records, England received $2,601,017. Of the quantity sent ' to England, $1,596,007 was in canned preparations, and $3C3,790 in fresh oysters, the remainder LETTER OP TRANSMTTTAL. IX being chiefly products of the whale fishery. In former years there was an extensive export trade in dried cod with Spain and Portugal. Large quantities of canned salmon are sent to China, Japan, and Australia. At present no subsidies are allowed to fishermen, except that the duties on imported salt used in the preparation of fish are remitted. This practice was begun in 1SGC, at which time the old bounty law was repealed. The United States, with the intention of aiding its fishermen, has paid to Great Britain the sum of $5,500,000 for the privilege of fishing in the British provincial waters from 1873 to 1885. Since 1871 the United States has appropriated over one million dollars to be used by the United States Fish Commission in behalf of the fishermen and fish consumers, and under the direction of the Commissioner, Prof. Spencer I<\ Baird, very important results have been accomplished. All the State Governments, with the exception of six, have established State fish commissions, and most of these have been liberally supported by grants of money. The undeveloped fishery resources are very great. Many of the fishes and invertebrates which in Europe are highly valued by the poorer classes are never used here. Only about 150 of the 1,500 species of fishes known to inhabit the waters of the United States are ordinarily found in the markets. Yours, very respectfully, G. BROWN GOODE, Special Agent Tenth Censm, in charge of Fishery Investigation. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART I. THE COAST OP MAINE AND ITS FISHERIES.. By E. EDWARD EABLL. TART II. THE FISHERIES OF NEW HAMPSHIRE By W. A. WILCOX. PART III. THE FISHERIES OF MASSACHUSETTS By A. HOWARD CLAEK. PART IV. THE FISHERIES OF RHODE ISLAND By -A. HOWARD CLARK. PART V. CONNECTICUT AND ITS FISHERIES By A. HOWARD CLARK. PART VI. NEW YORK AND ITS FISHERIES By FRED. MATHER. PART VII. -NEW JERSEY AND ITS FISHERIES By R. EDWARD EARLL. PART VIII. PENNSYLVANIA AND ITS FISHERIES By R. EDWARD EARLL. PART IX.-DEL AWARE AND ITS FISHERIES . By J. W. COLLINS. PART X. MARYLAND AND ITS FISHERIES By R. EDWARD EARLL. PART XL VIRGINIA AND ITS FISHERIES By MARSHALL MCDONALD. PART XII. NORTH CAROLINA AND ITS FISHERIES By R. EDWARD EARLL. PART XIII. THE FISHERIES OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA ... By R. EDWARD EARLL. PART XIV. EASTERN FLORIDA AND ITS FISHERIES By R. EDWARD EARLL. PART XV. THE FISHERIES OF THE GULF OF MEXICO ..By SILAS STEARNS. PART XVI. THE FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST By DAVID S. JORDAN. PART XVII. THE FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES By FREDERICK W. TRUE. APPENDIX. HISTORICAL REFERENCES TO FISHERIES By A. HOWARD CLARK. 3 I. THE COAST OF MAINE AND ITS FISHERIES. By R. EDWARD EARLL. ANALYSIS. A. GENERAL REVIEW OK MAINE AND ITS FISHERIES: 1. Descriptive and statistical recapitulation of the fisheries of the State. B. THE PASSAMAQUODDY DISTRICT: 1. General review of the fisheries of the dis- trict. 3. The fisheries of Calais, Robbinston, and Perry. 4. Eastport aud its fisheries. 5. The fishing towns between Eastport and Lubec. 6. Lubec and its fisheries. 7. The fisheries of Trescott and Whiting. C. TUE MACHIAS DISTRICT: 8. General review of the fisheries of the dis- trict. !>. Cutler to Jouesboro', inclusive. 10. Jonesport aud its fisheries. 11. Millbridge, Steuben, and other towns in the vicinity. D. THE FRENCHMAN'S BAY DISTRICT: 12. General review of the fisheries of the dis- trict. 13. Gouldsboro' and its fisheries. 14. Sullivan, Hancock, and Lamoine. 15. Mount Desert Island and its fisheries. 16. Trenton, Ellsworth, and Surry. E. TUE CASTINE DISTRICT : 17. General review of the fisheries of the dis- trict. 18. Blue Hill, Brookliu, and Swau's Island. 19. Deer Island and its fisheries. 20. Islo au Haut, Sedgwick, and Brooksville. 21. Castine aud its fisheries. 22. Penobscot, Orland, and Bucksport. F. THE BELFAST DISTRICT: 23. General review of the fisheries of the dis- trict. 24. Belfast and adjacent towns. 25. Camden and its fisheries. 26. The Fox Islands. G. THE WAJLDOBORO' DISTRICT: 27. General review of the fisheries of the dis- trict. 28. Rockland, Thom.tslon, and Saint George. ' 29. Matiuicns Island aud its fisheries. 30. dishing, Friendship, Waldoboro', and Bre- men. 31. Bristol and its fishery interests. 32. Monhegan Island aud its fisheries. 33. Damariscotta and adjoining towns. H. THE WISCASSET DISTRICT: 34. General review of the fisheries of the dis- trict. 35. New .Castle and Edgecomb. 36. Booth Bay aud its fisheries. 37. Southport aud its fisheries. 38. Wiscasset and Westport. I. THE BATH DISTRICT: 39. General review of the fisheries of the dis- trict. 40. Georgetown and its fisheries. 41. Bath and other less important towns. J. Tun DISTRICT OF PORTLAND AND FALMOUTII : 42. General review of the fisheries of the dis- trict. 43. Harpswell and its fisheries. 44. The fishing towns of Casco Bay. 45. Portland and its fishery interests. K. THE SACO, KENNEBUNK, AND YORK DISTRICTS : 46. General review of the fisheries of the dis- tricts. 47. Mr. Wilcox's account of Scarboro' Beach, Piue Point, and Saco Bay. 4H. Mr. Wilcox's account of Biddrford Pool and its fisheries. ID. Mr. Wilcox's account of the fisheries of Ken- nebiiuk aud Kennebunkport. 50. Mr. Wilcox's description of the fisheries between Wells and Kittery. T I. THE COAST OF MAINE AND ITS FISHERIES. A. GENERAL REVIEW OF MAINE AND ITS FISHERIES. 1. DESCRIPTIVE AND STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION OF THE FISHERIES OF THE STATE. LOCATION AND EARLY SETTLEMENT. The State of Maine includes an area of 32,000 square miles in the extreme northeastern corner of the United States. It is claimed that the region was visited by the Northmen in the latter part of the tenth century. An attempt was made to settle a colony on Neutral Island, on the Saint Croix River, under a grant from the King of Fraiice, in 1604. In 1G13, French Jesuits established a mission at Mount Desert Island, but they were driven away by the English the following year. About this time Capt. John Smith with a company of fisher- men took possession of Monhegan Island, from which point he made visits to different portions of the coast for the purpose of making maps of the region. In 1620 the territory was granted to the Plymouth Company, and three years later the first permanent settlement within the pres- ent limits of the State was established near the month of the Piscataqtia River. From that time onward the province grew in importance and many colonists were soon comfortably settled within its borders. The eastern portion was for many years under the control of the French, who made little effort to develop its resources, but the western part was from the first in the possession of the English, and by 1650 a number of important settlements, some of them founded fifteen to twenty years earlier, were scattered along its shores. The Massachusetts colony obtained control of the region west of the Keuncbec River in 1G77: nine years later its jurisdiction was extended to the Penobscot, and in 1C91 all of the territory west of the Saint Croix, as well as Nova Scotia, was transferred to it by the Provincial charter. The treaty of 1783 ceded to Massachusetts all of Maine's present territory, and she continued her super- intendence over it until 1820, when Maine became a separate State, at which time it had a population of over 298,000. In 1860 the State had 628,279 inhabitants, the number increasing to 648,936 in 1880. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COAST. Geologically considered, the region is one of peculiar interest. With unimportant exceptions, as at Perry on the Passamaquoddy and Rockland on the Penobscot, the coast is one huge bed of metamorphic rocks, including granites, syenites, and mica schists. These are everywhere scraped and grooved by huge glaciers which descended from the northward and extended many miles into the sea, and which were of sufficient thickness entirely to cover Mount Desert and of such weight as to plow out enormous valleys and ravines in the hard granite floor. The principal furrows and ridges extend nearly north and south, the shore- line being made up of a series of long rocky peninsulas separated by deep and narrow fjords, which 7 8 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. give to Maine a peculiarly ragged aud uneven coast with hundreds of excellent harbors, iu many of which the largest vessels of the world can find safe anchorage. Beyond the headlands are scat- tered innumerable rocky islands and sunken ledges having the same general trend as the penin- sulas of the mainland. In addition to these we find large rocks and bowlders scattered over the surface of the land and the ocean bottom, where they have been left by the receding glaciers. Enormous quantities of these fragments are frequently piled together, many of the well-known fishing banks, and even the famous George's Shoals being, according to Prof. 2i< S. Shaler, made up of glacial deposits. These sunken ledges and rocks are covered with marine animals, which constitute the favorite food of many of our most important food-fishes, and the locality is a favorite resort of the cod, haddock, hake, and other species known as "bottom feeders." The distance along the ocean shore of the State from Quoddy Head to the mouth of the Piscat- aqua River is only 250 miles in a straight line, but, owing to the peculiar features already men- tioned, Maine has 2,500 miles of sea-coast exclusive of the outlying islands. The rocky character of the country forbids extensive agricultural interests, and the majority of those living along the coast are necessarily dependent upon the various industries connected with the sea, such as ship- building, the vessel-carrying trade, and the fisheries. OKIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE FISHERIES. With so extensive a coast-line and such excellent harbors for vessels and boats in the near vicinity of the more important fishing grounds, Maine enjoys many advantages, not possessed by other States, for the prosecution of the fisheries. In fact these advantages led to the settlement of the country, and for two aud a half centuries continuously the fisheries have been prosecuted by a large percentage of the people. For many years foreign ships made annual visits to the coast to secure cargoes of cod, many of them bringing small colonies which were left at some convenient harbor to continue the fishing during the absence of the vessel. These began to build for themselves comfortable dwellings and to clear a limited amount of land on which to raise products for their own tables. In this way were founded a number of important settlements, which, in a few years, became quite independent of the Europeans. Their resources being limited they found that the construction of large vessels was impracticable, and they there- fore contented themselves with building small craft, ranging between 15 and 40 tons, in which they visited the nearer fishing grounds, some of them venturing as far as Cashes' aud Jeffries' banks, and the Seal Island ground. This condition of affairs practically continued until the beginning of the present century, when in some localities larger craft were built for engaging in the offshore fisheries, and by 1825 the Maine fishermen, iu common with those of Massachusetts, frequented Grand and Western banks, the Magdalen islands, and Labrador. Between 1830 and 1870 the fisheries were peculiarly important, nearly every coast town having its fleet of vessels in addition to a considerable number of small boats. Occasional seasons during these years resulted disastrously, but the period was on the whole a prosperous O7ie, and in many localities the small vessels were replaced by larger and better ones. From 1870 to 1879 the fisheries were less remunerative, and, owing to the unsatisfac- tory results, many of the vessels were fitted for the coasting trade, and others were allowed to remain idle, so that the fishing fleet was reduced to less than three-fourths of its former size. The crews soon turned their attention to other pursuits, or provided themselves with boats for prosecu- tion of the shore fisheries. This decrease in the vessel fisheries was most noticeable in the smaller towns. Another season of prosperity has just begun, but, though signs of renewed activity are everywhere manifest, no considerable increase iu the size of the fleet has yet occurred. THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SEA FISHERIES. During the season of 1880, 11,071 per- MAINE: GENERAL REVIEW OP ITS FISHERIES. 9 sons were actively engaged in the capture or preparation of fishery products. Of these, 3,G30 belonged to the vessel fleet, 4,480 fished from small boats, and the remaining 2,961 were employed as shoresmen in preparing the products for the markets. In addition to these, 1,591 persons were, according to Mr. C. G. Atkins, engaged in the river fisheries, making a total of 12,GG2 persons directly dependent upon the fishery industries. Not less than 2,500 others were engaged in trans- ferring the fish to the larger markets, in the manufacture of fishery apparatus, or in other depend- ent industries, which brings the total for those directly and indirectly engaged in the fishery indus- tries up to 15,000. A majority of these have families dependent upon them for support, and, allowing for these, we find that fully 48,000 persons, equal to 7 per cent, of the total population of the State, are, to a greater or less extent, dependent upon the fisheries for a livelihood. The total capital invested in the various industries connected with the sea fisheries for the same period was $3,375,994, of which $633,542 was in vessels and $245,624 in boats, the remaining $2,496,828 representing the value of gear and outfit, shore-property, and floating capital. During the year, the Maine fishermen landed 202,048,449 pounds of sea products, valued at $1,790,849 as they came from the water. These products received an enhancement in value of $1,823,329 in process of preparation, making them worth $3,614,178 when placed upon the market. Of the entire catch of sea products, 42,548,008 pounds were sold fresh, 93,195,430 pounds were used for drying, 39,690,615 pounds were pickled, 9,038,242 pounds were smoked, and 17,576,154 pounds were canned. The principal species taken were cod, herring, mackerel, hake, haddock, and lobsters; these constituting seven-eighths of the entire catch. The following quantities of each of the above- named species were secured: Cod, 56,004,325 pounds, valued at $656,753; herring, 34,695,192 pounds, valued at (including sardines) $1,043,722; mackerel, 31,694,455 pounds, valued at $659,304; hake, 24,447,730 pounds, valued at $278,336; haddock, 17,728,735 pounds, valued at $225,393; lob- sters, 14,234,182 pounds, valued at $412,076. The vessel fleet numbered GOG sail, aggregating 17,632.65 tons, valued at $1,413,361, including apparatus and outfit. It was divided into two classes, the larger vessels being engaged in the offshore, while the smaller were employed in the inshore fisheries. Of the offshore fleet, 94 engaged in the offshore cod fisheries for a greater or less period. Some of them fished for cod during the entire season, while others, after making one or two trips to the banks, joined the fleet engaged in the mackerel fishery, bringing the total for ,this fishery up to 81 vessels, manned by 1,042 fish- ermen. Four vessels were employed in the halibut fishery, and twenty-six fished for haddock during the winter months. The smaller craft were in the shore fisheries, taking cod, herring, mackerel, or lobsters, as might at the time seem most desirable. The catch of the vessel fleet reached 212,747 quintals of dry fish, worth $618,025, and 96,350 barrels of pickled fish, worth $510,052. In addition to these, oil and sounds to the value of $109,119 were saved, making the total value of the catch of the vessel fleet $1,359,376. THE LOBSTER FISHERIES. One thousand eight hundred and nine men, with capital to the amount of $189,219, were engaged in the lobster fishery. The catch for the season amounted to 14,234,182 pounds, netting the fishermen $268,739. Of the entire catch, 9,494,284 pounds were sold to the twenty-three canneries of the State. These furnished employment to 782 persons, including smackmen, tinsmiths, and factory hands. The product of the canneries amounted to 1,542,696 one-pound cans, 148,704 two-pound cans, and 139,801 cans of other kinds. The enhance- ment in canning was $143,337, the total value of the canned products as placed upon the market amounting to $238,280. A description of the lobster fishing and canning interests will be found in another part of this report. 10 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. THE SARDINE INDUSTRY. The sardine industry, which is now one of the most important fishery industries of the State, began in a small way in. 1875, since which time it has grown enor- mously. In 1880 it furnished employment to 1,89G fishermen and factory hands, including 372 belonging to New Brunswick. Eighteen canneries, valued at $89,500, were in operation, and 46,000 barrels of herring and 775 barrels of mackerel were put up. The product of the canneries amounted to 7,550,868 cans of the various brands, in addition to 8,365 barrels of Russian sardines and anchovies. The total value of the canned products amounted to $817,654, $776,704 of this amount representing the enhancement in process of preparation. A full description of each of the more important fisheries in which the Maine fishermen are interested will be found in another part of this report. RECAPITULATION FOE. 1880. The following statements show in detail the extent of the marine fishery interests of the State for 1880. The fresh-water fisheries will be considered in n separate chapter by Mr. C. G. Atkins : Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 3 630 $1 55 95P 4 480 260 SOP 894 al 562 235 Number of factorv hands 2,067 Total Total 11 071 a Other fixed and circulating capital. Cash capital, $652,473; "wharves, sborehouses, and fixtures, $417,925; factory buildings and apparatnf $491,837; total, $1,562,235. Detailed statement of capital infested in ressels, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and. boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, exclu- sive of boats and nets. Va'ne of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In food-fisb fishery: 529 15 367. 64 $350 867 $110 3C8 $496 595 $1 158 030 Neti. Gill nets: In vessel'fishorios 1,935 $30, 828 Idle 32 1 102 99 34 650 34 650 In boat fisheries 3,520 42, 280 5 320 98 20 000 20 000 Puree-seines: In lobster fishery 39 1 771. 08 09 96 25, 025 3 000 600 6,380 150 32, 005 3 150 In vessel fisheries In boat fisheries 127 1 69, 750 300 Hani seines Total 606 17, 632. 65 633 542 111 168 503 125 1 247 835 ' In boat fisheries 134 5,440 Boats. Total 5 717 148 596 lu vesael fisheries 2,102 64, 950 64,950 Traps. Weirs 132 27, 502 Total 5, 920 245, 624 43, 100 16, 400 305, 124 104 456 78 342 Total 105 683 112 204 Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value as sold. 20 048 449 $3 614 178 Fresh fish. For food 16, 597, 300 207, 905 For bait ... . 17 330 000 86 6">0 barrels 64 988 For fertilizer 2, 790, 000 13,950 barrels 6,575 Total 36, 717, 300 279, 528 MAINE: GENERAL HE VIEW OF ITS FISDERIES. 11 Detailed statement of the qiiiiiitilicy and rallies of tlie products Coutiuucd. Products specified. Ponnda, fredb. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value as Bold. Dry fish. Cod 52, 494, 325 23, 597, 730 9, 917, 775 5, 220, 000 1, 965, 600 18, 090, 352 9, 788, 688 3, 526, 320 2, 010, 000 846, 720 $565, 325 131,098 70,841 36, 000 20, 790 irulilnck disk 93, 195, 430 34, 268, 080 824, 054 Pickled fish. 27, 342, 000 6,116,250 2 703 625 18, 228, 000 4, 893, 000 1, 673, 000 1, 035, 400 91 140 barrels 524, 055 73, 395 29, 078 25,885 Herring: 24 4C5 barrels 8,365 barrels 1,747,100 5 177 barrels 37, 908, 975 25, 829, 400 129 147 barrels 652, 413 Smoked fish. II erring: 3, 751, 942 2, 387, 000 2, 899, 300 2, 710, 778 1,723,333 1,414,500 318 915 boxes 63,783 36, 190 78, 175 51,700 boxes Total 9 038 42 5,848,611 178, 148 Canned fish. 1, 252, 455 814, CCS cans 96, 743 772, 176 1,928 C, 490, 375 21, CCO 7, 500, 084 crma 12, 996 cans Total 7, 770, 490 8,327,748 cans 870, 853 Lotstcrs. 4, 739, 898 9, 494, 284 173, 796 238, 280 Canned 1,831,201 caus Total 14,234,182 412, 076 Clams. 1, 090, 810 1,781,040 311,380 109, 081 bushels 38, 178 63, 630 47,318 178,104 bushels = 12, 726 barrels. 31,138 busbels=456 028 cans... Total 3, 183, 830 318, 383 bushels 149, 126 Miscellaneous. 168,732 gallons 67, 492 117,988 25, 000 37, 500 S d 131, 098 Enhancement in value of southern oysters in transporting and transplanting 247, 980 B. PASSAMAQUODDY DISTRICT. 2. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES OF THE DISTRICT. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE FISHERIES. The Passamaquoddy customs district, ex- tcuding from Calais to Cutler, is in many respects the most important fishing region in the State. Though its general fisheries are limited and its vessel fleet is quite small, the shore fisheries are of peculiar importance, and there are certain special industries which are either peculiar to the district. or in which its interests are more extensive than those of any other locality. The coast is peculiarly 12 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. bold and rugged, and tbe waters, which are very deep, are greatly affected by tides and currents. The district contains few villages of importance, the principal ones being Calais, Eastport, and Lubec. Smaller settlements are found at various points where coves or harbors afford shelter and anchorage for boats and small vessels. The fisheries began with the settlement of the region, about 1780, and during the latter part of the last century aud the first half of the present one they were of considerable importance, a large fleet of vessels visiting the more distant fishing grounds for the capture of cod, mackerel, and other species. Later, owing to various causes, the offshore fisheries were largely discontinued, and the residents turned their attention to the shore fisheries, selling their large vessels and providing themselves with smaller craft for engaging in the work. Even at the present time the offshore banks are little frequented by these people, nine-tenths of all the fishermen being provided with boats and small vessels for fishing along the shore. IMPORTANCE OF THE HEEKING FISHERIES. The herring is the principal fish of the region, and immense numbers are taken annually. Special industries depending on this fishery, as the smoking of herring, the frozen herring trade, and the preparation of sardines, constitute the prin- cipal business, and thousands of persons find employment either in catching the fish or in preparing the various products. The shores are everywhere lined with brush weirs in which small herring are extensively taken during the summer months, and in winter, when the weirs cannot be fished, the most of the men are provided with nets, in which immense quantities of large fish are secured. In the smoking of herring this district leads all others, and probably three-fourths of the herring smoked within the limits of the United States are prepared by the fishermen of Lubec and East- port. The business began early in the present century, and continued to increase till in 18G5 between 400,000 a.nd 500,000 boxes were smoked annually at Lubec, and large numbers were put up at other places. Since that time the quantity has gradually fallen off, and fewer herring are smoked now than for many years, though the dilapidated and weather-beaten smoke-houses every- where present give unmistakable evidence of the importance of the work in former times. The frozen-herring trade originated at Newfoundland, and for some years it was confined exclusively to that island. About fifteen years ago the first cargo was shipped from Eastport, and the business has since that time grown to enormous proportions, the quantity shipped in the winter of 1879-'SO reaching 28,000,000 fish, valued at $90,000. Though a majority of the fish are caught by the New Brunswick fishermen, our own citizens are also engaged in the work and secure largo quantities during the season. The Passamaquoddy district is at present the only one within the limits of the United States where herring are extensively frozen for shipment. The sardine industry is of very recent origin, having been started in 1875. Up to 18SO it was confined exclusively to the village of Eastport, and though a few canneries are now operated else- where this district still practically controls the industry for the entire country. THE POLLOCK FISHERY. In addition to its herring interests the Passamaquoddy district is noted for its pollock fisheries. The most important pollock grounds in New England are within its borders, and large numbers of these fish are secured annually by the hand line fishermen, who devote considerable attention to their capture during the summer months. MAINE: PASSAMAQUODDY DISTRICT. 13 STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOR 1880. The following statements sbow in detail the extent of the various fishery interests of the Passamaquoddy district: Summary statement of 2>c>'sons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 179 596 27 80C 273 Number of factory hands 1,390 Total Total 2,438 a Other fixed and circulating capital. Cash capital, $324,125; wharves, Bliorebouses, and fixtures, $40,025; factory buildings and apparatus, $93,000 ; total, $401,250. Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, loots, nets, and traps. Vessels ;iud boats. No. Tonnage. Value.. Value of ^ear, exclu- sive of boats and nets. Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In food-fish fishery: 25 650. 37 $30, 275 $5, 570 $18, 455 $54, 300 Nets. Gill-nets: In vessel fisheries 250 $3,750 Idle 3 70 78 1 900 1 900 In boat fisheries 200 2,400 1 f)cl OQ 500 10 100 670 Purse-seines: ~tn Tr ortt fi 1 r'fta Total 29 744. 03 32, 075 5,580 18, 015 50, 870 Boats. In boat fisheries CO 3,000 90 1 835 1 835 Total 511 9,850 378 50 515 5 960 2,000 58 475 Traps. Weirs 67 15 875 Total 408 52, 350 5, 900 2,000 60, 310 Total... 2,842 17. 950 Detailed statement nf the quantities and values of the products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value aa sold. 31 515 588 $1,081 715 Fresh fish. 4 183 000 42, 507 480 000 2, 400 barrels 1,800 1 900 000 9 500 barrels 4,350 Total 6, 568, 000 48, 057 Dry fish. Cod 2 G27 023 905 S^O 28, 298 2 021 700 838 656 11, 232 906 255 322 224 6,473 Pollock 1 400 440 504 032 10, 072 5 000 22 400 550 Total 7, 068, 080 2, 052, 832 50, 025 Pickled fish. Herring: 1 725 000 1. 380, UOO 6, 900 barrels 20, 700 2, 703, 625 1, 073, 000 8,305 barrels 9, 078 Miscellaneous 401, 100 207, 400 1,337 barrels 6,685 Total 4, 829, 725 3, 320. 400 16,002 barrels 6, 463 -=i- -. 14 GEOGRAPHICAL BE VIEW OF TOE FISI1EEIES. Detailed statement of Hie quantities and values of the products Cuntimu-d. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value aa sold. Smoked Jish. Herring: 2 710 000 1 90 310 1 987 COO 1 490 000 31 290 49 500 21] 500 Total 5 195 SOO 3 603 810 275 560 boxes 89 46 1 * Canned fish. 37 650 6 496 375 7 500 084 cans 779 170 Total ti 534 05 7 51 4^0 cans 776 161 Lobsters. Fresh 351 348 12 883 953 910 18 793 TotiJ 1 305 58 31 676 Clams. Fur food 15 000 1 500 hnshela 525 Miscellaneous. Fish-oil 11 037 11 232 10 100 1 000 Total 22 146 3. THE FISHERIES OF CALAIS, ROBBDTSTOF, AND PERBY. CALAIS. Calais is a town of 6,000 inhabitants on the west bank of the Saint Croix Biver about 30 miles above Eastport. It includes the city of Calais, the village of Milltown, and a scat- tered settlement known as Bed Bank. The residents of Calais and Milltown are engaged in the manufacture and shipment of lumber, having extensive saw-mills and a large vessel fleet. Bed Bank is in the midst of an agricultural region, in the lower part of the town, with granite quarries and plaster mills. Having so extensive a water-line, the town has naturally a certain interest in the fisheries; but, with the exception of a few lobsters and clams taken along the shore, the fishing is confined largely to the capture of salmon (Salmo solar] and alewives (Pomolobris vernalis) in small weirs. A few salt-water species are taken, chief among which is the herring (Clupea liarcngus), which is used as a dressing for the land. The section is too far removed from the fishing-grounds of the coast to have any boat-fisheries of note, though a few of the inhabitants go occasion-ally to the outer headlands to catch a supply of pollock (PollacMus carbonarius), hake (Phycis chuss and P. tennis), and cod (Oadun morrhua) for family use. Prior to 1878 it is said that no fishing-vessels were owned in the town. At that time parties bought small schooners and engaged in the Bay of Fundy cod and hake fisheries. At the present time (1880) there are four vessels, of 25 to 50 tons each, fishing from the town. These employ forty-three men during the fishing season, which lasts from April to December. One of the vessels is sailing under British papers, and for this reason is omitted from the list of American fishing vessels. In 1879 there were cured at the city of Calais, where the vessels are owned, about 2,125 quintals of cod, 2,175 quintals of hake, 700 quintals of pollock, and COO quintals of haddock MAINE: PASSAMAQOODDY DISTRICT. 15 (Nelanogrammus ceglcfinus}. In 1880 the catch will probably be about 5,825 quintals, of which 50 per cent, will be hake, 25 per cent, cod, and the remainder, pollock and haddock, in about equal quantities. About half of the fish are sent to Boston for exportation, and the rest are sold to the country trade. EOBBINSTON. Robbiuston is a town of 900 inhabitants on the west side of the Saint Croix River, just opposite the village of Saint Andrews. It has two post-offices, one called Robbinston and the other South Robbiuston, but neither is a village of any size. At present little business is done, though ship-building was formerly carried on in a small way. The people are mostly farmers, but a few living along the river bank are engaged in weir- fishing and lobstering, while men go occasionally in small open boats to the lower fishing-grounds for pollock, cod, and herring. The catch is largely for home consumption, and is so small as to be of little importance. No fishing- vessels are owned in the town. There are ten weirs for the capture of herring, which are sold to the sardine cannery of Hart & Balcome, built in the spring of 1880, and now employing about forty hands. The catch of these weirs is considerably less than that of those a few miles further down the river, and beyond this point the capture of herring as a business ceases to be profitable. Salmon are occasionally taken with the herring. PERRY. The town of Perry, lying to the west of Saint Andrews Bay, and to the north of Cobscook Bay, has about 1,450 inhabitants, mostly engaged in farming. Formerly a number of the people were interested in the weir-fisheries, and many had large smoke-houses for curing their catch of herring. Now, however, but two weirs are fished in the town, and less than 2,000 boxes of herring are smoked annually. No fishing-vessels are owned, and but few of the people interest themselves in the fisheries. Occasionally, during the height of the season, a few men go for pollock, selling their catch to Eastport dealers. These^annot be called professional fishermen, as they spend a greater part of their time in farming, and do not average over twenty-five quintals of pollock to the man during the season. There are two post-offices, called Perry and North Perry respectively, but neither are villages of any note. 4. EASTPORT AND ITS FISHERIES. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OP THE FISHERIES. Eastport, the most easterly settlement in the United States, is situated on a small, rocky island, lying between Cobscook Bay and the Passa- maquoddy River. The island, formerly known as Moose Island, was first settled by traders about 1780, and was incorporated as a town under the present name in 1798. It soon became prominent as a trading-post, and both foreign and American vessels resorted to the region in considerable numbers. The place continued to grow in importance for many years, and in 1850 had a popula- tion of 4,125. From that date, owing to various causes, its commercial interests gradually declined, and, in 1875, the town had less than 3,500 inhabitants. About that time, the first successful exper- iments were made in the preparation of herring as sardines, and as soon as it became certain that the small fish could be utilized in this way, and that a market could be found for the prod- ucts, large canneries were erected, and parties engaged extensively in the work. The industry has since grown to enormous proportions, and to-day it constitutes the principal business of the place, making it one of the liveliest settlements on the coast of Maine. From its earliest settlement the people of Eastport have been largely dependent upon the fish- eries. The location of the village at the western entrance to the Bay of Fuudy, in the center of a large fishing district, gave it a decided advantage as a market; and the abundance of rocks, 16 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OP THE FISHEBIES. which forbade any extensive agricultural interests, compelled its people, in common with those of the adjoining British islands, to depend almost wholly upon the sea for their support. Its spacious harbor warranted the inhabitants in investing largely in vessel property, and they soon built or purchased quite a fleet of fishing schooners. These, in addition to the fleet owned at other points in the district, depended chiefly upon Eastport for their supplies, and also found it a desirable market for their catch. THE MACKEREL FISHERY. As early as 1820, the merchants of the place were extensively interested in the mackerel fisheries. In 1830 the business was at its height, when, according to Mr. D. I. Odell, there were fully forty sail of " inackerelmen," averaging GO to 70 tons each, fitting and selling at Eastport. These vessels carried a total of nearly COO men. Mackerel of large size were very abundant in the vicinity at this time, and, according to Mr. S. B. Hume, it was not uncommon to catch individuals weighing upward of 2 pounds within a few rods of the wharves; while 100 dressed fish would often fill a barrel. From 700 to 1,000 barrels is said to have been an average catch for a vessel during the season. In connection with the mackerel fishery, which did not begin tiH midsummer, most of the vessels went to the outer banks or fished in the Bay of Fuudy for cod, usually landing 700 to 800 quintals each before the mackerel season opened. THE LABRADOR COD FISHERY. As early as 1820, a number of the vessels, after making a short trip to some of the nearer grounds for cod, " fitted" for Labrador to engage in the cod fish- eries of that region. They usually started in June and returned in September. By 1830 there were from six to ten vessels engaged regularly in the Labrador fisheries. A few years later, this branch of the fishery began to decline, and by 1855 it was wholly neglected. THE TRADE WITH BOAT-FISHERMEN. Seeing that both the mackerel and Labrador fisheries were being abandoned, the merchants were obliged to turn their attention to the shore fisheries. They soon began to cater to the trade with the local boat-fishermen, and to that of the vessels employed in the Bay of Fundy cod fisheries. A number of large curing stands were built, and a considerable business was done in drying fish, the greater part of which were purchased from tlio boat and vessel fishermen of the surrounding islands. Then, as now, the bulk of the catch of the fishermen of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia was consumed in the United States, and the duty levied on their importation not only seriously affected the extent of these fisheries but also greatly reduced the value of the fish taken. As a result, Eastport controlled to a considerable extent the catch of the Bay of Fundy, and most of the men living within a convenient distance sold their fish either fiom "kench" or "from the knife;" while others often landed dried fish on the island to be carried to Eastport in small quantities from time to time, in order to avoid the payment of duties. With such intimate relations existing between the Eastport fishermen and their foreign neighbors, it was very difficult to distinguish between foreign and domestic products, and thousands of quintals of cod and other species were annually smuggled across the line. THE MAGDALEN ISLANDS HERRING FISHERY. Before the decline of the mackerel fishery, a number of vessels were sent to the Magdalen Islands in the early spring for herring, which they salted and brought to Eastport and Lubec for smoking or pickling. This business began as early as 1S30, and continued to be important till 18C8, since which time only an occasional vessel has been sent. In addition to the "Magdalen trade," the shore herring fisheries were very extensive, and next to Lubec, Eastport prepared the largest quantity of smoked herring of any town in the United States. MAINE: PASSAMAQUODDY DISTRICT. 17 THE FISHERIES IN 1850. Mr. M. H. Perley, in bis Report of the Fisheries of New Bruns- wick for 1850, gives seven firms, with a total capital of $33,500, engaged in the fi.sh trade at East- port. These, according to the same authority, employed 238 men; used 18,900 bushels of salt; cured 18,000 quintals of fish and 3,500 boxes of smoked herring; put up 12,000 barrels of pickled herring, SCO barrels of mackerel, and 3,503 barrels of other fish (probably cod, haddock, and hake), in addition to 450 barrels of oil and a quantity of canned goods, the whole having a value of $85,800. ORIGIN OF THE CANNING INDUSTRY. Eastport claims the honor of putting up the first can of hermetically sealed goods within the limits of the United States. The process originated with the French, and was first employed on the American continent at Halifax, Nova Scotia, by Mr. Charles Mitchell, of Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1840. About this time Mr. U. S. Treat began experi- menting in the same line at Eastport, and in 1843 Mr. Mitchell removed to Eastport and joined him in the work. It was here that lobsters were first canned. From this beginning the business has developed to its present enormous proportions. There are now three lobster canneries at Eastport, and two others a few miles distant, on British soil. The products of the three canneries in 1S80 amounted to nearly 136,000 one-pound and 5,000 two-pound cans. In addition to those canned several hundred barrels of lobsters were shipped fresh to Portland and Boston. TUB EFFECT OF FREE TRADE WITH CANADA. Eastport was seriously afi'ected by the treaty that admitted foreign fish free of duty, and from that time its fishing interests, owing to a tendency of the New Brunswick fishermen to send their catch to the larger markets, gradually declined. Many of the dealers soon gave up the business, while others removed elsewhere. The larger fishing- vessels owned in the town were one after another sold from the district, and most of the fishermen turned their attention to the boat-fisheries, taking a considerable quantity of pollock, haddock, hake, herring, and other species along the shore. Pollock and herring have long been more abundant in this region than on any other portion of the entire coast. THE FROZEN HERRING TRADE. In the winter of 1854-'55 a Gloucester vessel secured a quan- tity of frozen herring in Newfoundland, and carried them to Gloucester, to be used as bait in the George's Bank cod fisheries. This was the beginning of a trade in frozen herring which has since assumed important proportions. In the winter of 1SGG-'G7 a vessel engaged in the business made a trip to Eastport and obtained a full cargo of herring. The following year a number of vessels visited the region for a similar purpose. From that time the business has rapidly increased, until Eastport has come to control the frozen-herring trade of the United States. The fishing begins as soon as the fish can be frozen, usually about the middle of November, and lasts until the weather becomes "soft" in spring. From the first the fishing has been quite important, and has gradually increased, until in the winter of 1S79-'80 there were ninety five cargoes, averaging 250,000 fish each, iu addition to 9,500 barrels of 450 fish each, shipped from the region, making a total of 28,000,000 herring, valued at $90,000. These were mostly taken by the fishermen of New Brunswics and sold to American fishing-vessels, that carried them to Boston, New York, Gloucester, Portland, and other places. HADDOCK SMOKING. About 1SG8 Eastport parties began smokjug haddock, and a number have continued the work to the present time. The height of this business was iu 1875, since which time it has been less extensive. Iu the winter of 1879-'80 there were 210,000 pounds of "Finnan baddies," valued at $12,000, smoked in the town. All of them were sent to Portland for distribution. ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE SARDINE INDUSTRY. In the fall of 1874 New York parties 2GK F 18 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. conceived tbe idea of using small herring for "Russian sardines." They at once ordered a supply of these fish from Eastport for their experiments. The herring were found to answer the purpose admirably, and the following summer parties went to Eastport to engage in this business. It was soon found that the herring could also be utilized in the preparation of oil sardines, and, after various experiments, methods were hit upon by which a fine, quality of sardines were prepared. From the first the demand for American sardines has rapidly increased and other establishments soon located at Eastport, and several canneries have recently been built elsewhere along the shore for utilizing the small herring that are found in considerable quantities. In the fall of 1880 there were in the town of Eastport alone thirteen canneries, employing nearly 1,500 persons, for the capture and prepara- tion of sardines. These put tip during the season about 7,000,000 cans, valued at upwards of $725,000. EXTENT OF THE VESSEL AND BOAT FISHERIES IN 1880. An examination into the present condition of the fishing fleet shows that in 1880 Eastport had fourteen vessels, with a total of 358.56 tons, valued at $13,000. These carried ninety-two men, and landed about 8,750 quintals of fish. In addition to these there were five or six small vessels, owned by Eastport parties, sailing under the British flag. There were seventeen herring weirs, valued at $4,000, at Eastport and adjacent small islands. These caught about 1,200 hogheads of fish, worth over $5,000. Between thirty and forty additional boat- fishermen were engaged in the capture of pollock, hake, and haddock in summer, the greater part of these, with a few others, turning their attention to the herring fisheries in winter. EASTPORT TRADE IN FISHING PRODUCTS. There were eleven firms dealing extensively in fishery products which they bought from the American and Provincial fishermen. They furnished constant employment to twenty-seven men, and required fifteen additional hands during the busy season. These firms occupied property worth $27,000, and required a cash capital of $52,000 for carrying on their business. They handled in 1870, according to estimates by Mr. S. B. Hume, Paine Brothers, Mr. B. F. Milliken, and others, .50,000 quintals of dry fish, 13,700 barrels of pickled fish, 375,000 boxes of smoked herring, 45,000 boxes of bloater herring, 210,000 pounds of smoked haddock, 53,000 pounds of dry fish-sounds, 3,000 barrels of liver and herring oil, and 5,000 barrels of pomace, the whole having a value of $330,000. The frozen-herring, sardine, and lobster interests mentioned elsewhere foot up about $840,000 more, making the total trade in fishery products at Eastport $1,170,000. 5. THE FISHING TOWNS BETWEEN EASTPORT AND LUBEC. PEMBROKE. Pembroke is a town of about 2,500 inhabitants, lying to the north of Cobscook Bay. It is traversed throughout its entire length by Penmaquau River, which in its lower half is of considerable width and is known as Penuiaquan Bay. The lower part of its western boundary is formed by the north branch of the Cobscook River, an arm of Cobscook Bay, into which the Dennys River empties. The water in the vicinity of the town is quite salt, and is much affected by the tides, which an-, unusually strong. The town has two post offices. The principal one is at Pembroke, a village of over a thousand inhabitants, with extensive lumbering interests, and a large iron mill ; the other, called West Pem- broke, is at the head of navigation of the river, a mile or more above Pembroke village. The latter was formerly engaged in ship-building and had a small lumber trade, but it is now an agricultural section, with no business of note. The fishing for salt-water species is of little importance. The fishing fleet consists of two ves- MAINE: PASSAMAQtJODDY DISTRICT. 19 sels, the Josie L. Day and Beauty, of 15.88 and 20.25 tons, respectively. In 1879 these vessels furnished employment to sixteen men, and landed about 2,200 quintals of fish, two-thirds of the catch being hake. They also engaged in herring netting on the coast of New Brunswick during the winter season, selling their catch to the vessels employed in the frozen-herring trade. In addition to the vessel-fishing, a number of farmers and mechanics living in the lower part of the town go in small boats to the pollock grounds of 'Quoddy River at intervals during the summer and catch fish for family use, often selling a few quintals to their neighbors. Aside from the parties mentioned, few persons are interested in the fisheries, as the fishing grounds are too far distant. DENNYSVILLE. Dennysville is a town of about 500 inhabitants, near the head of the northern branch of Cobscook River. It has a village of the same name, with about 300 inhabitants, at the head of navigation on the Deunys River. The residents are engaged chiefly in farming and lum- bering, and there is no salt-water fishing of note, though a few parties go down the bay in small boats for a few days during the height of the pollock season, catching a supply for their own tables. A small business is done in river fishing and several weirs have been built for catching salmon and alewives. EDMUNDS. The town of Edmunds has a scattered population of 450 inhabitants, engaged chiefly in agricultural pursuits. It forms the west bank of one of the arms of Cobscook Bay, but has no fishing interests, if we neglect the few farmers that occasionally resort to the pollock grounds of 'Quoddy River for local supply. 6. LUBEG AND ITS FISHERIES. GENERAL STATEMENTS. The town of Lubec is made up of a series of irregular peninsulas, separated from each other by the various branches of Cobscook Bay. It has a shore-line greater in proportion to its area than almost any other town on the coast. It was settled about 1780, and was a part of Eastport up to 1811, when it was incorporated as a town and named in honor of Lubec, Germany. In 1S50 its population numbered nearly 3,000, but of late it has been gradually losing in numbers from year to year, and at present has only 2,136 inhabitants. There are three post-offices in the town, called Lubec, North Lubec, and West Lubec, respectively. The first-named is the only village of importance. It is situated at "The Narrows," on the main ship channel of 'Quoddy River, and is, next to Eastport, the leading commercial center of the region. In other por- tions of the town the people live along the shores, and divide their time about equally betM'een farming, fishing, and herring smoking. ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE SMOKED-HERRING INDUSTRY. By the beginning of the present century Lubec had become extensively engaged in the fisheries, and its people soon became largely interested in catching and smoking herring, which have for many years been remarkably abundant in that locality. They soon took the lead in the smoked-herring trade, and have retained it to the present day. In 1821, according to Mr. Jacob McGregor, there were twenty smoke-houses in the town, putting up a yearly average of 2,500 to 3,000 boxes of herring each. Prior to 1828 the herring were mostly taken by " torching." At that date brush weirs were introduced for their cap- ture by fishermen from Nova Scotia, and they soon came into general favor. As early as 1830 Lubec began sending vessels to the Magdalen Islands for an additional sup- ply of herring for smoking and pickling. In I860 she had eleven vessels engaged in this fishery, bringing cargoes of 700 to 800 barrels each, about one-half of the entire quantity being smoked. Since I860 she has sent only a small fleet, but one or two vessels going yearly for several years. 20 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. The business reached its height between 1845 and 1865, when there were about forty-five weirs owned in the town. During these years, according to Mr. P. Gillis and others, from 400,000 to 500,000 boxes of herring were smoked annually. Since that date, owing to various circumstances, the business has fallen off greatly. The principal cause of this is said to be the result of the war, which virtually destroyed the herring trade with the South, where a large part of the fish was consumed. This market destroyed, years of overproduction followed, which so reduced the price that all pai ties lost heavily. The business continued to decline until in 1879 the Magdalen supply was entirely cut oft', and there were but thirty-one weirs fished by Lubec parties. There were at that time seventy-four smoke hoiises in the town, but some of them remained idle and others were little used. The total product of these smoke-houses in 1879 reached only 153,000 boxes, of which the greater part were sent to New York, the remainder going to Boston and Portland. In 1880 the quantity of fish smoked at Lnbec will be even less than in 1879, though herring are more abundant. In addition to the "hard herring," a few bloaters have been put up each season for several years, the total for 1879 amounting to 3,OCO boxes of 100 fish each. THE SARDINE INDUSTRY. For two or three years a part of the catch of small herring from the various weirs has been sold to the "sardine" canneries at Eastport, and considerable money has been realized by the fishermen from this source. In the fall of 1880 a sardine cannery was built at Lubec to utilize the catch of small herring, and others will doubtless be established dining the coming season. GENERAL FISHERIES IN 1880. Aside from its herring interests, the town has never been extensively engaged in the fisheries. In 1854 a, vessels was sent to Labrador for codfish, and one or two were sent yearly up to 1858, when the business was discontinued. In 1879 eight small vessels were engaged in the various shore fisheries, but in 1880 the fleet had been reduced to six vessels, with a total of 81.42 tons. There were a few line-fishermen who fished from small boats during the summer months. 7. THE FISHERIES OF TRESCOTT AND WHITING. TRKSCOTT. Trescott is a town of GOO inhabitants, lying to the west of Lubec. Its northern part is a peninsula bounded by the various branches of Cobscook Bay, while its southern portion borders on the ocean, and has three little coves or harbors, affording fair anchorage for small ves- sels and boats. The first harbor, called Bailey's Mistake, is in the extreme eastern portion of the town. The nest is a little cove known as Haycock's Harbor, with half a dozen houses near its shores. Formerly several herring weirs were owned and fished at this cove, and the catch was smoked and sold in Lubec, but for several years there has been no fishing of any kind. The third harbor is Moose River, where in 18GS two weirs were fished regularly for herring, and houses were built for smoking the catch. At that time herring were abundant, and a profitable business was carried on for a number of years, after which it was entirely abandoned. At the present time two men are engaged in boat fishing from the harbor, selling their catch in Lubec. According to Mr. F. Warren, there was formerly some ship-building at the place, but tliis interest has died out, nud the people of the neighborhood are now engaged chiefly in farming. From the northern portion of the town a few men go occasionally in small boats to the lower fishing grounds, but no extensive business is carried on, and no fish are caught for market. WHITING. Whiting is a town of 400 inhabitants, lying to the north of Cutler. In its extreme MAINE: PASSAMAQUODDY DISTRICT. 21 eastern part is a small village of ILe same name, situated at the head of navigation of the south branch of Cobscook Eiver. The residents arc engaged chiefly in lumbering and farming, and there is no professional flshiug from the town, though boats go down the bay occasionally for pleasure fishing. 0. THE MAO HI AS DISTRICT. 8. GENERAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHEKIES OF THE DISTRICT. GENERAL ACCOUNT OF THE FISHERIES. The people of the Machias customs district, which includes the coast-line between Cutler and Gouldsboro', are engaged chiefly in farming and lum- bering. Large saw-mills are located on the principal water privileges, and a large quantity of lumber is prepared and shipped to other localities. The inhabitants have never been extensively engaged in the fisheries, and at the present time only fifteen fishing vessels are owned in the dis- tritt. Of these vessels only one is engaged in the offshore fisheries, the remainder being small craft fishing on the inner grounds. The boat-fisheries also are of little importance, the men giving their attention chiefly to the capture of lobsters in the summer and to clamming in winter. Formerly a good many brush weirs were fished for herring, the catch being smoked or pressed for oil. Recently, however, the weirs have been neglected, and the business is now quite unim- portant, though, owing to the establishment of several sardine canneries in 1880, a new impetus has been given to this particular fishery, and many new weirs are being built, as herring are reported very abundant. The clamming interests of Mason's Bay are quite important, and a number of small vessels from various portions of the State, and even from Massachusetts, spend several months in the region each winter, their crews being provided with small boats, in which they visit the flats at low water to secure a supply of bait for their own use during the following season, or for sale to the fishing fleets of the larger cities. The vessel serves both as a home and work-shop during their stay in the region, and at the close enables them to transport the products to any desired locality without additional expense. Many of the local fishermen, having little to occupy their attention in winter, naturally resort to the clam-flats, deriving a considerable revenue from this source. The lobster fisheries began in 1855, since which time they have gradually increased in impor- tance, until they now take the leading place among the fisheries of the region. STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOB 1880. Detailed statistical statements of the fisheries may be found in the following table: Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. NuinlitT. Capital invested. Amount. tiJ $30 465 y<;o 12, 075 10 a 40 643 Number of factory-hands 129 Total 561 a Other fixed and circulating capital. Cash capital, $20,748 ; wharves, slioreliouses, aud fixture's, $2,245 ; factory buildings and apparatus, $11,650; total, $40,643. 22 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF TDE FISHERIES. Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels anil boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, exclu- sive of boats and nets. Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessel*. In food-fish fishery : 11 3 1 246. 17 27.97 32.97 $6,217 850 1,500 $1, 885 $4,780 $12,882 850 1,670 Nets Gill-nets: In vesscl-ti&herieb ... In boat-fisheries - Haul-seines: lu boat-fisheiies 45 250 $612 3,000 615 Idle 10 1CU Total 15 307. 11 8,567 1,895 4,940 15, 402 Souls. 318 4,227 26 281 495 9,468 495 14,568 Traps. Weirs 15 10 8,251 1,610 50 6,188 3,600 1, 500 Fykes Total 7 1 307 9,963 3,600 1,500 15, (163 Total 8,276 7,848 Detailed statement of the quantities and ralnts of (he products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh . Tounds, prepared. Bulk. Value as sold. 7 4% 124 $116 97' 1 Fresh Jith. For food 477 200 6 363 For bait ..... 2 202 000 11 010 barrels 8 258 GO 000 150 Total ... .. 2 739 200 14 771 Dry fifth. Cod 1 040 3"f> 3">8 512 11 04 Hake 31C 170 131 152 1 756 Haddock 264, 915 94, 192 1 892 Pollock 107 880 41 6C4 744 Cusk 29 640 12 768 314 Total 1, 758, 9:fO 638, 288 15,910 Pickled finh. 27,000 18,000 93 barrels 535 Herring : 42,500 34, 000 170 barrels 510 Miscellaneous 29, 000 1C, 000 80 barrels - 400 Total 99, 400 68, 600 343 ban-els 1,445 Herring: Smoked fish. 74 094 5;[ 5;j3 1 260 Canned fish. 41 9 50 3 437 Lobsters. Fresh 107 950 3 958 Canned ** 474 300 462 7118 cans . - 57 7*>9 Total 2 58'* 9 50 61 687 Clams. 111 OGO 11 106 bushels 3 887 355 Total o0i ooy 14 ''42 Miscellaneous. Fish-oil 2 830 gallons 1,140 Sounds 1 756 1,580 Marine products used for fertilizers 1,500 Total 4 220 MAINE: MACOIAS DISTRICT. 23 REVIEW OF IHE FISHERIES BY TOWNS. If we except Jonesport, there are no iuipoi-tuut fish- iug settlements in the district, though the residents of several villages are more or less interested iu the capture of the different species. I5elow may be found a brief description of the fishing iuteres's of the different towns. 9. CUTLER TO JONESBORO', INCLUSIVE. Cui LEE. The town of Cutler lies to the eastward of Machias Bay, with the open ocean on the south. Its population, numbering less than 1,000, is scattered along the shore, the interior being nearly uninhabited. The people are now engaged almost wholly in fanning, though formerly con- siderable fishing was done. Fifteen years ago more than a dozen brush weirs were fished iu Little Machias Bay and Little River by the residents of the town ; but at present the fishing interests in this line are confined to one weir. Two vessels of 18.42 and 42.07 tons, respectively, furnishing employment to fifteen men, are fished from the harbor; but one of these is chartered from Jones port. About thirty men engage iu lobstering and line fishing from boats during a part of the summer. There are eight smoke-houses, but only two of them are in repair, and the total quantity of herring smoked yearly does not exceed 2,000 boxes. The vessel-catch amounted to 850 quintals in 1879, and to 600 quintals in 1880. The catch of herring in the weirs has been constantly decreas- ing until during the present season it will not exceed 15 hogsheads. According to Mr. S. B. French, Cutler was for a short time interested in the Magdalen herring fisheries, sending her first vessel in I860, and two or three each season until 1864. MACHIASPORT. Machiasport is a town of 1,500 inhabitants, lying to the south of Machias. It is divided by the Machias River, and has a village of 300 inhabitants at the head of steamboat navigation. The region is one largely interested in the lumber trade, and it has a fleet of vessels engaged in coasting. The southern portion of the town is a peninsula, with Machias Bay on the east and Little Keunebec River on the west. The shores are indented by numerous harbors and coves, and from these twenty-three men, with 17 boats, are engaged in lobstering from April to August, selling their catch to the cannery on Little Keunebec River. There are no professional boat-fisher- men, though a number catch a few cod, hake, aud haddock each season for home use and for sale iu the neighborhood. The smoked herring business amounts to less than 300 boxes yearly. Two fishing- vessels with a total of 54.37 tons are owned in the town. These are engaged iu the Bay of Fundy and La Have fisheries, with trawl and nt, during the summer months, aud in the herring fisheries in winter. They carry a total of fourteen men, and in 1879 landed 600 quin- tals of dry fish. The present season, 1880, the catch will be about 825 quintals. EAST MACHIAS. East Machias, with its extensive lumber mills and ship-yards, is a town of nearly 2,000 inhabitants, lying to the north of Machiasport. No fishing vessels and but three or four fishing-boats are owned in the town. The largest of these makes Grand Manan her head- quarters during the summer season while fishing for cod and pollock, and in the fall she is employed in the herring fishery in the same locality. Her total catch for 1879 was about 75 quintals of dried fish, and 50,000 herring. The other boats go only occasionally to the fishing grounds near Cross Island in summer, catching a few quintals of cod and hake for home use. The town is supplied with fresh fish by peddlers from Joncsboro and other places. MACHIAS. Machias is a small town of about 2,200 inhabitants, lying to the northwest of Machiasport on the Machias River. It has a village of 1,500 inhabitants at the head of naviga- tion. Many of the residents are engaged in the coasting trade, but the majority are interested in or find employment at the extensive saw-mills of the village. It is the county seat of Washington 24 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF TBE FISHERIES. County, and contains the custom-house for the Macbias district, which embraces the sectiou of coast lying between Cutler on the east aud Gonldsboro' on the west. The people of the place have never engaged extensively in the fisheries, as they are fully 15 miles from the fishing grounds. There are at present no professional fishermen in the town, and no fishing vessels are owned at the village. A few men go to the outer islands occasionally in small boats during the summer mouths, for cod and pollock, fishing more for pleasure than for profit. Mr. H. V. Knight, who keeps the only fish market in the place, estimates the total catch by these parties at 50 quintals yearly. The supply of fish, lobsters, and clams comes overland from the vicinity of Joncsport. JONESBORO'. The town of Jouesboro', situated to the north and east of Mason's Bay, has a population of 550, engaged chiefly in farming in summer and in lumbering in winter. The only settlement of note is a village of fifteen to twenty houses on a small stream known as Chandler's Kiver. There are no important fisheries in the town. Ten men fish for lobsters from April to August, and, later in the season, some of them go out occasionally with hand-lines to catch a few fish for their own tables. There are four small brush-weirs, which in 1880 caught 12 barrels of mackerel (Scomber scombrus), in addition to a quantity of herring and other species that were used for bait or as a dressing for the land. A small vessel owned in the town took 25 quintals of fish in 1879, but in 1880 she was not employed in the fisheries. The shores of Mason's Bay, especially those of Rogue Island, are bordered by extensive mud Hats, in which clams (Mya arenaria) are peculiarly abundant, this being a favorite resort for the clam diggers of the adjoining towns. Large quantities are dug here annually by the residents of other places, but only two of the Jonesboro people engage in the work. 10. JONESPORT AND ITS FISHERIES. GENERAL ACCOUNT. The towu of Jouesport, lying between Jonesboro' and Addison, was incorporated in 1832, and has at present 1,300 inhabitants. It is situated on Moose-a-bec Reach, an inside passage fur vessels aud steamers between the mainland and the outlying islands. It has a fair harbor, protected from the ocean by the ledges and islands, and is one of the principal steam- boat landings of the region, having direct communication with Rocklaud and Portland. The people of the town divide their attention about equally between the land and the water. Many of them "follow the sea" during a greater part of the year, while others catch fish and lobsters in summer aud dig clams in winter, most of them having small garden spots, on which they raise a few vegetables to supply their own tables. Seven small fishing-vessels, valued at over $3,000 and carrying thirty-two men, are owned by the villagers and the inhabitants of the outlying islands. Six of these are engaged in the shore fisheries, landing an average of $1,200 worth offish each, and one is employed in "running" lobsters to Boston and to the cannery at Jonesport. THE LOBSTEK INDUSTRY. The catching of lobsters constitutes an important business, and seventy-one men, with an average of sixty-five pots each, are engaged in the fishery. The best lobstermen make $300 yearly, while the average is about $125 for the season, which lasts from April to August. Prior to 1855 no lobsters were shipped from the town, the few secured being taken with gaffs or hoop-uets for local supply. At this time Capt. John D. Piper arrived at Joues- port in a well-smack, bringing a crew of fishermen, who were provided with pots for catching the lobsters, which he purposed taking to Boston. As soon as this fact became known great excite- ment prevailed, the local fishermen fearing that the supply of lobsters would soon be exhausted. According to Captain Piper, a town meeting was at once called to consider the subject, and it was MAINE: MACHIAS DISTRICT. 25 only after he Lad convinced them of the extent and importance of the lobster fisheries in other localities, and of the advantages which they might derive from the capture of lobsters, that he was permitted to engage in the work. From the first the fishery was very successful, many of the fishermen soon providing themselves with pots, and from that date the industry has been of peculiar importance. In 1803 a lobster cannery was built at Jonesport, since which time it has been in successful operation. It now does a flourishing business in the canning of lobsters, clams, and mackerel, employing over forty hands during the height of the season. THE BOAT-FISHERY FOR COD. After the lobster season is over many of the men turn their attention for several months to line and trawl fishing, catching cod and other species for local supply and for shipment. Fifty-nine men were employed in this way in the fall of 1880, seven of them being professional boat-fishermen. THE CLAM FISHERY. In the winter the principal business of the people is clamming. Joiies- port and Jonesboro' have each very extensive clam-flats, which, barring those about Sedgwick, are the most important on this portion of the coast. Small vessels come to the locality from Portland, Booth Bay, Deer Isle, and other points along the shore, and engage in clamming during the season, which lasts from December to April. Some crews dig large quantities, which they shuck and salt for sale to the offshore fishing-vessels, and others merely lay in their stock of bait for the following summer. Aside from the non-residents above mentioned, seventy-nine of the local fishermen made clamming a regular business during the winter of 1S79-'80. These dug over 1G,000 bushels, a part of which were sold to the cannery at Jonesport, the remainder being shucked and salted in barrels for use as bait THE HERRING FISHERY. Jouesport has taken little interest in the herring fisheries of late, aud at present there is but one weir within the limits of the town, though small herring are reported fairly abundant. During the summer of 18SO a sardine cannery was built, and in the fall several thousand cans of fish were put up. The building will be enlarged in 1881, and it is thought that herring can be taken in sufficient numbers to make the business both extensive and prof- itable. An Eastport firm located at the village in the summer of 1880 for the purpose of putting up Eussian sardines, and succeeded in packing several hundred barrels during the season. The supply of fish was obtained largely from Millbridge. In the spring of 1881 it intends building a large cannery for the preparation of oil sardines. 11. MILLBRIDGE, STEUBEN, AND OTHER TOWNS IN THE VICINITY. ADDISON. The town of Addisou is situated to the westward of Moose-a-bec Reach, between Harrington and Jonesport. It has a population of over 1,200, composed chiefly of sea-faring men and farmers. There are two post-offices; one, called Addison, is a village of several hundred inhabitants at the head of navigation of Pleasant River; the other, known as Indian River, is a scattered settlement of farmers and fishermen. Formerly considerable ship building was done in the town, but this business has gradually died out, and no vessels have been built for several years. As early as 1835 Addisou sent two or three vessels each season to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence for codfish. In 1857 its fleet consisted of three vessels engaged in the Bay of Fundy cod-fisheries, and one "hooking" mackerel in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. In 1880 there was but one fishing-vessel, of 10.58 tons, owned in the place. This vessel carried three men, and landed 100 quintals of cod and haddock, taken during occasional visits to the inshore grounds. There are thirty-seven semi-professional fishermen, with fifteen boats, engaged in trawling and hand- lining along the shore, at intervals, from May to October. About half of the catch is sold fresh, 26 GEOGRAPHICAL BE VIEW OF THE FISHERIES. while the remainder is dried for local use. Twenty-four men fish for lobsters from April to August, selling their catch to the lobster cannery that was built in the lower part of the town in the spring of 1879. Four brush weirs are fished by the people of Addison for herring, mackerel, flounders, and smelt. The catch in 1880 amounted to 350 hogsheads of herring and 340 barrels of mackerel, in addition to a quantity of refuse fish that was used for lobster bait. There are two smoke-houses, in which a few herring are cured each season; the quantity for 1S80 amounted to 3,200 boxes. HARRINGTON. Harrington, which includes the coast-line between Millbridge and Addisou, is a town of 1,280 inhabitants. Its shores are very irregular, being cut up by numerous bays, the principal ones being Pleasant Bay, Harrington River, and Flat Bay, each separated from the other by long but narrow peninsulas. There are two post-offices in the town. The larger, called Har- rington, is a village of COO inhabitants at the head of navigation of Harrington River. Formerly there was considerable ship-building at this place, but for several years nothing has been done in that line. The other post-office, called West Harrington, is an agricultural district, with no village worthy of note. Most of the inhabitants are interested in farming, while the remainder "follow the sea" during the greater part of the year. The fisheries of the town are of little importance, as there are no vessels engaged in the business, and no boats going regularly to the shore fishing grounds. Nine men pursue lobsters during the season, selling their catch to the Gouldsboro' and Addison canneries. These men fish occasionally with hand lines near the shore, catching cod, haddock, and hake for family use and for sale in the neighborhood. There are three brush weirs, two being fished for smelt (Osmerus mordajc) and other anadromous species, while the third takes a small quantity of herring, flounders, and mackerel, the greater part being used for lobster bait and as a fertilizer. Two men engage in clamming, selling about GOO bushels yearly to the local trade. MILLBRIDGE. Millbridge was set oft'fiom Harrington and incorporated as a separate town in 1848. It had at that time about 1,100 inhabitants. In 1870 its population had increased to 1,558. The town forms the shore-line between Harrington and Steuben, and is divided by the Narragnagus River. It has a thriving village of nearly 1,000 inhabitants, extensively engaged in coasting and ship-building. Millbridge has never been engaged in the offshore fisheries, and only to a limited extent in boat fishing, aside from that for herring and lobsters. Its people, in common with those of Steuben, are more or less interested in the herring fisheries, and, according to Mr. Sanborn, an old resident of the place, the first herring weir was built just opposite the village about 1820. From that date the business increased very slowly up to 1850, when parties came from Lubec and built large smoke- houses and presses for utilizing the catch. The fishery was at its height between 1158 and 1863, when 12 weirs were fished regularly and 75,000 to 100,000 boxes of herring were smoked annually. Many herring were pressed for their oil, the pomace being used locally as a fertilizer. None have been pressed since 1870, and the trade in smoked heiring also gradually declined, until in 18SO only 500 boxes were put up. Though large herring are abundant on the spawning-grounds, a few miles of the village, and many vessels from other places catch large numbers of them, none of the local fishermen have provided themselves with nets for their capture, and for several years the weirs have been fished simply to secure bait for the lobster-men and to obtain manure for the land. In the fall of 1880 Eastport parties decided to build a sardine cannery at Millbridge for the purpose of utilizing the small herring that are said to be abundant. It is purposed to have it in MAINE: MACHIAS DISTRICT. 27 readiness for the seasoii of 1881. This will doubtless throw new Hie into the fishery, and, if the lierriug are as plenty as the residents claim, it seems destined to assume important proportions. The shore fishing is confined largely to the capture of lobsters, which are sold to the cannery near the village and to the Portland and Boston smacks. Many of the fanners of the region devote part of their time between the first of April and the middle of August to Mistering, aud other persons depend wholly upon it for a livelihood dining these mouths. Lobsters are very abundant, aud the catch is often large, some of the more industrious fishermen making $200 or even $300 during this short season. Aside from lobster fishing, the boat-fisheries of the town are of little importance, aud we learn of but 10 men who give auy considerable portion of their time to the work. These go to the inshore grounds in large boats at intervals between May and November. A few others fish for home supply, and fully forty of the lobster fishermen of Millbridge and Steubeu fish occasionally with hand-lines after the lobster season is over. CHEEBYFIELD. Cherry-field is an inland town of 1,700 inhabitants, lying to the north of Millbridge and Steuben, ou the Narraguagus Eiver, with extensive lumbering interests. It is fully 10 miles from the fishing grounds and has uo commercial fisheries, though a few people fish occa- sionally for pleasure during the summer months. STEUBEN; GENERAL STATEMENTS. Steubeu is a towu of 1,000 inhabitants, lying between Millbridge and Gouldsboro'. Its southern shore is formed by two long and narrow peninsulas, which are nearly surrounded by the waters of Pigeon Hill, Dyer's, and Gouldsboro' Bays. Several small outlying islands also belong to the town. There are no villages of note, the houses being grouped together in little settlements along the country roads and about the numerous coves. The people are chiefly engaged in farming and the coasting trade, while a few find employment iu the small tide-mills of the region. THE HERRING FISHERY OFF BoiSBXTBERT ISLAND. As a fishing town Steubeu is of little importance, though the ledges in the vicinity of the island are uoted as an important spawning ground for the herring; and weirs were built for their capture as early as 1850 by Lubec fishermen, who came to Boisbubert Island to engage in the capture of the herring, which they either smoked or pressed for their oil. This business reached its height between 1858 and 18G2, and has since gradually declined until during the present season (1880) there were but two weirs fished within the limits of the town. These caught 350 hogsheads of herring and 150 barrels of mackerel, half of the former being turned out for want of a market. No herring have been smoked since 187!*. The herring netting at Boisbubert begins about August 1, when the large fish "strike in" for the purpose of spawning. The first vessel that fished on these spawning grounds came from Deer Isle about 1808, and in 1874 there were twenty-eight to thirty small ones fishing in the region, some of them making two trips. In 1880 eight sail visited the locality, catching a total of 700 to !M)U barrels of herring, which they sold in Boston and Portland and Booth Bay. OTHEK FISHERIES. The lobster fisheries are quite important, as the species is abundant about the southern headlands and among the outer islands. Eighty men from Millbridge and Steubeu engage in this fishery from April to August, selling their catch largely to the canneries at Mill- bridge and Prospect Harbor. Over half of these fishermen live in Steuben. The line-fisheries for cod, haddock, and hake are of little importance, a few of the lobster fishermen going out occasionally to supply the local demand, though the greater part of the fish consumed in the district are brought from the town of Gouldsboro.' 28 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHEKIES. D. THE FRENCHMAN'S BAY DISTRICT. 12. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES OF THE DISTRICT. EXTENT OF THE FISHERIES. The Frenchman's Bay customs district, which includes the coast-line between Gouldsboro' and Blue Hill, is not an important fishing district, though several towns send a number of vessels to the distant banks for cod, and quite a fleet of small vessels is employed in the shore-fisheries. Both the offshore and inshore fisheries were formerly more exten- sive than at present. Thirty to fifty years ago several vessels were employed in the Labrador cod fishery and in the herring fishery at Magdalen Islands. The former fishery was abandoned some years since, and in 1880 no vessels were sent to the Magdalens, though up to that time a number had made yearly trips to that region. About 1810 parties came to Gouldsboro' to engage in the whale fishery, going out from the shore in small boats in pursuit of the whales whenever they came in sight. Later, small vessels were employed, and the fishery was continued up to 1860. THE FRENCHMAN'S BAY HAKE FISHERY. A large fleet of small vessels was engaged in the Bay of Fundy cod fisheries for a number of years, but this interest gradually declined, and the fishermen turned their attention to the capture of hake in Frenchman's Bay. This fishery has been, perhaps, the most important one in the district. It began in 1840, when vessels from differ- ent parts of Maiue and Massachusetts were regularly employed in this fishery, securing large fares of hake which were sold in Portland and Boston. For some years not less than a hundred sail came regularly to the region, and as many more made occasional visits, but since 18G5 few vessels have visited the locality, and the fishery is now practically abandoned. THE MENHADEN FISHERY. It is claimed by the fishermen of Surry that the menhaden fishery of the United States originated with the people of that town. For many years menhaden were abundant in all of the shore- waters of the district, being particularly so in Frenchman's and Union Bays. At first they were taken only in small numbers for use as bait in the shore-fisheries, but later, when it was discovered that marketable oil could be obtained from them, the fishery increased enormously, and hundreds of fishermen provided themselves with nets and kettles for engaging in the work. Between 1855 and 18C3 it is estimated that not less than a hundred try-houses, with two to four kettles each, were in operation between Lamoine and Gouldsboro'. Since 1870 the fishery has been less important, and for a number of years, owing to the absence of menhaden from the.be waters, it has been entirely discontinued. THE LOBSTER FISHERY. The lobster fisheries of the district have been important for some time, and the majority of the shore-fishermen devote their attention to the capture of this species. Several canneries have been built for utilizing the catch of small lobsters, while a fleet of well-smacks is regularly employed in "running" the larger ones to Portland, Boston, and New York. THE HERRING FISHERY. The herring fisheries were formerly of little importance. At present, however, a number of brush weirs are fished in the vicinity of Mount Desert, and a good many herring are taken. The majority are sold fresh to be used as bait in the shore and bank vessel-fisheries, while considerable quantities are smoked and boxed for shipment. STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOR 1880. The fishing fleet of the district at present numbers fifty-two sail, forty-six of them being actively employed. The majority are small craft, engaged in the shore-fisheries iu the vicinity of Mount Desert Island. Several others are large vessels belonging at Hancock and Lamoine. These are among the largest fishing-vessels in the State, and are employed regularly iu the Grand Bank cod fishery. MAINE: FRENCHMAN'S BAY DISTRICT. 29 STATISTICAL EECAriTtTLATiON FOE 1880. In the following statement may be found a sum- mary of the fisheries of the district: Summary statement of persona employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital iii vested. Amount. Xniiiln-r of vessel-fishermen 318 Number of boat-fishermen 408 Number of curerg, packers, fitters, &c 69 Number of lat'.tory hands 107 Total 9(12 a Other fixed and circulating capital. Cash capital, $70/200; wharves, shorehonses, and fixtures, $24,575; factory buildings and $11,000; tutnl, $105,775. Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, boats, nets, and traps. apparatus, Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, exclu- sive of boats and iiets. Value of outlit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In fond-fish fisheries: 40 1, 489. 17 $49 855 $8 245 $43 015 101 115 Nets. Gill-nets: In vessel fisheries ... 128 $1, 920 Idle 290. 48 10 800 10 SOO Ill boat fisheries 3f,0 4,200 9 26.97 COO 20 320 940 Pmso-seinrs : Total 54 ] 812.62 61 255 8 L'05 43 335 112 8:j5 7 3,800 TTinl sein ^** Boats. 17 45 193 4 370 4 370 439 u . i re a Traps. Total 832 17 876 4 080 1 SCO L'.'l 4.".fl Fykes 20 100 12 990 9 742 Total 13 027 12 454 1 Mailed atattinciit of tlie, quantities and rallies of the produeta. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, pri pared. Bulk. Value as sold. Graud total 17 438,857 $50 402 Fresh fish. 797 800 10 637 2 "87 000 11 435 barrels . .. 8 576 60 000 1 50 Total 3 144 800 19 3G3 Dry fish. f; n d 534 123 2 2."il 700 70 36t> Hike 1 642 950 681, 5"0 9 127 1 512 000 5.'I7, 600 10 800 Pollock - 210, 250 81, 200 1 450 disk 101 400 43 680 1 073 Total 10, 000, 725 3, 593, 760 " " '" 92.818 Picl-ledfith. 918 900 61" 600 3 f.63 barrels . 17 612 Herring : 631 250 505 000 7 575 V 26 000 13 000 325 Total 1 570 Vfjll 1 130 600 25 512 Smoked Juih. Herring : 802, HI 679, 547 68, 182 boxes IS, 638 30 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. Detailed statement oftlic quantities and rallies of the product Continued. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value as sold. Canned fith. 104 15 $7 095 Miscellaneous 21 COO 12 990 cans 1 928 Total . ... 1'H 785 9 623 Lobsters. Fresh 209 000 9 863 1 308 7"6 31G 381 cans . . 46 587 Total 1 G37 720 56 4HO Clamt. For food .... 03 8. r >0 2 235 For bait 13 300 475 74 380 13 855 Total 151 530 10 505 Misctllaneous. Fish-oil 6 421 !) 127 8,214 1,800 Total 10 435 13. GOULDSBORO' AND ITS FISHERIES. GOULDSBORO'. The town of Gouldsboro' occupies a rocky peninsula lying between Goulilsboio' Bay and Frenchman's Bay. It includes several small settlements, the chief of which are Pros pect Harbor, Winter Harbor, and West Gouldsboro'. The town has a population of 1,700. Many of the inhabitants devote their attention to farming, while others "follow the sea," being engnged in the coasting or foreign trade. Fifty years ago the people of Gouldsboro' were largely interested in the fisheries, and e:u:h season a fleet of vessels was fitted for the cod and hake fisheries of the Bay of Fundy and French- man's Bay. Later a good many boat fishermen were employed in the Frenchman's Bay hake fisheries; while others devoted their attention to the menhaden fisheries, which were, at one time, very important in this locality. SHORE WHALING. According to Gapt. George A. Clark and Captain Bickford, whaling was extensively carried on from Prospect Harbor for many years. The fishing begau about 1810, when Stephen Clark and Mr. L. Hiller, of Rochester, Mass., came to the region, and built try-works on the shore, having their lookout station on the top of an adjoining hill. The whales usually fol- lowed the menhaden to the shore, arriving about the 1st of June, and remaining till September. When one was seen the men, armed with harpoons and lances, would immediately launch their boats and start in pursuit. If they succeeded in killing the whale, it was towed to the flats of the harbor at high-water, where it was secured and left to be cut up at low tide. Ten years later they begau using small vessels in the fishery, and by this means were enabled to go farther from laud. The fishery was at its height between 1835 and 1840, when an average of six or seveu whales were taken yearly. The largest number taken in any one season was ten. The average yield of oil was 25 to 30 barrels for each whale. The business was discontinued about I860, since which date but, one or two whales have been taken. MAINE : FRENCHMAN'S BAY DISTRICT. 31 OFFSHORE VESSEL FISHERIES. It is stated by Mr. Curtis Stephens, that Gouklsboro' Las never sent any vessels to Labrador or to the Magdalen Islands. She sent two sail to Grand Banks for several years, beginning with 1SG7. The first mackerel vessels were sent to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in 1855, from which time to 1803 four or five sail were sent annually to that locality. THE HAKE FISHERY. Perhaps the most important fishery in which the people of Gouldsboro' have been interested is that for hake in Frenchman's Bay. According to Mr. Stephens, this fishery began about 1840, when vessels from the westward, probably from Massachusetts, first resorted to the region. The fleet increased yearly until 1858 to I860, when there were often 100 sail in the bay at one time, and fully twice that number came occasionally to the locality. Between I860 and 18G5, owing to the Rebellion, which nect ssitated the absence of a large percentage of the male popu- lation, the fishery declined very rapidly. A few years later the hake are said to have left the bay, and for this reason the fishery has never been revived. THE MENHADEN FISHERIES. Menhaden were formerly very abundant in the waters of this region, but for many years they were taken only in limited quantities for use as bait in the hake fisheries. When the value of their oil became known, the Gouldsboro' fishermen at once engaged extensively in their capture. The business began about 1855, and by 1SG3 there were, according to Mr. D. D. Hodgkins, of Lamoiue, fully one hundied try-houses, with two to four kettles each, in active operation along the shore between Jordan's River and Winter Harbor. Each of these "stands" is said to have produced an average of fifty casks of oil yearly. By 1870 the business began to decline, and now, owing to the absence of the fish from these waters, it is wholly discon- tinued. THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES. At the present time Gouldsboro' has but two vessels engaged in the fisheries ; one, fishing for herring at Wood Island in the fall ; while the other fishes for cod and other species along the shore. In addition to the above there are two smaller craft engaged in the lobster trade. The four vessels, valued at $1,300, neasure but 75 tons in the aggregate, and furnish employment for only twelve men. The principal fishing of the town is for lobsters. In the summer of 1880 seventy-eight men were engaged in this work, setting an average of sixty pots each. Two canneries, established in 1SG3 and 1870, respectively, are at present in operation. These use all of the small lobsters taken by the fishermen, and the larger ones are sold to Portland and Boston smacks. The two factories employ over fifty hands during the height of the season. Most of the professional boat-fishermen of the town have small camps and flake yards on the outer headlands or islands. When the fishing season arrives they repair to their camps with pro- visions and cooking utensils, and spend the summer in catching and curing the cod, hake, and haddock, which they often take in considerable numbers. There are fourteen of these camps, with twenty-five regular fishermen, and eight others that fish occasionally during the summer months. In addition to these, nearly all of the lobstermen fish, more or less, with handline and trawl after the lobster season is over. In the early spring, eight men make a business of clamming on the flats, near West Goulds- boro', shucking and salting their catch, which they sell to the Hancock vessel fishermen. 14. SULLIVAN, HANCOCK, AND LAMOINE. SULLIVAN. Sullivan is a town of 1,200 inhabitants, lying to the north of Gouldsboro', with important mining interests. It is too far from the fishing grounds to have any extensive fish- eries. One small fishing-schooner, of 7.G5 tons, is owned here, but the captain usually makes his headquarters at other places. Aside from this, the fishing is confined to eight lobstermen, who 32 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. fish for the Gouldsboro' canneries during the summer months. The residents of the towu go out occasionally to catch a supply offish for their own tables, but none fish extensively for profit. HANCOCK. The town of Hancock, lying to the north of Frenchman's Bay, between Gonldsboro' and Lamoine, was first settled in 1776. It has at present about 1,000 inhabitants, the majority of whom are engaged in agricultural pursuits. Comparatively few follow -fishing for a livelihood, as the town is too far removed from the fishing-grounds to warrant them in making daily trips in their boats. As in many of the adjoining towns, however, a few take a supply of provisions and such other things as may be necessary and proceed to the outer islands where they spend several months each summer in catching fish and lobsters, for which they find a ready market. According to Mr. Charles Wooster, small fishing vessels were owned in the town during the early part of the present century, but they fished wholly in the vicinity of Gouldsboro', and it was not until 1845 that the people became interested in the fisheries of the Bay of Fundy. Two larger craft were sent to the Western Banks for three or four years, beginning with 1852. Han- cock vessels were first sent to the Magdalen Islands for herring about 18GO, one to three going yearly from that time till 1878, when the business was discontinued. The herring were mostly smoked and shipped to Boston and the West Indies. At that time from 30,000 to 40,000 boxes were put up annually in the town. In I860 the schooner Laurel was sent to the Grand Banks for codfish, this being the first vessel from the towu to visit that locality; in 18G8 and 1870 five vessels were engaged regularly in the fishery, and the business has been continued to the present time. Jii 1880 there were four fishing vessels owned in Hancock, of which three went to the Grand Banks, and the other fished along the shore. The vessels have a total value of $12,G50, and fur- nished employment to fifty-nine men. They landed during the season 5,300 quintals of fish. This fleet includes the schooner Mary Jane Lee, of 128.23 tons, which is the largest fishing vessel owned in the State, and the schooner Omaha, of 110.77 tons. LAMOINE. Lamoine, a small town set off from Trenton in 1870, has a population of G50, of whom the greater part are engaged in farming. It lies between Hancock and Trenton, to the north of Mount Desert Island. According to Mr. D. D. Hodgkius, the people of the region became interested in the fisheries about 1835, when they began sending "pinkies" of 30 to 40 tons to the Bay of Fundy, and in 1848 the fleet numbered 20 to 25 sail with six to eight men each. This fishery began to decline about 1850, and in 1857 it was discontinued, the smaller vessels being sold to the fishermen of the Fox Islands, Deer Isle, and Eastport, while the larger ones were retained and sent to the Grand Banks and other offshore grounds. The first was sent to Grand Banks in 1857, since which time this fishery has been continuously prosecuted, though for a number of years it has been on the decline. The business was at its height about 1866, when ten vessels were sent annually; the average has been about six sail. Men employed in the Grand Bank fishery from this town have always worked for wages instead of on shares as in most localities. Two vessels went to Labrador for cod in 1850, but none have since been sent. Occasionally, after returning from the banks, the vessels have fished for mackerel along the shore for a number of wc-^ks, though none have made the mackerel fisheries a specialty, and no purse-seines have been use.'.. Lamoine has been extensively engaged in herring smoking for about thirty years, and as the catch of herring in the brush weirs of the locality was much too small, a fleet of vessels was fitted out for the Magdalen Islands for an additional supply. The first schooner was sent by N. B. Cool- 'Age in 1855; and from that date till 1880 vessels were sent yearly, their cargoes being smoked and MAINE: FRENCHMAN'S BAY DISTRICT. 33 shipped to Boston and New York. In 1805 or 1866 six cargoes, equal to 125,000 boxes, were landed and smoked here. The average, for the different years has been 30,000 to 40,000 boxes. Twenty- four smoke-houses are owned in the town, though few of them are now in use. The shore fishermen of Lamoine were at one time extensively engaged in the manufacture of menhaden oil in common with the fishermen of Hancock and Gouldsboro'. At present there are five vessels, aggregating 409.93 tons, valued at $14,700, and furnishing employment to 68 men, fishing from Lamoine; while two others, formerly engaged in the fisheries, have remained idle the present season. The catch in 1S79 amounted to 10,570 quintals, and in 1880 to 6,350 quintals. The shore fisheries are prosecuted by a few men who fish from small boats for lobsters and cod during the summer months. Three small brush weirs are fished for herring, but they are not prop- erly cared for and the catch is unimportant. In the fall of 1880, Eastport capitalists, hearing of the abundance of herring in the locality, built a sardine cannery at Lamoiue, and put up a small quantity of fish. They intend erecting larger buildings in 1881 and hope to do an extensive business. A large number of weirs will be built for catching the fish. 15. MOUNT DESERT ISLAND AND ITS FISHERIES. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. The island of Mount Desert, containing the towns of Eden, Mount Desert, and Tremont, is about 18 miles long by 12 to 15 miles wide. It lies between Frenchman's and Union Bays, being separated from the shore by a narrow channel which is spanned by a toll- bridge. It was first settled by the French in 1608, but eight years later the settlement was broken up by the Virginians. In 1760 it was resettled by the English, and in 1789 was incorporated as a town under the name of Mount Desert. Since that time it has been divided into three townships, that portion lying along the eastern shore retaining the original name. The island is peculiarly attractive on account of its native wildness and picturesque scenery, and is the most popular summer resort on the coast of Maiue. It has at present over 4,000 inhabitants. Several small islands, or groups of islands, lying within a few miles of its shores are very naturally included with it. The more important of these are Cranberry Isles, and Gott's, Bartlett's, and Tinker's Islands. If these be included, Mount Desert has a very important relation to the fisheries. The northern portion, including the greater part of the towns of Eden and Mount Desert, has no fish- ing interests, aside from a few brush- weirs and smoke-houses for the capture and preparation of herring, but the southern portion has a large fishing fleet, and many of its people are wholly dependent upon the fisheries for a livelihood. The residents in the vicinity of many of the small harbors and coves along the southern shore own vessels, and nearly every cove of importance has extensive boat-fisheries. The two principal fishing stations, however, are Southwest Harbor, in the town of Tremont, and Cranberry Islands, lying two or three miles to the eastward. These places have long been noted for their fisheries, and they are still the principal fishery centers. THE VESSEL-FISHERIES. According to J. S. Mayo, vessels from the island were engaged in the Labrador cod fisheries early in the present century, and by 1840 not less than seven or eight sail were employed in this way. The business continued to be important for a number of years, after which, it gradually diminished and was wholly abandoned in 1862. Many of the same vessels were engaged in the herring fisheries at the same time, and in the early spring, before starting for Labrador, a majority of them made a trip to the Magdalen Islands and secured a cargo of herring, which were salted and brought home for pickling or smoking. Prior to 18G4, no vessels from the 3 a R P 34 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. locality were sent to the Grand Banks, but from tins date to 1S75, two or three sail were employed regularly in tbis fishery. At present, two fishing vessels are owned in the town of Mount Desert, eigbteen in Tremont, and thirteen at the Cranberry Islands, making a total of thirty-three sail, aggregating 621.80 tons. These vessels, which furnish employment to 152 men, are valued at $1G,650. All are engaged in fishing along the shore for cod, mackerel, and other species, and in 1880 none of them went beyond the limits of the Gulf of Maine. THE CATCHING AND CANNING OF LOBSTERS. The principal boat fishing is for lobsters, and eighty-two men were employed in this work from April to August of the present year. Each man tends about ninety pots. The lobster fisheries of the island are among the oldest on this portion of the, coast. As early as 1853, a lobster cannery was built by Boston parties at Southwest Harbor. It has continued in operation to the present day, still doing a large business. In addition to lobsters, clams and mackerel are canned in considerable quantities. The first " shell lobsters'' canned in North America were put up at this place in 1879. This brand is the outgrowth of a demand by wealthy British customers for whole lobsters for garnishing purposes. Finding it difficult to get lobsters as commonly prepared for the trade sufficiently fresh for this purpose, the London agent for one of our leading packing establishments suggested the idea of meeting this demand, and, after a certain amount of experimenting, methods were hit upon by which satis- factory results were obtained. The "shell lobsters," as they are called, are selected of uniform size and perfect condition from the general stock, and are placed, without being removed from the shell, in long cylindrical cans, made expressly for the purpose. The method of boiling is similar to that for ordinary canned lobsters, the only difference being that they are boiled a little longer that the heat may penetrate the shell and thoroughly preserve the meat. During the height of the season this cannery furnishes employment to fifty hands. THE BOAT-FISHERIES. The regular boat-fishermen number sixty two, and thirty-four others fish occasionally in summer. About thirty of the lobsterineu also spend more or less time in fish ing after the close of the lobster season. Some of the fishermen have large boats, and venture quite ; a distance from the shore, while others remain constantly within three or four miles of the harbor. EXTENT OF THE FISHERIES IN 1880. There are thirteen brush-weirs, valued at $2,300, owned in the region. In these were caught, in 1880, over $11,000 worth of herring and mackerel. The principal business in this line is at Tucker's and Gott's Islands, where large weirs are fished for supplying (he fishermen with bait. Some of the weir-fishermen have built ice-houses, and now furnish both ice and bait to the vessels. Any surplus of large herring taken in the weirs is smoked. In 1880 there were twenty eight smoke-houses, in which 38,000 boxes of fish were pre- pared, the bulk of these being put up at Bar Harbor, in the town of Eden. Five firms are engaged in buying and curing fish taken by the vessels and boats, the principal business being at Cranberry Isles and Southwest Harbor. In 1880 these parties employed thir- teen men and handled 11,000 quin'als of cod, hake, and haddock. Fully three-fourths of this entire quantity were sold in Boston. 1C. TRENTON, ELLSWORTH, AND SURRY. TRENTO:T. Trenton is a small (own lying to the west of Lamoiue and to the north of Mount Desert. It has at present no interest in the fisheries of the coast beyond the digging of a few clams that are sold to the cannery at Southwest Harbor, in the town of Tremont. Formerly a few MAINE: FRENCHMAN'S BAY DISTKICT. 35 boat fishermen ami five or six small vessels were engaged in the Frenchman's Bay hake fishery, but noue of its people have been employed in this way since 18C8. Two vessels were sent to the Grand Banks for cod each season from 1SG8 to 1$7.>, after which they were sold and the fisheries were abandoned. ELLSWOKIH. Ellsworth, a town of 5,257 inhabitants was first settled in 1763; it was incor- porated in 1SOO. A city of the same name at the head of navigation of Union River is next to Bangor the leading commercial settlement along this portion of the coast. Its people, in addition to their mercantile trade, are extensively engaged in the manufacture and shipment of lumber. The town is too far removed from the sea to have any extensive fishing interests. One fishing schooner of G8.ll tons is owned by a resident merchant, but the catch is landed at Penobscot ? where the fish are cured for the Boston market. The boat-fishing for salt-water species is con- fined to the capture of mackerel at the mouth of Union River during the summer months. Two fresh-fish dealers are engaged in supplying the city and country trade. They depend chiefly upon the fishermen of the outer islands for their supply, and, on account of the distance, find it necessary to keep a steam launch plying between the city and the fishing grounds. SUBRY. The town of Surry forms the shore-line between Ellsworth and Blue Hill. Formerly some of its inhabitants were engaged in the manufacture of menhaden oil from fish taken in the locality, each fisherman being provided with nets and kettles for this work. At the present time, no fishing fleet is owned in the town, and only four men are extensively-engaged in the fisheries. These go out in small open boats for cod, hake, and mackerel in summer. During the height of the mackerel season they are joined by some of the farmers of the region. The entire catch is sold in the locality. E. THE CASTINE DISTRICT. 17. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES OF THE DISTRICT. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE FISHERIES. The Castine district, including the eastern shore of Penobscot Bay and the larger islands off the eastern headlands, was settled about 1700 by parties who came to the region to engage in the fisheries. The land is more arable than that of the districts further east, and a large percentage of the population is engaged in farming. A majority of the early settlers, however, devoted their entire attention to the fisheries, and for many years fishing was the principal occupation of the people. It was at one time the most important fishing district of Eastern Maine. A number of the towns had large fleets engaged in the Grand Bank cod fisheries; others sent a good many vessels to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence for mackerel, while nearly all had fleets of small vessels and Chcbacco boats engaged in the shore fisheries along the coast of Maine and in the Bay of Fundy. Early in the present century the fishing vessels were very small, and the number was comparatively limited, a majority of the fishermen using small open boats for the prosecution of the work. Gradually, larger and better vessels were introduced, and, betM-een 1850 and 1S05, from 200 to 300 sail of the different sizes were actively employed. In I860, Deer Island alone sent nearly 100 vessels to the different fishing- grounds, this fleet being larger than that of any other town in the district. About this time the vessel fisheries began to decline, and many of the larger schooners were sold to the westward, the men engaging in the boat fisheries or seeking employment on the land. By 1805 the fishing interests of most localities had been greatly reduced, and until recently they remained in this con- 36 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. dition. At present, however, there are indications of a revival of the industry, and in some local- ities vessels arc being purchased and ext< nsive preparations are being made for the work, but in in others there is no disposition to resume the business, as the profits to be derived from it are not satisfactory. CASTINE'S TRADE WITH FISHING VESSELS. Prior to 1825, a majority of the vessels of the region were obliged to visit Portland to secure their fishing outfit, including salt and provisions. About this time a Castine merchant, knowing the. importance of this trade, turned his attention to it, and began the importation of salt from Liverpool and Cadiz. He also secured such other articles as were needed by the fishing vessels, and soon built up an extensive trade with the local fleet. Other merchants soon engaged in the business, and within a few years most of the vessels of Eastern and Central Maine came regularly to Castine to secure their outfits, and not less than 2,000 tons of salt were imported annually to be used in the vessel fisheries. It is said that between 1850 and I860, when the business began to decline, fully five hundred vessels were fitted at Castine. At present, however, the business is practically discontinued, and less than a dozen small vessels are fitted from the place, the majority of these belonging to Deer and Swan's Islands. THE LOBSTER FISHERY AND CANNERY INTERESTS. The lobster fisheries, which now furnish employment to the boat-fishermen during the greater part of the fishing season, began about 1850, when paities from the westward brought pots to Deer Isle to catch lobsters, which were carried to Portland and Boston. Soon a number of the local fishermen became interested in the capture, of the species, and since that date the lobster fisheries have continued to increase in importance. In 1880, 311 men were engaged in the capture of lobsters during some portion of the year, many of the7u following the business during the entire season, while others fished only for a few weeks or months in the spring and early summer. Fifty additional persons were employed in marketing the catch, which amounted to 2,i)G7,8CO pounds. Five canneries are now in successful operation, three of them being located on Deer Island. In 1880, these furnished employment to 190 persons, and upwards of 2,000,000 pounds of lobsters were canned, the products having a value of over $52,000. THE CLAM FISHERY. The clamming interests of the Castine district are quite important, a large number of men finding employment on the mud flats during the winter months, when there is little else to occupy their attention. Nearly 00,000 bushels of soft clams are dug annually, three fourths of them being shucked and salted to be used for bait in the vessel-fisheries. Nearly half of the remainder are sold to the canneries. STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOR 1880. The following statement shows the extent of the- fisheries of the district for 1880: Summary statement of pet-sows employed and capital invested. Persona employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 623 Number of boat-fishermen 605 4G 610 59 Number of factory-hands 165 Total 1 452 a Other fixed and circulating capital. Caab capital, $44,200 ; wharves, ehorehouses, and fixtures, $11,800; factory buildings and apparatus $15,550; total, $71,550. MAINE: CASTINE DISTRICT. 37 Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, tools, nets, and traps. Vessels aud bouts. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear.exclu- niveofbonta and nuts. Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In food-flab fishery: 90 2 902 87 $81 435 $L3 110 $77 505 $17 9 050 Nets. Gill-nets: lu vessel fisheries 265 $3, 872 Idle .. . . 10 457 18 14 500 14 500 Iii boat fisheries 600 7,200 9 128 Ot 3 50 100 1 580 4 930 Purse-seines : Tit VPSJW] fi 1 *np Totivl 10U 3 4H8 09 99 185 13 10 79 085 H.'Hil-aeiues: Boats. 275 1C 915 In boat fisheries 8 200 Total 931 38 470 Fykes 20 100 28 050 21 038 Total 28 078 21 588 Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pouuda, prepared. Bulk. Value as eold. 24 853 "S? $407 335 Fresh fish. 421 500 5 G0 For bait 4, 430, 000 22, 150 barrels 16,613 30 OUO 75 Total 4 881 5UO 22 308 Dry fish. Cod 5 COO 725 1 930 090 60 316 Hake . 1 465 1WO 607 824 8 140 486 C75 173 040 3 476 Pollock . . 97 730 37 744 674 Oosk 22 880 9 856 242 Total 7 673 300 2 758 560 72 848 PickU-dJlsh. 7 130 700 4 753 800 136 672 Herring : 990 250 792 200 11 883 Total 8 120 950 5 546 000 148 555 Herring: Smoted fish. 117 647 85 000 2 000 Canned fish. 506 800 34 730 Lobsters. 868 500 31 845 2,099 360 52 387 Total 2, 967, 860 84,232 Olam. For food 75 000 7 500 bushels 2,625 Forbait ~ 445, 200 44 520 bushels 3 180 barrels 15, 900 65, 000 6 500 bushels 97932 cans 9,385 Total 585, 200 27, 910 Miicettaneoui. Fish-oU 12 315 gallons 4,926 8,140 7,326 2, 500 Total 14, 752 38 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. Below is given a brief account of the past and present fishing interests of the different towns: 18. BLUE HILL, BBOOXLIN, AND SWAN'S ISLAND. BLUE HILL. Blue Hill, a town of 1,700 inhabitants, was first settled in 1702, and incorporated as a town in 1789. It forms the shore line between Surry and Brookliu. The principal business of the town is quarrying and mining, and at present the mining for copper and silver is more extensive here than anywhere else in the State. Blue Hill seems never to have been extensively interested in the fisheries, though about 1863 many of its people were engaged in the manufacture of menhaden oil from fish taken in nets along the shore. At the present time nothing is done in this line, and the fishing is confined largely to lobstering, clamming, and weir-fishing in the shore waters. Seven lobsternien, set an average of seventy pots each ; after the lobster season is over they fish with lines and trawls for cod and other species, lauding an average of fifty quintals to the man. Others fish occasionally during the mackerel season for home supply and for sale to the canneries. Six weirs are owned in the town, most of them being located on the outlying islands. The value of the weir catch in 1880, including mackerel and herring, was $1,850. Eleven men are engaged in this fishery. In the fall and spring fifteen men are extensively engaged in clamming. The quantity dug in 1880 was 2,000 bushels, most of them being shucked and sold as bait. There are two small vessels, with crews of two and three men, respectively, fishing on the inshore grounds. Their catch is usually very small ; in 1880 it amounted in value to only $500. BROOKLIN. The fisheries of Brooklin are quite similar to those of Blue Ilill, though the num- ber of people employed is considerably larger. Twenty-eight men fish from April to August for lobsters, setting about one hundred and twenty-five pots each. There are no professional boat- fishermen, but a number go out occasionally for local supply. Six small vessels fish along the shore with trawls, lines, and nets for cod, mackerel, and herring. In 1879 a large schooner was fitted with a purse-seine for catching mackerel. She engaged in the southern fishery in the spring, went to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in summer, and returned in the fall to fish on. the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts. She was sold to Portland in 1880. Two small vessels owned by resi- dents of the town are employed in " running" lobsters to the various canneries of the region. The entire licet, numbering nine sail, is valued at $5,875; they aggregate 194.13 tons, and carry a total of forty-two men. Brush weirs were first fished at Brookliu about 1800. In 1880 there were two small ones, the catch of which amounted to 150 barrels of mackerel and 050 barrels of herring, in addition to 10,000 boxes of herring that were smoked by the weir-fishermen. There are extensive mud-flats in the region, where long-necked clams (Mya aroiaria) are pecu- liarly abundant. An investigation showed that one hundred and seventeen men made a business of digging and shucking clams to be used for bait in the vessel fisheries. The quantity dug is enormous. In the winter of 1879-'80 over 13.000 bushels were shucked and salted, and 1,000 more were used fresh. The value, of the catch was about $4,000. The clamming season lasts from October to the middle of the following May, though little is done in midwinter. Four bushels of shell clatns is an average catch for a tide, and the total for the year is about eight barrels of shucked clams to the man. When menhaden were abundant a good many small try-houses were built upon the shore for utilizing the catch of the net-fishermen. At present, on account of the absence of the fish, noth- ing is done in this line. In 1870 a lobster cannery was built at Brooklin by Portland capitalists; it has since been in successful operation, and during the present season furnished employment to twenty-five hands. MAINE: CAST1NE DISTRICT. 39 SWAN'S ISLAND; ITS EARLY FISHERIES. Swan's Islauil, formerly known as Burnt Coat, lies a few miles south-by-west of Mount Desert. It is G or 7 miles loug by 4 or 5 broad, and lias about 450 inhabitants. According to Capt. John Staples it was settled in 1775. From the tirst the people have been largely dependent upon the water for a livelihood, though the soil is capable of producing bountifully after it has once been cleared. Formerly, in common with other portions of the coast, it had small vessels engaged in the shore and Bay of Fundy fisheries. In 1853 the first large vessel, the schooner Constitution, was brought to the island and fitted for the Grand Bank cod fisheries. Soon three or four others were purchased and sent to the same locality, the majority fishing for mackerel after their return in the fall. THE MACKEREL FISHERY. About 1808 the Bank fisheries were almost wholly discontinued, and the vessels turned their attention to the capture of mackerel. This fishery has continued to develop, until Swan's Island has now, nest to Portland, the largest mackerel fleet of any town on the coast of Maine. Purse-seines were first used by these fishermen in 1870, and within a few years all of the vessels were provided with them. Five of the mackerel vessels go south in the spring, and the remaining four are usually hauled up till July, when the fish reach the coast of Maine; the crews in the mean time devoting their attention to the lobster fisheries. From the beginning of the fishery to the present day, according to Mr. G. M. Staples, only three or four trips of mackerel have been inspected on the island, the vessels almost invariably landing and packing at Portland, Boston, or Gloucester. In 1879 the Swan's Island fleet lauded 14,900 barrels of mackerel, two of fhom beii g among the high-line vessels of the American fleet. THE VESSEL-FISHERIES OF THE ISLAND. 111 addition to the mackerel vessels, a fleet of twelve sail are engaged in the shore fisheries, five of them going to Wood Island for herring after the fishing for cod and hake is over. The herring are usually packed in Portland, and many of the "ground-fish" are sold at Deer Island and Mount Desert. A summation of the vessel-fisheries of the island for 1879 shows twenty-one sail, aggregating 885.05 tons. These had a value of $30,000, and furnished employment to 180 men. The catch lor the season was 14,906 barrels of mackerel, 1,055 barrels of herring, and 1,023 quintals of cod, hake, and haddock. Two menhaden oil and guano factories were built on the island in 1875, one of them being provided with boilers and hydraulic presses for doing an extensive business. They were run a portion of three seasons, after which, owing to a scarcity of fish in the locality, the business was discontinued. THE LOBSTER FISHERY. Next to mackereling, the trapping of lobsters is the principal busi- ness of the people. According to Mr. David Smith, the first persons to engage in the capture of lobsters for profit were fishermen from Gloucester, Mass., who came to the island on a smack about 1850, bringing their traps with them. They hired one or two of the resident fishermen to assist, and the smack remained until her well had been filled, when she sailed for Boston. The fol- lowing season some of the islanders became interested in this fishery, and about 1855 ten men were regularly employed in this way during the summer months, smacks coming frequently to pur- chase the catch. Fewer lobsters were taken from this time up to 1800, when the fishery was again revived, and has continued to increase to the present time. There are now twenty-three men who devote their attention to the capture of lobsters during the entire season, with fifty-one others, who lobster from the middle of March till the lOtli of July, when they pile their pots upon the beach and ship in the vessels to engage, in the mackerel fisheries. Over 8,000 lobster pots are owned by the fishermen of the island, and about 5,000 barrels of 40 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. herring, flounders, ami sculping (Cottus octodecimspinosus aud C. grcenlandicus) are used for bait in this fishery aloue during the season. FISH-CUEING. A few of the boat-fishermen engage in the capture of cod, mackerel, &c., in the full for home supply, selling a few to the three curing stands on the island. In 1879 these parties cured 1,000 quintals of fish, a larger part of which were bought from small vessels. 19. DEER ISLAND AND ITS FISHERIES. HISTORY OF THE FISHERIES FEOM 1800 TO 1880. The town of Deer Isle, lying to the south of Sedgwick, is separated from the mainland by Eggeiuoggiu Reach. It includes Great Deer Isle, Little Deer Isle, and Eagle Island. The first is by far the largest and most important of the group; it is about 9 miles long by 7 or 8 miles broad. It has a very irregular coast, being indented by long and narrow bays aud coves that nearly meet from opposite sides. The region was first settled by William Eaton in 1762, and was incorporated as a town in 1789. In 1790 it had 682 inhabitants ; in 1812, about 1,250; in 1850, 3,037 ; and in 1870, 3,414. The following facts relative to the early history of the town were gathered during several inter- views with Mr. William Webb, for many years one of the leading officials of the town. Mr. Webb was born on the island in 1803, and was actively engaged in its fisheries as early as 1818. Up to this time there were but two vessels of over 40 tons burden and twelve to fifteen Chebacco boats fishing from the island, though many of the residents had been employed on fishing vessels belonging to Newburyport. The principal business at that time was the trade in lumber, and half a dozen large saw-mills were in active operation. About one-fourth of the inhabitants were then dependent on the fisheries. In 1830 twelve large vessels were sent to the more distant fishing grounds, and forty smaller ones fished along the shore. In 1840 the fleet had increased to thirty large vessels (over 40 tons old measurement J and fifty small ones. The heightof the fishing business for the island occurred between 1860 and 1865, by which time a better class of vessels had been introduced, and about thirty- five sail of large schooners and fifty smaller craft were actively employed. The large vessels were almost without exception engaged in the mackerel fishery, most of them being employed in freighting from the close of the season in November till the following June, when they sailed for the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. They usually lauded two trips each during the season. The first Deer Isle vessel to fish for mackerel in that locality was sent in 1834. The fishing was wholly with hand-lines up to 1873, when purse-seines were introduced. The smaller vessels fished on the inner grounds, some of them frequenting the Bay of Fuudy regularly for many years. Since 1868 the fisheries have rapidly declined, all of the better aud larger vessels having beeu sold to other localities, and Deer Isle to-day owns the poorest class of vessels of any town on the entire coast. Some of the merchants claim that this decline is largely due to the difficulty of making suitable arrangements with the custom-house authorities for obtaining their salt free of duty. It seems that they made an effort to have a quantity kept on the island to supply the vessel fleet, but, failing in this, they were obliged to make the trip to Castiue or pay the duty, which they often did to avoid the delay. A more probable cause for the rapid decline is found in the relations that existed between the fitters and crews, whereby a settlement with the fishermen was ofteu delayed for nearly a year, during which time they were subjected to all the disadvantages of the credit system in its worst forms. In this way the Deer Island fishermen wereseriously inconvenienced, and they were gradually driven to seek employment on the vessels of other fishing ports, even to the neglect of their own fleet. This practice has been continued, and there are now not less than MAINE: CASTINE -DISTRICT. 41 seventy-five men who go to Gloucester ami Portland each spring to ship in the fishiiig vessels of these cities. As early as 1815 one of the Deer Isle vessels was engaged in the Gulf of Saint LawreLce cod-fisheries. In 1822, two vessels were sent to Labrador for cod, a vessel from Newburyport accompanying them and taking their catch direct to Spain. Only three vessels have been engaged in the Labrador fisheries since that time, none of them going more than four or five years. Crews from the island have, however, frequently visited the Labrador coast in vessels belonging to New- buryport. Next to Isle au Haut, Deer Isle was the first to engage in the Magdalen Island herring fishery. In 1830 she fitted out six vessels for this fishery, but since that date only one or two have been sent yearly. In 1829 the schooner Caleb, 54 tons, was engaged in sealing, taking her catch at the Magdalen Islands. Two vessels from Mount Desert were engaged in the seal fishery the same season. Only one Deer Isle vessel has ever fished on Grand Banks; none have fished on George's, and none have engaged regularly in the capture of halibut. Up to 1836 the vessels sailed without charts; in 1845 stoves were substituted for fire-places, and in 1849 the patent steering-wheel was introduced in place of the old-fashioned tiller. EXTENT OF TUB VESSEL AND BOAT FISHERIES IN 1879. In 1879 Deer Isle had forty-two vessels, aggregating 915.35 tons, engaged in the fisheries. This fleet, valued at $18,910, furnished employment to one hundred and ninety-nine men. Four of the vessels fished wholly for mackerel; thirty-three were engaged in the shore-fisheries for cod, hake, haddock, herring, and mackerel; and the five remaining ones were employed exclusively in the lobster trade. Seven of the shore fleet carried lobsters to the canneries of the locality in spring and summer. The vessel catch was sold largely to the fish-merchants of other places; but there were cured on the island during the season about 1,800 quintals of cod and hake. lu addition to these, 200 barrels of mackerel were put up by the dealers. Not less than one hundred and forty men are engaged in fishing from small boats. These, with few exceptions, fish for lobsters from March till August; they then engage in the shore mackerel fishery for a few weeks ; and the remainder of the season is spent in fishing with line and trawl for other species. A few parties clam more or less during a greater part of the year, and by the mid- dle of November a large number of the boat and vessel fishermen resort regularly to the mud-flats, where they spend a considerable portion of their time in clamming till the following April. The fishermen of Little Deer Isle are almost wholly dependent upon the clam-flats for a livelihood, and many of them are engaged in clamming during tbe entire year. The clams, after being shucked and salted, are sold to the dealers on the island, or to those of Brookliu and Sedgwick. These in turn ship them to the larger fishery ports to be used for bait. The island merchants alone handled 1,500 barrels during the season of 1879-'80. THE LOBSTEK FISHERY. The lobster ranks first in importance among the species taken along the shore. Prior to 1S53 none of the residents had any knowledge of the abundance of lobsters in the locality, as up to this time they were taken only with gaffs among the rocks and sea-weeds where they had been left dry at low water. In the spring of that year Capt. John D. Piper, who owned a smack for carrying lobsters to market, brought traps to the island and hired men to engage in the fishery. The business proved very profitable, and by I860 twenty men were employed in this way, the bulk of the catch being sold to Portland and Boston smacks. In 1858 the first lobster cannery was established on the island, and in 1877 two others were built. In 1880 these canneries employed about one hundred persons, paying out $10,000 in wages. During the same season 10,500 lobster pots were fished by the residents of the town. 42 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 20. ISLE AU HAUT, SEDGWICK, AND BROOKSVILLE. ISLE AU HAUT. Isle au Haut is a- small island lying several miles to the southeast of Deer Isle. It was permanently settled about 1790. Being surrounded by excellent fishery grounds on three sides, it lias from the first been largely interested in the fisheries; and as early as 1825, according to Capt. James Turner, there were forty sail of vessels fitting at Castine and landing their catch at the island. Several of these vessels were engaged iu the herring fishery during a port ion of the season, and between 10,000 and 15,000 boxes were smoked annually on the island. Later vessels were sent to the Magdalen Islands for herring, and both smoked and pickled herring were put up iu considerable quantities. The vessel fisheries continued with but little diminution up to 1855, after which they declined very rapidly, and the fleet at present consists of three small vessels, none of which do any extensive business. A majority of the people are now engaged in the boat-fisheries. They fish for lobsters about the many rocky islands and ledges in the locality from April to August, after which they turn their attention to the capture of cod and other species with Hue or trawl, as is most desirable. Not less than forty persons are employed iu this way. About I860 a lobster cannery was built at Isle au ITaut for utilizing the catch, but, owing to an unpleasantness between the owners and the fishermen, it was closed in 1873. According to Captain Collins, many herring were netted about the shores of the island at certain seasons of the year up to 1850, and even in later years they have often been quite plenty. In 187-1 a Sedgwick vessel anchored in one of the small harbors, and with eight nets and a crew of two men succeeded in taking 150 barrels in three weeks It is said that two schools of herring visit the locality, one arriving about the middle of -Inly and leaving early in August, the other coming by the 15th of September and remaining about a month. Little has been done in this fishery by the islanders, beyond (lie capture of a limited quantity for bait, for several years. SEDGWICK. Sedgwick, formerly known as Naskeag, was first settled in 1703. It was incor- porated as a town, under its present name, in 1789, since which time the towns of Brooklin and Brooksville have been taken from it. In 1870 it had a population of 1,113. Mr. Samuel Wasson, of Surry, in his Survey of Hancock County, refers to it in the following language: "Sedgwick ... is another of our misshapen towns. The 'pom pet' which darkens its agriculture, is its maritime facility. A large portion of this town is non-arable or grazing land, the bushy acres of which should be made to turn out annually tons of superior mutton. From Sargents- ville to Sedgwick, following the shore of Eggmoggin Reach, the soil is easy of cultivation and is quite productive. Like most of our seaboard towns, the sea and not the soil furnishes the bread. The industrial establishments are mainly those which are related to the fishing industry." At the present time Sedgwick has four vessels, valued at $<>,liOO, engaged in the fisheries. Two of these are employed in the shore fishery, another visits Grand Banks for cod, and the fourth fishes for mackerel between Cape Hatteras and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. There are extensive clam-fiats along its shores, and during five months of the year thirty-eight men depend on clamming for a livelihood. I n the winter of 1879-'80 there were dug, according to the estimate of Herrick & Byard and W. G. Sargent & Son, over 5,000 bushels of clams. Of the entire quantity about 4,300 bushels were shucked and salted, the remainder being sold fresh in the locality. The two firms above mentioned handled during the season 2,3'_'G barrels of shelled clams, all of which were bought from the fishermen of the surrounding towns. The catch was shipped to the principal fishery centers of Maine and Massachusetts for use as bait in the offshore cod fisheries. Beyond the vessel fisheries and the clamming interests almost nothing is done, though three men fish MAINE: CASTINE DISTRICT. 43 occasionally from small boats to furnish residents of tbe locality with fresh fish, and others catch a supply for their own tables. BROOKSVILLE. Brooksville, lying to the south of Penobscot between Castine and Sedgwick, is almost an island, being connected with the main shore by two very narrow necks of land. Jt was incorporated in 1817, and named in honor of Governor Brooks, of Massachusetts. In 1870 it had 1,27G inhabitants. Its principal interests are in connection with agriculture, quarrying, and coasting. Mr. Samuel Wassou says of it: "West Brooksville is the Coast ville of Western Han- cock [Hancock County]. Nearly every man sails, helps to man, or is part owner of a 'coaster,' which gives a peculiar idiom to their language, which is perfect Greek to a backwoodsman." At present Brooksville has one vessel of G.50 tons with a crew of two men engaged in the shore- tisheries. About thirteen men fish for lobsters from April to August, selling the bulk of their catch to the Castine cannery. Seven men clam in winter, and an equal number make a business of line- fishing in summer. In addition to these, fully seventy-five men fish for mackerel from two to six weeks in summer, most of their catch being canned at Castiue. There are also extensive smelt fisheries in the town. 21. CASTINE AND ITS FISHERIES. ITS FISHERIES, PAST AND PRESENT. Castine is a small town lying to the south of Penobscot, between the Peuobscot River and South Bay. It contains the village of Castine, which is one of the oldest and most interesting settlements in the State. Members of the Plymouth colony occu- pied it as a trading post as early as 1G30, when it was known as Peutagoet; it was permanently settled by the English in 17tiO. In 1790 it was set off from Penobscot and incorporated. From its earliest settlement it has been the scene of bloody conflicts, and has been frequently taken and retaken by the armies of the French, Dutch, and British. In 1850 it had 1,200 inhabitants and the census of 1870 showed a gain of only 44. Its history as a fishing town is both peculiar and interesting. Its distance from the shore fishing grounds prevents any extensive boat-fisheiies, though several parties are engaged in the capture of lobsters and mackerel in summer, and a number of others dig a few clams from the mud-flats in winter. In 1880 ten men were engaged for a number of weeks in the shore mackerel fishery, selling their catch to the cannery at the village. All of these "clam" to a greater or less extent in winter, and four of them fish for lobsters from April to August. Aside from this and the smelt fisheries which will be mentioned elsewhere, there is at present no fishing of importance from the town. Though the boat-fisheries have never been extensive, the excellent harbor gave Castine an advantage in the vessel -fisheries which she retained for many years. By the beginning of the present century she had a few large vessels engaged in the various offshore fisheries; and the number continued to increase until her vessels frequented all of the important fishing grounds, including Grand and Western Banks, Labrador, Bay of Chaleur, and the Magdalen Islands. The Grand Banks cod fisheries are said to have been peculiarly important. They began early in the century, and by 1833 a large number of vessels were employed in this work. The fishing continued to be extensively prosecuted till 1855, after which it rapidly declined, the vessels being sold to other places or employed in the coasting trade. In 1878 the offshore fleet had been reduced to two sail. These returned from the fishing grounds with small fares, whereupon their owners became discouraged and decided to give up the business. Both vessels were immediately stripped and secured to the wharves, where they have since remained. During the years of greatest activity a considerable number of small vessels were fitted out for 44 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. the shore and Bay of Fundy fisheries. These went regularly to the nearer grounds and returned with good catches. But the causes that led to the reduction of the offshore fleet had their influ- ence upon the smaller craft, and though some of them were kept for a number of years they grad- ually disappeared, and to-day not a fishing vessel sails from Castine. True, several small ones have been granted fishing licenses, but on examination it is found that they are employed chiefly in other work, and it would be misleading to include them with the fishing vessels of the coast. THE TRADE WITH FISHING VESSELS. While the fisheries proper of the town have been impor- tant, the trade with the fishing fleet of other places has been of much greater value to the people, and Castine was for a number years, next to Portland, the principal fisheries center of the State. Up to 1824, according to Mr. William Webb, of Deer Isle, little attention was paid to the vessel trade by the merchants of the city, and some of them ev en sent their own schooners to Portland for their salt and other outfits. About this time the first cargo of salt was imported by one of the Castine dealers. This was the beginning of a large trade, and vessels from the surrounding country, including Deer Isle, Swan's Isle, Fox Islands, Mount Desert, and many other fishing towns along the shore, soon came to depend wholly on Castine for their fittings, including salt, gear, and pro- visions. The business continued to increase, and by 18-15, according to a correspondent of the Baugor Whig, fully three hundred vessels, carrying upwards of two thousand men, "fitted" at Castine for the various bank and shore fisheries, while 2,000 tons of salt were annually imported and consumed. The most of this came direct from Cadiz and Liverpool. Mr. Webb informs us that the trade began to decrease just prior to the rebellion, and that since 1870 ''bankers" have gone elsewhere for their supplies, and the shore vessels have gradually sought other markets. At present the trade is confined to eight or ten small vessels belonging at Deer and Swan's Isles, and it is practically of no importance. Aside from the interests already mentioned Castiue has one of the largest line factories in the country, where most of the cod and mackerel lines used by the New England fishermen are made. THE CANNING or FISHERY PRODUCTS. A largo cannery was built at the village in 1871 and is now doing an extensive business in the canning of lobsters, mackerel, clams, and various kinds of berries and fruits. About fifty hands are employed during the working season. This cannery was probably the first to use a steamer for gathering its supplies of sea products from the fisher- men of the adjoining shore and the numerous outlying islands. The change from sailing vessels to steamers has proved thoroughly satisfactory and it seems probable that steamers will soon be generally introduced for this work. 22. PENOBSCOT, ORLAND, AND BUCKSPORT. PENOBSCOT. The town of Penobscot is too far from the fishing grounds of the coast to have any extensive salt-water fisheries. The only business in this line is the curing of a cargo of codfish caught by a vessel belonging in Ellsworth. Penobscot has extensive smelt fisheries, and a few of its inhabitants go to the outer islands occasionally and fish for cod and mackerel for home supply. Beyond this no fishing of any kind is done. BUCKSPORT AND OULAND. The towns of Bucksport and Orland, situated on the eastern bank of the Penobscot, 18 miles below Bangor, are so intimately connected in their fishing inter- ests that they should properly be considered together. The region was first settled in 17C2, and as early as 1825 Mr. Joseph Cook and one or two others had fair sized vessels engaged in the off- shore fisheries. The business continued to increase till 1855, when, according to Mr. N. H. Powers, there were about 20 vessels, ranging from 50 to 125 tons, carpenter's measurement, landing a total MAINE: CASTINE DISTRICT. 45 of 20,000 quintals of fish during the season. Most of the vessels went to "tho Bay" for mackerel after their return from the banks. The " ground-fish " were dried by professional curers at Orlaml and sold in Boston, and the mackerel were packed at various places. From 1858 the fishing interests begau to decline, and in 1870, according to Mr. Powers, the fishing fleet of the two towns numbered only three or four sail, the majority of the old vessels being employed in the coasting trade. In 1877 the business again revived, and in 1880 Orland had 6 schooners, aggregating 373.02 tons, engaged iu the Grand Bank cod fisheries. The vessels are valued at $10,500. During the same season Bucksport had C large vessels fishing on Grand Banks, and two smaller ones engaged in the shore fisheries; this fleet was valued at $13,000, and aggregated 459.03 tons. About 150 men are employed in the vessel fisheries of the two towns. The crews are usually hired at wages varying from $120 to $150 for the season. The vessels, as a rule, make but one trip during the summer, starting late in the spring and returning early in the fall. Nearly all land their catch at Orland, where the fish are cured before being shipped to Boston and other places. In 1880 there were six curing-stands iu the vicinity. These had an aggregate value of $3,000, and furnished employment to 27 men for two mouths. The quantity of fish cured was 13,200 quintals, all but 400 quintals of which were cod. F. THE BELFAST DISTRICT. 23. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. A DESCRIPTION OF THE DISTRICT AND ITS FISHERIES. The Belfast customs district extends along the western border of Penobscot Bay, from Stockton to Rocklaud. It also includes the Fox Islands, lying in the mouth of the bay, about midway between its eastern and western shores. The soil of the mainland is well suited for agriculture, which occupies the attention of a majority of the people. The residents of the Fox Islands are engaged chiefly in quarrying and fishing. At the principal harbors along the main shore are settlements of greater or less importance. The largest of these are the cities of Belfast and Camden. The people of these places, as well as those of the smaller villages, are extensively interested in the coasting and foreign vessel trade, and many large merchantmen are owned and manned by them. Camdeu and Belfast are the only places on the mainland that have been extensively engaged in the fisheries. The residents of these cities became interested in the fisheries about 1825, and for a quarter of a century the business continued to increase in importance, though it has since declined, and the vessel-fisheries are now almost discontinued. The residents still continue to engage in the shore fisheries to a greater or less extent in summer, catching lobsters, mackerel, cod, and other species for local supply. The river fisheries of the region are quite extensive, many salmon, alewives, and smelt being secured. The only islands of importance in the group known as the Fox Islands are North Haven and Vinal Haven. These were settled about 17G5 by parties from other localities, who came to Vinal Haven for the more successful prosecution of the fisheries. Up to 1830 the vessels owned in this locality were small craft, most of them being under 30 tons, carpenter's measurement. A majority of these were owned at Vinal Haven, this island, owing to its nearness to the fishing-grounds, hav- ing the largest fishing interests. A little later better vessels were added to the Vinal Haven fleet, but the North Haven fishermen continued to use small ones up to 1850, since which time her fish- 46 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. ing interests have been constantly increasing. To-day each island has twenty vessels, those of North Haven averaging about 40 tons, while those of Vinal Haven are only half as large. The shore boat-fisheries furnish employment to 180 uien, all but 10 of these being engaged in the lobster fisheries during the spring and early summer, while the remainder of the season is spent in the capture of mackerel and other fishes. STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOR 1880. The following statement shows the extent of the fisheries of the district for 1880: Summary statement of persons emploi/id and capital imieslcd. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 343 $134 705 190 28 468 32 59 455 Number of factory-hands 84 Total 949 a Olhcr fixed and circulating capital. Cash capital, $34,200; wharves, slmreliouses, anil fixtures, $14, 255; factory buildings and apparatus, $11,000; total, $J9, 455. Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, boats, nets, and (rajw. Vessels aud boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, esclu- siveot'boats and nets. Valllf "I outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In food-fish fishery: 53 1 330 84 $48 375 $10 155 $43 870 $102 400 Nett. Gill-nets : 118 $1 770 Idle 3 31 90 550 550 400 4 800 5 120. 49 6,400 50 800 7 250 Total 61 1 -is:: ":: 55 325 10 2or> 44 670 110 200 In vessel-fisheries 14 7,500 if i Soots. In boat-fisheries 13 325 153 4,835 4,835 ' IL 474 1 770 4 900 2 000 19 670 Total 627 17 605 4 900 2 000 24 505 Weira 13 1 975 30 150 15 930 11 948 Total 15 973 14 073 Detailed statement of the quantities and rallies of tlic products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value as sold. 15 192 062 $47 558 Fresh fink. 472 000 6 293 For b-iit 1 441 000 5 404 20 000 50 Total . 1 933 000 11,747 Dry flih. Cod ... 1, 898 000 054 080 20, 440 Hake . ... 3 284 820 1,362 592 18,249 Haddock . ... 1 004 850 357 280 7,178 Pollock 120 930 40 704 834 Cask 67 080 8 896 710 Total 6 375 680 2 449 552 47,411 MAINE: BELFAST DISTRICT. Detailed statement of Hit' quantities and rallies of the products Continued. 47 Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, ]p]'i-l>;in-il. Bulk. Value as sold. Pickled fish. 4 476 600 2 984 400 14 9'*2 barrels $85 802 Herring: 195 000 ISO 000 2,340 J 10 000 5 000 125 Total 4,681,000 3, 145, 400 15,727 barrels 88, 267 tfmoked fak. Herring : 14,118 10, 200 1, 200 boxes 240 G 800 3,000 175 Total 20,918 13, 200 415 Canned fish. Mackerel 232, 350 108, 612 cans 19, 874 Lobsters. 699, 000 25, 630 Canned 1,177,464 207, B12 cans 28, 335 Total 1, 876, 464 5:i, 965 Clams. 18, 750 1,875 bushels G56 For bait - 46 900 4,690 Imshels 335 barrels 1,675 7 000 700 bushels 7, 824 cans 750 Total 72, 050 3, 081 Miscellaneous. Fish-oil 10, 935 gallons 4,374 18, 249 16, 424 2,000 Total 22, 798 24. BELFAST AND ADJACENT TOWNS. STOCKTON. Stockton is situated about five or six uiiles below Bucksport, on the west side of the Penobscot River. It has a resident population of about 1,550, including a village of 500 inhab- itants at Cape Jellison Harbor. The people of the town are largely interested in agriculture, and in vessels employed in the foreign or coasting trade. Many of the inhabitants "follow the sea" for a livelihood. The fisheries of the town are very limited. One vessel of 8 tons is engaged iu the shore fisheries during a part of the summer, and another of 16 tons "runs" lobsters and clams to the Castine cannery; these two comprise the fishing fleet of the town. In 1880 seven or eight men were engaged iu the lobster fisheries, and twenty or more fished for mackerel for several weeks in midsummer, some of them fishing for pleasure only. A few of the residents go down the river to fish for cod and hake for home supply, but none follow the business regularly. The river fisheries for salmon and alewives are quite important. They will be described in the chapter ou the fresh- water fisheries of the State. SEARSPORT. The town of Searsport, forming the western boundary of Penobscot River, between Stockton and Belfast, has about 2,200 inhabitants. It has a village of the same name, with about 1,000 inhabitants. Many of the residents are extensively interested in the coasting trade, while others own or man larger vessels that run between the United States and various European countries; the remainder are engaged in farming. The fishing interests of the town 48 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. are very similar to those of Stockton. It has one vessel of 18 tons engaged in the shore fish- eries, landing her catch at the curing stands at North Haven. Eight men are interested in the lobster fisheries, and seventy or eighty fish for mackerel during the height of the season. Some catch enough for home use only, while others fish more extensively, selling their catch to the resi- dents of the village. It is estimated by Mr. W. H. Matthews that ICO barrels of mackerel were taken by the local fishermen in 1880. The salmon and alewife fisheries are quite extensive, and a number of weirs have been built for their capture by the fishermen of the town. BELFAST. The town of Belfast, on the west bank of the Penobscot River, 25 to 30 miles above Rockland, was first settled in 1770. It was incorporated in 1773 and named in honor of Belfast, Ireland. In 1776 it had 229 inhabitants, and in 1870, 5,278. Williamson, in his History of Belfast, says: "The first settlers were of course strangers to the luxuries of living. For several years they depended for the means of subsistence almost exclusively upon their crops and upon fishing and hunting. The rich, newly-burnt land produced a plentiful supply of cereals and potatoes. Moose, deer, and even bears were abundant, and the river furnished salmon, shad, and alewives." Capt. Charles H. W T ordiug informs us that Belfast was interested in the fisheries to a limited extent only prior to 1820, when she built or purchased a fleet of small vessels. About 1835 a better class of vessels were introduced, and soon twenty sail were owned in the town, the larger ones fishing on the nearer offshore banks for cod in spring, and in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and along the Maine shore for mackerel later in the season. Most of the cod were cured on the lower islands, and prior to 1840 the mackerel were packed in Boston. A considerable portion of the fleet " fitted" at Castiue. About 1855 the business became less prosperous, and it was almost wholly discontinued before the war. Since that time Belfast has had a few vessels engaged in the shore fisheries each season, but the catch has usually been so small as to be quite unimportant. In 1879 she had five fishing vessels, averaging 20 tons each, fishing on the inshore grounds. The fleet was valued at $1,650, and furnished employment to twenty-nine men. The boat-fisheries vary considerably, and are at times quite important. The principal fishing occurs in midsummer, when the mackerel enter the bay. They are very abundant for several weeks, and many of the inhabitants, including men and boys of all classes, engage in the fisheries to a greater or less extent for pleasure and profit. Some fish only occasionally for home supply, others devote their entire time to fishing while the mackerel remain, and realize a considerable profit from their sales. It is said that there are at times over one hundred boats, with one to four men each, fishing within a few miles of the city. Mr. Frank W. Collins, of Belfast, sends us the following account of the boat-fisheries for 1879: "It is estimated by competent judges that, during the season of 1879, there were 1,000 barrels of mackerel caught in our bay (mostly by hand-lines) ; of this amount about one-third were shipped to Boston, and the larger cities of our own State. "The smelt- fishing has been poorer here this season than for many years. Owing to the pre- vailing warm weather, and ruling low prices, not more than half of the usual number have engaged in this fishery. (The smelts here are all caught with hand-lines.) From December 1, 1879, to the present time [March, 1880], there have been about five tons of smelts caught here ; of these, nearly two tons have been shipped to Portland, Boston, and New York. "The past season there were twelve men engaged in lobster fisheries, using a total of 375 traps. Although the season was considered a poor one by the fishermen, about 75,000 lobsters were caught, one-third of them being sold to the smacks, and shipped to Boston, and towns in this State. " From the most careful inquiries among the clam-diggers, and other persons having a knowledge of our local fisheries, we learn that there have been 5,000 bushels of clams dug here the past year, MAINE: BELFAST DISTRICT. 49 'though noue have been salted for fish-bait this season as iu previous years. Of the 5,000 bushels dug, about one-half have been shipped to other places. On account of their fine flavor the Belfast clams are considered superior to those of any other locality, and they always find a ready market iu our neighboring cities and towns where they arc known. It would be impossible to form any correct estimate of the large quantity of flounders taken here during the year. This branch of the lishiug is followed, not only by our local fishermen, but there is a little multitude of boys who throng the heads of the piers and the bridge for weeks, to fish fcr flounders. The fish are neatly dressed and strung in bunches (usually twelve in a bunch) for the market. Thousands of bunches are shipped to cities and towns in this vicinity. "Although Belfast is not engaged in the salmon fishery to any great extent, there is probably no place in the State where more Peuobscot salmon are sold. The past season, 1879, there were about 25,000 pounds of Peuobscot salmon sold (by the fishermen iu this vicinity) to the marketmeu and inhabitants here; of this amount not more than 2,000 pounds were shipped to other places, the rest being consumed locally. Salmon are no longer a luxury here, to be enjoyed by the rich only, but during plentiful seasons they are now often sold by our local dealers as low as ten cents per pound. Through the untiring efforts of the Fish Commission, for the past eight years, in restocking the Penobscot River, this once rare and delicate fish has been placed within the reach of the poor as well as the rich, and to-day the Peuobscot is, iu every respect, a salmon stream." KOKTHPOKT. Northport, lying just south of Belfast, on Belfast Bay, is a town with a scattered population, engaged largely in agriculture, though a few of its inhabitants are more or less dependent upon the sea. A number of small coasting vessels are owned by the residents and some of the men are interested in the salmon fisheries during a portion of the year. As the town has no fishing fleet, the catch of marine species is very limited, the work being largely confined to the capture of mackerel during a few weeks in mid-summer, while a number of parties take lobsters and clams to a limited extent for local supply. 25. CAMDEN AND ITS FISHERIES. The town of Cauideu, which includes the villages of Camdeu and Rockport, forms the western bank of the Penobscot River between Rocklaud and Lincolnville. It was settled in 1709, and incorporated in 1791. According to Messrs. J. and B. C. Adams, Camdeu was for many years extensively interested in the fisheries, and had a fleet of 15 to 20 schooners engaged iu the Labrador, Magdalen, bank, and shore fisheries, with a considerable number of others from the Fox Islands that came to Cam- den for their fittings. Later the causes that led to the decline of the fisheries of the region affected Camdeu equally with the other places, and, after a few unprosperous years, the business was almost wholly discontinued. At present the fishing fleet of the town, including the two lobster smacks owned at Rockport, is made up of five sail vessels and one steamer. Three of the vessels are engaged exclusively iu the mackerel fisheries, and the others, including the steamer, are employed in the transportation of fishery products. The steamer carries herring, mackerel, and clams to the canneries at the village, and the smacks "run" lobsters to Portland and Boston. The boat fisheries are of little importance. A number of men from both Cainden and Rock- port are interested in the lobster fisheries; others go to the outer islands occasionally to fish for cod and other species; while all, with many of the shoresmen, are engaged in "hooking" mackerel for several weeks in summer. A lobster cannery was built at Camdeu, by Portland capital, in 1878, and during the past season thirty hands were employed iu canning lobsters and mackerel. In the summer of 1880 a sardine 4 G R F 50 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. cannery was located here for the purpose of utilizing the small herring that were reported as pecu- liarly abundant in the region. Weirs were built at different points along the mainland, and about the various islands, but thus far the catch, with few exceptions, has been so small that the cannery has not been fully supplied. A scarcity of herring has resulted in experiments in the canning of mackerel, and Mr. Sellmann, the proprietor, has succeeded in producing a very palatable article which is now being placed upon the market under the name of "broiled mackerel." The fish are received with great favor by the trade, and the demand for them is constantly increasing. The process of preparation is radically different from that heretofore employed in the canning of this species. Fat mackerel of small size are selected, and after their heads and tails have been removed, the fish are thoroughly cleaned and washed; they are then spread on wire trays and placed on a revolving frame in a large oven, where they are broiled for several minutes in a manner similar to that by which the sardines are prepared. When thoroughly cooked, (hey are taken out, and, after cooling, packed in tin cans with tomato or other sauce and hermetically sealed. Mr. Sellmaun has certainly made an important discovery, and there is every reason to believe that the business begun by him will develop enormously within the next few years. 20. THE FOX ISLANDS. TIIE LOCATION AND IMPORTANCE OF THE ISLANDS. The Fox Islands, including the islands of Viual Haven and North Haven, are situated in the mouth of the Penobscot River, about mid- way between either shore. They were first permanently settled in 1705, and incorporated under the name of Viual Haven in 1789, North Haven being set off in 1840. The southern island is one huge mass of granite, with hardly a patch of soil large enough to warrant any one in engaging in agriculture. For this reason nine-tenths of the men are employed in the granite quarries at Carver's Harbor, which rank among the most important on the continent. The northern island is quite different, and though very rocky in parts has much arable land, and a large part of its people are engaged in farming. The location of the islands in the vicinity of excellent fishing-grounds has naturally led many of the inhabitants to engage extensively in the fisheries. The first settlers are said to have been fishermen who came to the region for the purpose of prosecuting their work to better advantage. THE FISHERIES OF VINAL HAVEN. According to Mr. James Roberts, Viual Haven had twelve to fifteen sail of Chebacco boats, ranging from 15 to 30 tons, engaged in the fisheries as early as 1817, the smaller ones fishing along the shore while the larger ones went to the Seal Island grounds and Brown's Bank. The fleet was gradually increased by purchase from Cape Ann and elsewhere, and before 1830 a larger and better class of vessels had been brought to the town. The Labrador fisheries, says Mr. Roberts, began in 1804, and were continued to 1810, though the business was never extensive. One season two or three, vessels would engage in this fishery, and for several years following none would be sent. The Magdalen herring fisheries have been peculiarly important and extensive. They began about 1830 and continued without interruption till 1858. The height of the fishery was from 1840 to 1850, when eight or nine sail went yearly, starting early in April and returning late in May. The herring were lauded on the island, where the bulk of them were smoked. Some crews con- tracted their catch in advance to the Vinal Haven dealers, agreeing to land their cargoes at a stipulated price. The crews often purchased their fish from the natives, though this practice was not universal, and many of them "went on shares," catching, salting, and smoking their fish, and carrying them to Boston to be marketed. As far as we could learn, but one vessel from Vinal Haven has fished on Grand Banks, and this for but one or two years only. One vessel, the MAINE: BELFAST DISTRICT. 51 Black Swan, made two trips to George's in the winter of 18G1-'G2, after which the business was abandoned on account of the danger attending the work. As has been said, the fisheries continued to increase from year to year from the first settle- ment of the island to the middle of the present century. They were most prosperous between 1845 and 1858, when from ninety to one hundred sail were owned at Vinal Haven, and thirty-five or forty belonged at North Haven. Probably four-fifths of these were under 50 tons, carpenter's measurement. These vessels usually fitted at Castine, but cured their fish at home aud sold them to the Boston dealers. According to Mr, David Vina], Vinal Haven alone marketed $70,000 worth of dry fish in 1855. The first real hindrance to the prosecution of the fisheries was the civil war, which called many of the fishermen to the South. Later, large quarries were opened, and as these furnish regular employment to the men at good wages, many have sold their vessels and remain at home. Others have gradually drifted into the lobster fishery, finding it more profitable than any other branch of the fisheries of the region. THE FISHERIES OF NORTH HAVEN. North Haven continued to use small vessels and Che- bacco boats for many years. Mr. Nelson Mullin informs us that in 1845 the largest vessel on the island was the Hawk, of 44 tons, old measurement. About 1850 a larger class of vessels was purchased, and as the fisheries of Vinal Haven decreased those of North Haven became more extensive. Soon a number of these vessels were sent regularly to the banks for cod in the spring, after which they fitted for "the Bay" mackerel fishery. By 18G1 sonic of the larger craft were engaged in the mackerel fishery during the entire season, going south in spring and following the fish northward as the season advanced. In 1879 there were twenty vessels, aggregating G30.09 tons, fishing from North Haven. These were valued at $22,G25, and required the services of one hundred and forty-five men. Of the entire fleet six were engaged exclusively in the mackerel fisheries, three of them going south in the spring. Three of the remaining fourteen fished for cod, and the rest were engaged in the shore fisheries for cod, haddock, pollock, hake, mackerel, and herring. During the same year Vina! Haven had twenty vessels aggregating 390.55 tons, engaged in the fisheries during some part of the year. The fleet was valued at $15,550, and carried ninety-eight men. Two of the vessels were engaged in carrying lobsters to the local canneries, and all but two of the remainder fish on the inshore grounds. The boat-fishermen of the island engage chiefly in the capture of lobsters during the spring and early summer, and in a limited fishery for mackerel in midsummer, and for hake in the fall. The lobster fishery, according to Mr. Viual, began about 1851, when J. B. Hamdeu, of Boston, built a cannery at Carver's Harbor. This was operated regularly up to 1859, when it was closed. From that date nothing was done till 1870, when Portland parties bought the property, and have continued the business to the present time. Mr. Mullin informs us that a cannery was built at North Haven in 1857. Each of these canneries puts up both lobsters and mackerel, the two employing a total of sixty-five hands during the height of the season. There are now ISO boat-fishermen living on the islands. About 170 of these are engaged in the lobster fishery from early spring till the 1st of August, some of them continuing the work throughout the entire year. The small lobsters are usually sold to the canneries, and the large ones are carried to Portland, Boston, aud New York by the smacks that come regularly to the region. The men tend about sixty pots each, setting them on almost any of the rocky ledges iu the vicinity of the island. When the mackerel arrive many of the above fishermen, together with a number of farmers and quarrymen, spend a few 52 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. weeks in their capture, after which the laiidsmcu return to their work on shore and the others fish for cod, hake, and haddock till cold weather sets in. A greater part of the fish caught by the small vessels and boats are sold to dealers, or landed at the stand of some professional curer to be prepared for the market. In 1879 there were nine curing stands on the two islands, employing an average of two men each. The quantity of fish cured during the season, including 1,000 quintals handled by the boat-fishermen, was 18,400 quin- tals, the 'greater part being sold in Boston. G. THE WALDOBORO' DISTRICT. 27. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES OF THE DISTRICT. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE FISHERIES. The Waldoboro' customs district, which includes the coast line between Camdeu and Booth Bay, as well as the islands of Matiuicus and Monhegan, is from a historical standpoint one of the most interesting in the United States. It w^s visited by European voyagers as early as 1002, and by 1017 British merchants sent vessels regularly to Mouhegau to engage in the fisheries. It was originally included under the Pemaquid patent, granted by King Charles I to Elbridge and Aldsworth in 1029. According to Williamson, the section lyiug between Sagadahoc and Saint George had a population of 500 as early as 1030; of this number it may fairly be inferred that two-thirds were within the present limits of the Waldoboro district. Nearly all of the early settlers came to the region to engage iu the fisheries, which at that time formed the principal occupation of the people. The district is now quite thickly settled. It includes the cities of Rockland, Thomaston, and Damariscotta, and several small villages. Many of the inhabitants devote their attention to agri- culture, but a majority of those living along the coast are engaged iu the fisheries, while not a few are employed iu ship-building or are dependent upon the coasting trade. THE VESSEL AND BOAT FISHERIES. The fishing vessels of the region have, as a rule, been quite small, and now as in the past, only a few large ones are owned in the district. Those of suitable size are sent to the more important fishing grounds, but the'majority are engaged iu the shore fisheries only. The present fleet numbers 111 sail, these averaging about 22 tons each. The boat-fisheries have long been important, though owing to the menhaden fisheries they have decreased somewhat in certain towns during the last ten or fifteen years. They now furnish employment to 483 men, only one hundred less than the number on the vessels. Of these, 250 are engaged in the capture of lobsters during some portion of the year. The catch for the season reached 1,095,882 pounds, of which quantity 748,182 pounds were put up at the Port Clyde cannery. The remainder of the boat fishermeu are engaged in the capture of cod, herring, mackerel, and other species along the shores of the outer headlands and islands. THE MENHADEN INDUSTRY. The menhaden fisheries of Maine began in a small way more than twenty years ago. In 1804, a factory was built at Bristol near the eastern boundary of the district. Later, the business became very important, and Bristol came to be the center of the industry for the State. In 1878, according to reliable authorities, there were eleven factories at Bristol, valued, with machinery and fixtures, at three-quarters of a million dollars. Twenty-nine steamers with five hundred fishermeu were employed, and two hundred additional hands were engaged iu manipulating the catch. The production of these establishments during the season was MAINE: WALDOBCEO' DISTRICT. 53 1,176,310 gallons of oil, and 12,588 tons of guano. In 1880 no menhaden were taken and all of the factories were necessarily closed. STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOR 1880. The extent of the fishing interests of the district for 1880 will be found in the accompanying statement. Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 575 $ 00 8 075 483 33 542 70 a51 125 Number of factory hands 41 Total 1 1G9 a Other filed and circulating capital. Cash capital, $10, 2CO; wharves, shore-houses, and fixtures, $34,125; factory buildings and apparatus (including $190,800 for menhaden oil and guano factories not in use since 1878), $200,800; total, 251,123. Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, boats, nets, anil Ir Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of pear, exclu- sivcofboats and nets. Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In food-fish fishery : Ill 2 435 79 $80 935 $18 "75 $7 815 $17 11 3 Nets. Gill-nets: Idle 4 33.46 630 650 580 1 79 "0 7 000 7 000 11 211.91 5,800 110 1 7GO 7 G70 10 1 Total 127 2 700. 36 91 385 18 385 7-1 573 1ST 315 Uaul-seiues : g 550 Boats. Total .... 1 187 3 187 "90 7 175 7 173 437 26 95 4 830 1 800 33 5"5 Traps. Weirs 6 480 Fvkes 100 Lobster pota 12 500 375 Total l n GOG 10 355 Detailed statement of the quantities and values of lite products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value as sold. Grand total 22, 970, 515 $2flC, 405 Fresh fish. For food 337, 300 -1 -J'J" 710 000 " 13 550 barrels 160 000 Total 3, 2(17, 300 - 15, 059 Dry fah. foil 530 700 ' ""'7 47" 70 r .4u TI.il;e 5 308 930 " '117 1"0 9 SS 1 411 515 501 7'> Pollock 782 420 302 170 -, 39G CnsU 200 520 11' 224 75G Total H, 374, 103 5, 400, 04 118.G08 54 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. Detailed statement of tlie quantities and values of Hie products Continued. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Balk. Value as sold. Pickled fish. 2 462, 100 1 641 400 8 207 barrels $47 ins Herring: 1 012 750 810 200 4, 051 barrels 1 153 12 000 8 000 200 Total 3, 486, 850 2, 409, 600 12, 298 barrels 59, 543 Smoked fish. Herring i 9,118 6,588 155 Canned fish. 55, 280 38 GG1 cans 4 308 Lobsters. Fresh 947, 700 34 749 748, 182 138 264 cans . . 17 790 Total 1 695 882 52 539 Clams. For food 29 400 2 940 bushels 1 09 For bait 118 580 11 858 bushels S47bairels 4 "35 Total 147 980 5 264 Miscellaneous. Fish-oil 24, 111 gallons 9,644 29 828 26, 845 4,500 Total 40, 989 A description of the past aud present fishery interests of the various towns of the Waldoboro' district may be found in the following pages. 28. ROCKLAND, THOMASTON, AND SAINT GEORGE. ROCKLAND. Up to 1848 Rocklaud was a part of Thomastou. At that time it was set off and incorporated under the name of East Thomastou, and in 1850 the present name was adopted. Its population in 1870 was 7,073. The principal business of the town is the quarrying of limestone for the manufacture of lime. Nearly all of the inhabitants are employed at the kilns and quarries or on the vessels engaged in the transportation of the products. Rocklaud has never been a fishing town and has had very few fishing-vessels sailing from its harbor. The largest fleet at any time has not exceeded ten sail. In 1879 there were four vessels engaged in the fisheries to a greater or less extent, only one of them being constantly employed. Other small vessels were sailing under fishing license, but they fished so little that they should not be considered as dependent upon the fisheries. In 1880 a small steamer, the Hurricane, was fitted out with a purse-seine for menhaden, but not finding any of that species the captain turned his attention to the capture of mackerel. This is the first instance of a steamer being employed extensively in the mackerel fishery, and it is not impossible that this small beginning may result in such a change in the methods of fishing as to completely revolutionize the mackerel fisheries of the country. The boat fisheries of the town are very limited, and scarcely a dozen men follow fishing for a livelihood, though fully fifty fish for mackerel for four or five weeks each summer. The bulk of the catch is sold fresh, though some are salted and sold to the local dealers. Rocklaud is obliged to send to Saint George aud South Thoruaston for a large part of her fresh fish. MAINE: WALDOBORO' DISTRICT. 55 The merchants of the place have a limited trade with the fishing- vessels of the islands, and they fit out fifteen to twenty-live sail each season. The greater part of these belong at Matinicus Island, which is a large fishing center. The merchants also buy many dry fish from these people to supply their country trade. According to Mr. E. F. Cric, there were handled by the four firms engaged in the fish trade at Eockland, in 18SO, about 1,000 quintals of cod, 300 quintals of haddock, 200 quintals of pollock, and 50 quintals of hake, in addition to 700 barrels of mackerel, 250 barrels of pickled herring, and 100 barrels of smoked herring. SOUTH THOMASTON. South TLomaston, about 4 miles below Eocklaud, was set off from Thorn- aston and incorporated in 1848. It has a population of 1,C93, with a small village of two or three hundred inhabitants located on the Weskeag River. It depends largely for its trade upon the sur- rounding country and the quarryinen of Dix and adjoining islands. There is no fishing of impor- tance from the village, a few parties going out occasionally for pleasure during the summer only. Clams are dug in small quantities from the extensive flats in the vicinity. The town gets its supply of fish and clams, mostly through peddlers, from the boat-fishermen of Ash Point and Owl's Head. THOMASTON. Thomaston, at the head of navigation of the Saint George Eiver, 3 miles south- west of Eocklaud, was known as a trading post as early as 1030, and was permanently settled about 1719. It was incorporated as a town in 1777, and up to 1848 included both South Thomastou anil Eocklaud. It has a present population of 3,092. The residents are largely engaged in ship-building, confining themselves almost exclusively to the larger class of ships, brigs, and barks; and it is said more tonnage is owned in Thomaston in proportion to its population than in any other American city. Formerly the people were somewhat interested in the sea-fisheries, having a small fleet engaged regularly in the shore-fisheries; but, owing to the distance from the fishing grounds, this business has gradually died out, and now not n fishing vessel is owned here. Clams abound in the Saint George Eiver, near by, and several hundred barrels are dug each winter by the inhabitants. A number of parties are extensively engaged in the river fisheries, and 15 to 20 tons of smelt, with 10,000 alewives, are taken annually by means of weirs located just below the city. Mackerel and menhaden occasionally ascend the river to this point, but none of the other important salt-water species occur. Some of the inhabitants go to the lower islands in summer for a few days' fishing, but the catch is of little importance. The town is usually supplied with fish by peddlers who drive in from the fishing settlements at Owl's Head and dishing, while a few shore-fishermen of Gushing aud Friendship "run" fresh fish to the market in their boats. SAINT GEOROE. Saint George occupies a peninsula of land 10 miles long by 3 or 4 miles wide, lying just south of Thomastou, between the Saint George Eiver and Peuobscot Bay. It includes two groups of small islands known as George's Islands and the Mussel Eidges. The town was included in the Muscougus patent, and was visited by fishermen and others at a very early date. Williamson, in his History of Maine, says : " In HJoG there were a few settlers at the river Saint George aud upon George's Island within the Muscongus patent, though they were principally fishermen." The town was set off from Gushing aud incorporated in 1803, and has a present population of 2,318. It has four small settlements or post-office centers. These are Tenant's Harbor, Saint George, Martiusville, and Port Clyde. The last-named, formerly known as Herring- gut, is the principal fishing center, while the first is a village of some note with a large fleet of vessels engaged in the coasting trade. As already mentioned, Saint George was formerly a fishing town of considerable importance, and in 1838 there were three firms that did an extensive "fitting" business, aud cured annually about 0,000 quintals of fish. Many were also cured by the fishermen of the town. At that time 56 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. fish are said to Lave been very plenty in the vicinity, and the vessels, which, with few exceptions, were quite small, fished along the shore or in the vicinity of Matinicns Island. About 1845 the business began to decline and the dealers soon removed to other localities, thus compelling the fishermen to cure their own catch or to seek a market elsewhere. During the " war period," or from 1SGO to 1868, on account of the more encouraging prospects, the business was revived, and a fleet of '25 to 30 sail of small schooners were owned in the town, most of them belonging at 4y Herring-gut, which, from its nearness to the fishing ground, has from the first maintained its lead in the fisheries. Gradually, however, the fisheries became less important, and the people, who were already considerably interested in the coasting trade, turned their attention more largely to that business. In 1879 fifteen small schooners were licensed for the fisheries from the various harbors of the town. Of these, only three measured over 20 tons, and some of the smaller ones were engaged largely in other work, fishing only occasionally during the season. There were no professional dealers on the mainland, but one firm located at George's Island did a considerable business, buying large quantities of fish from the fishermen of Friendship, Bristol, Cushing, and other places. About 3,500 quintals of the various species were cured during the season. This quantity includes those dried by the fishermen, as well as those handled by the dealers. The shore-fishermen, numbering about 100, are extensively engaged in the capture of lobsters, selling their catch to the Boston and Portland smacks and to the lobster cannery at Port Clyde. Lobsters are perhaps more abundant in this district than in any other locality east of the Peuob- scot Eiver. The Mussel Eidges-have been continuously fished since 1850, and have probably fur- nished uiore lobsters than any grounds of similar size on this portion of the coast. During the summer months, when mackerel are abundant, many of the fishermen turn their attention to their capture for both pleasure and profit, and a good many barrels are annually taken. Most of them are sold fresh for canning, while a few are salted and shipped to market. Other parties, including ship-builders, sailmakers, blacksmiths, and ice dealers, were formerly dependent on the fisheries, to a considerable extent, but the business is now of little importance, and they are turning their attention to the trade with vessels engaged in coasting. 29. MATINICUS ISLAND AND ITS FISHERIES. EARLY SETTLEMENT OF THE ISLAND. Matiuicus is an important island, situated 17 miles southeast of Owl's Head. It is the largest of several rocky islands which together constitute Matiuicus Plantation. It contains about 800 acres of excellent land, and has a population, iur.ludiug those of Eagged Island, of 250, devoted exclusively to fishing and farming. This island, on account of its early settlement, is of considerable historic interest. Williamson in his History of Maine, published in 1832, says: "The island of Matiuicus was inhabited very early, and 'remains of stone houses are still apparent, generally supposed to have been built by French or Dutch fish- ermen,' though unknown." He also adds that "there are about 100 souls on the island, in sixteen families," saying of them: "They are a very industrious, humane, and moral people; the men are engaged mostly in fishing and farming; they own six fishing crafts from 10 to 50 tons each, and raise annually about 400 bushels of wheat and abundance of vegetables; living together in pros- perity, quietude, and happiness, without law and without rulers." THE IIEREING- FISHERY. We learn from the inhabitants that as early as 1800 Matiuicus vessels were engaged in the Bay of Fuudy cod fisheries. The island has been a favorite resort for the herring for many years, and by 1S40 there were seven smoke-houses, where 10,000 MAINE: WALDOBOEO' DISTRICT. 57 boxes of these fish were cured annually for the Boston market. This trade seems to have grad- ually died out, until at present there is but one smoke-honse, curing iu 1878 about 2,700 boxes. Herring are still quite plenty during the summer months, when many of the vessels of Cape Ann and Portland come regularly to the region to procure fresh bait. In addition to the resident fishermen, many of the smaller fishing vessels from the adjoining towns are provided with nets, and their crews often engage extensively iu the herring fisheries when the fish are abundant. They not only catch bait for themselves, but sell large quantities to the vessels that come only to purchase. The herring fisheries of Matiuicus yielded during the summer of 1879 about 1,870 barrels, these being used almost wholly for bait. Hani-seines were first used at the island for the capture of mackerel in 1840, and they have been employed to a limited extent in this fishery to the present time. Purse-seiues were first introduced iu 1870. Trawls were frequently used as early as 1866, and are now almost universally adopted. The lobster fisheries were inaugurated in 1867, and from that time the shore fishermen have taken them iu considerable numbers. THE BOAT AND VESSEL FISHERIES. About forty of the residents engage in the shore fish- eries to a considerable extent, some of them spending a part of their time in farming. On account of the location, many of the fishermen on the mainland camp on the island during the summer mouths that they may be convenient to the fishing grounds, which they visit in small open boats during pleasant weather. Some of them fish for any species that happens to be abundant, while others devote themselves exclusively to some particular fishery. The vessel fleet, which numbers eleven sail, aggregates -48.51 tons, and is valued at $10,250. The quantity of fish cured on the island in 1879, including the catch of the boat fishermen, was about 3,600 quintals. With a good harbor Matinicns might develop a large fishing business, but there is little shelter for the vessels, and to guard against serious loss great care must be taken in mooring them. During a gale in 1841 nine were driven ashore, where they became a total loss. After the fishing season is over most of the fleet are now taken to Carver's Harbor for the winter. BOAT-BUILDING. During their leisure hours in winter many of the fishermen give their attention to boat-building. They build a peculiar style of boat that has won for itself an enviable reputation on account of its seaworthiness and its sailing qualities. They are sloop-rigged, 'open boats, of large size, and fine appearance, suitable for the prosecution of the winter fisheries in the vicinity of the various harbors. Since 1867 upwards of one hundred and fifty of these boats and twenty dories have been built on the island. 30. CUSHIXG, FRIENDSHIP, WALDOBORO', AND BREMEN. GUSHING. dishing, a small farming district lying on the west bank of the Saint George River between Thomaston and Friendship, was incorporated as a town in 1789, at which time it included Saint George. Its population, numbering 704, are interested chiefly in agricultural pursuits. Owing to its location it has been interested in the fisheries from its first settlement, but the industry has been of little importance, as it has been chiefly confined to a class of semi-professional farmers who fished only during the height of the season, and few have followed fishing exclusively. Several traps or pounds arc employed by people of the town for taking alewives as they ascend the Saint George River in spring, and three or four smelt-weirs are located along the shore, the catch being mostly sent to New York. The shore boat fishermen, eight iu all, are engaged in fishing and lobsteriug; most of the catch being sold fresh to peddlers who carry them into the 58 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. country. Aside from tbese a few farmers go out occasionally, retaiuiug tbo bulk of tbeir catch for tbeir own use. Tbere are seventeen small fishing vessels belonging in dishing; seven of these are lobster smacks "running" to Boston and Portland, while the others are engaged in "dragging" and "hooking" mackerel, netting herring, and trawling for cod, hake, and other species. FRIENDSHIP; GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF TILE TOWN AND ITS FISHERIES. The town of Friendship, which includes a number of the adjoining islands, was formerly known as Meduncook. It is located just west of Gushing at the southern extremity of the peninsula formed by the Medo- mak and Saint George Rivers. It was first settled in 1775, and was incorporated as a town in 1807. In 1870 it bad a population of 800 scattered about tbe town or living in the small village half a mile from the principal harbor. From the first many of the people of Friendship have been dependent upon the fisheries. They have engaged extensively in the shore fisheries, and have had p. considerable number of small vessels employed in the capture of the different species. Almost no large vessels have been owned in the town, and few of the fleet have ever ventured beyond the Bay of Fuudy. MACKEREL DRAGGING. About 1808 the method of "dragging" for mackerel was iutioduced into the region from Mouhegan Island, where it was employed by the Cape Cod fishermen as early as 1S45. Within a few years of its first introduction nearly every vessel was provided with nets for mackerel fishing. Some of them devoted their attention to this work during the entire season, while others fished for cod till late in June, when the mackerel usually became abundant along this portion of the coast. They then laid aside their trawls and turned their attention to the cap- ture of mackerel, following the fish as far south as Cape Cod in the fall. Up to 1877 they met with remarkable success, but from that date, owing partially to the smaller size of the fish and thier comparative scarcity, many of them failed to pay expenses and were compelled to abandon the work, and in 1870 only one was employed in this way. THE VESSEL-FISHERIES IN 1870. In 1879 there were thirty-four vessels owin-d in the town, aggregating G88.SG tons, and valued at $22,375. These furnish employment to one hundred and twenty-three men. The largest of the fleet measures but 45 tons, while the majority are under 20 tons, many of them being old and comparatively worthless. Of the entire fleet five vessels are engaged in the lobster-carrying trade, and one fishes on the Western Banks; the remainder are engaged in the shore fisheries. A greater part of the fleet " fit out" fur the herring fisheries in the vicinity of Wood Island in the fall, and some of the crews succeed in catching large quantities, which they sell to the Portland and Booth Bay dealers. FISH CURING. A number of the Friendship farmers make a business of curing fish at a cer- tain percentage of their value. The schooners usually take their fish directly to these persons and have them cured, after which they are sent by vessels to Portland and Boston. Including those salted and dried by the boat fishermen, fully 8,000 quintals were cured in Friendship during 1879. THE BOAT-FISHERIES. On account of the distance from the fishing grounds, the boat-fisher- men have been obliged to build large sloop-rigged boats which arc provided with small cuddies. These are known as lobster boats, and, although too small to "paper," they are sufficiently sea- worthy to warrant the fishermen in venturing a considerable distance from the shore. In fact, during pleasant weather, they ofren remain away nearly a week at a time, though they always return to some convenient harbor at the approach of a storm. Most of the catch is "sold from the knife" to the curers at New Harbor, Brown's Co\ - e, and other places. Much of the bait used by these parties is taken from a weir owned by several of the local fishermen. The boats already described are admirably adapted to the winter lobster fisheries, and after the fishing season is over, many of the men devote their time exclusively to the capture of ihis MAINE: WALDOBOEO' DISTRICT. 59 species. On account of the scarcity of lobsters in market at this season, the price advances, and the catch is readily sold at a good figure to the smacktnen who run regularly between Friendship and Portland. Clams are i'airly abundant in the numerous mud-flats, and many are dug for bait by the local fishermen, while a few are shelled and salted to be sold to the Bremen vessels engaged in the bank fisheries. BOAT AND VESSEL BUILDING. As early as 1830 Friendship parties became interested in ship- building, and from that date to the present time fourteen fishing-vessels have been built. Some of these were sent to other localities, but the majority have been purchased by the Friendship fish- ermen. A number of the fishermen spend their leisure hours, in winter, in building boats and dories; and, during the last 15 years, twenty-five to thirty lobster-boats and upwards of one hundred and fifty dories have been built by them. WALDOBORO'. Waldoboro' township is located about sixteen miles southwest of Eocklaud. It has a population of 4,140. This region, which was first settled iu 1748 by German emigrants, has important agricultural interests but small fisheries. The principal settlement is a village of several hundred inhabitants at the head of navigation of the Medomak River. The chief business of the place is ship building and milling, though several traders depend upon the fine agricultural neigh- borhood for a large business. Ship-building was formerly extensive, and on one occasion fifteen ships and barks were on the stocks at once. Of late, however, the industry has declined, and in 1879 only two vessels were built. Thirty years ago twenty-five or thirty small boats from Bremen and Bristol came regularly to the village for a market, exchanging their fish for vegetables and produce brought in by the farmers; but of late there are few transactions of this kind. There have never been any vessels from the village engaged in the fisheries, though we find two or three small schooners hailing from Waldoboro' that are owned and run by parties living a few miles down the river. Six ineii from the village engage in the boat-fisheries in summer, selling their catch mostly to the curers at Round Pond and New Harbor. On visiting their homes, which they do once in eight or ten days, they usually take a quantity of fish for the markets, of which there are three in the village. The principal fishing interest of Waldoboro' is the smelt-fishery, which is carried on through the ice in winter. This began in the winter of 187C-'77, when it was accidentally found that smelt could be taken in that locality. The fishery developed with surprising rapidity, for within three weeks after the first smelts were taken over a hundred people were making a business of catching them. In the winter of 187S-'79, 103 shanties with about 225 people (men and boys) were on the ice daily during the height of the season. Some ship their fish direct to New York, others pack together and ship in larger quantities, and still others (perhaps one-half of all) sell to local dealers. Mr. G. H. Matthews estimates that during the winter of 1878-'79 not far from 1C tons were shipped. They go wholly to New York and Boston, netting the fishermen about 5 cents per pound. The best fishing is said to be on the last half of the flood-tide, though it sometimes lasts well into the ebb. The largest catch for one person during any one tide was 45 pounds, equal to about 200 fish, while the average was 15 to 20 pounds per man. After the ice went out iu the spring, some went to the shoal water near the falls and secured great quantities of the spawning smelt with dip-nets, but on account of the warm weather they could not be shipped and most of them were thrown away. One party reported his catch at 30 bushels iu a single day. The law now forbids this kind of fishing. Fishways have been built over the different dams in the vicinity, and iu 1874 laws were enacted 60 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. forbidding the capture of alewives for six years. Assisted aiid protected in this way the fish have grown to be very abundant. BREMEN. Bremen, a small town with a scattered population of 790, is located on the west side of the Medoinak, between Bristol and Waldoboro'. It was first settled in 1735, and was a part of Bristol until 1828. There is no village of importance, and it even lacks the advantages of a country post-office. The fishing interests seem to have been small in early times, but they gradually increased, reaching their maximum between 1865 and 1872, when six large vessels went regularly to Western Banks and Quereau, and nice or ten smaller ones engaged in the shore-fisheries. The first "banker" was sent from the town about 1860; vessels began going south for mackerel in the spring of 1868; and one vessel went on a halibut-netching trip in 1S69. The only mackerel seining from this vicinity is by small vessels that fish along the coast of Maine. The present fleet consists of ten vessels, four of these being engaged in the bank-fisheries. Besides the vessel-fleet, about forty small boats are engaged in the shore-fisheries, taking lobsters, mackerel, cod, and other species. The residents dig several hundred barrels of clam-bait each season for the Bremen and Portland bankers. About 7,000 quintals of fish are cured annually in the town. For a number of years several parties have been more or less interested in boat-building, and since 1865 about eighty lobster-boats and thirty dories have been built. 31. BRISTOL AND ITS FISHERY INTERESTS. EARLY SETTLEMENT OF BRISTOL. Bristol township including within its limits Peinaquid, one of the oldest settlements on the coast, belonged to the Pemaquid patent granted to Elbridge and Aldsworth of Bristol, England, in 1629. It was visited by Gosnold in 1602, and settled as early as 1625, under a title from the Indian chief Samoset "probably the first Indian deed to a white man." In the fifth volume of the Maine Historical Collections we read that "in 1607 Popham and Gil- bert had not been at anchor near Pemaquid two hours when they were visited by a party of savages in a Spanish shallop"; thus showing that the place had been visited earlier by Spaniards, who doubt- less came not only on a voyage of discovery, but also to fish in the vicinity. Williamson, in his History of Maine, gives a table of populations of different portions of the coast for 1630, in which he claims 500 inhabitants for Sagadahock, Sheepscott, Pemaquid, Saint George, and George's Islands. He does not give the number for each place separately. The town was incorporated in 1765, and in 1700 had a population of 896, at which time it included the present town of Bremen. It now has 2,916 inhabitants. It is situated a few miles south of Waldoboro', and occupies most of the large neck of land lying between the Damariscotta River on the west and the Medomak River and Museougus Sound on the east. The peninsula is divided in its lower half by John's Bay and' River, and the larger part is again partially subdivided by the Pemaquid River, thus giving it an extensive shore-line in the near vicinity of the fishing grounds. THE VESSEL- FISHERIES. Bristol has long been noted for the number of its small vessels and the interest it has taken in the shore-fisheries. As early as 1830, twenty-five vessels were owned there, three or four of them being large enough to visit the Gulf of Saint Lawrence for cod, while the rest, ranging from 5 to 25 tons, were engaged in the shore-fisheries. In 1846 the first vessel was sent to Grand Banks; in 1854 the Western Bank fisheries were inaugurated; dories were first used by the Bristol vessels engaged in the latter fishery in 1868. The fishermen of the MAINE: WALDOBORO' DISTRICT. 61 town Lave never engaged in cither the Labrador or George's cod fisheries, or in the bank halibut fisheries ; they have sent no vessels south for mackerel, and have iised purse seines only to a limited extent. The fleet at present numbers thirty-three sail, all but nine being under 25 tons. Two fish on Qnereau and Western Banks, one visits Cape Sable and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, while the remaining thirty are interested in shore trawling, herring netting, and mackerel dragging. THE BOAT-FISHERIES. One hundred and ten men are employed in the boat-fisheries from Bristol, and twenty others are engaged in lobsteriug and clamming for three or four mouths. Several fish-dealers do a large business, buying extensively from the boats and vessels of the region ; and parties at South Bristol have a number of vessels engaged in the offshore cod fisheries. If we include the quantity dried for family use, there were not less than 14,700 quintals of fish cured in the town in 1879. THE MENHADEN INDUSTRY. During the past fifteen years the menhaden fisheries of Maine have grown to enormous proportions, and Bristol has come to be the center of the fishery for the entire State. This industry has had a decided influence in reducing the value of the boat-fisheries of the town, which are now far less important than they were ten to twenty years ago. The first oil and guano factory was built here in 1804, and in 1878 the number had increased to eleven factories, valued, with machinery and fixtures, at 8750,000. Twenty-nine steamers were engaged in the fishery, and five hundred fishermen with two hundred additional factory hands were employed. According to Mr. Luther Maddocks, secretary of the Maine Oil and Guano Association, these facto- ries produced 1,176,310 gallons of oil and 12,588 tons of crude guano from 431,000 barrels of fish; and in addition sold 8,000 barrels of bait to the fishermen of the coast. Since 1878, owing to the absence of the fish, the factories have not been in operation. OTHER FISHERY INTERESTS. Bristol has four or five deep-water traps, in which considerable bait is taken for the shore-fishermen ; and there are several small weirs in the rivers for the capture of alewives and smelts. The catch is of little importance, the greater part being used locally. Lobsters are abundant in the shore waters, and many are taken at certain seasons, the winter lobster fisheries being quite important. Clams also are quite plenty, and a good many are dug by the fishermen of John's Bay and John's River; but in other localities little attention is paid to them. BOAT AND VESSEL BUILDING. Capitalists of Bristol have been extensively engaged in ship- building for many years, and since 1853 sixty-three fishing vessels and ten menhaden steamers have been built in the town. The ship-yards are mostly at South Bristol, and a majority of the business has been done at that village. The town probably ranks second only to Boothbay for the entire State in this particular industry. Several firms are extensively engaged in boat-building, and quite a number of dories and other boats are built yearly for the fishermen of this and adjoining towns. One party has been employed in this work regularly for eighteen years, and has built as high as twenty boats in a single season. MUSCONGUS ISLAND. Muscongus Island, locally known as Loud's Island, is so closely con- nected with Bristol in its fishing interests as to be properly considered with that town. It is about three miles long by half to three-fourths of a mile wide. It lies a little to the eastward of the town of Bristol and has a population of 142, engaged in farming and fishing. Several small fishing vessels have been owned there from time to time, but at present the largest are mere boats, all being too small to '-paper". The boat fishermen engage in lobsteriug, trawling, and hand-lining during a greater part of the year, selling their catch of fish mostly to dealers at Round Pond and 02 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. New Harbor in the town of Bristol. The principal business connected with the fisheries was, up to 1879, at the menhaden oil and guano factory known as the Loud's Island Oil Works, built on the island in 1873. 32. MONHEGAN ISLAND AND ITS FISHERIES. REVIEW OF MONHEGAN AND ITS FISHERIES FROM ITS EARLIEST SETTLEMENT. The island of Monhegan, lying 12 miles southeast of Pemaquid Point, is about 1 mile wide by 2J miles long. It is historically one of the most interesting localities in the State, and the early voyagers in their descriptions of the country refer to it as bearing an important relation to the early fisheries of America. Being situated at so short a distance from the land, with excellent fishing grounds on every side, it is natural that it should be a favorite resort for the Europeans who came both to ca( eh fish and to exchange trinkets and merchandise with the natives for furs. Capt. John Smith, in his description of New England, gives the following account of an early visit to this island : "In the month of Apiil, 1014, with 2 ships from London, of a few merchants, I chanced to arrive in New England, a part of America, at the Isle of Monahiggan, in forty-three and a half of northerly latitude. Our plot was there to take whales and make trials of a mine of gold and copper. If this failed, fish and furs was then our refuge, to make ourselves savers howsoever. We found this whale- fishing a costly conclusion. We saw many, and spent much time in chasing them ; but could not kill any, they being a kind of jubartes, and not the whale that yields fins and oil, as we expected. For our gold, it was rather the master's device to get a voyage that projected it than any knowledge he had at all of any such matter. Fish and furs was now our guard; and by our late arrival and long lingering about the whale, the prime of both those seasons were past ere we perceived it; we thinking that their seasons served at all times, but we found it otherwise; for, by the midst of June the fishing failed. Yet in July and August some were taken, but not sufficient to defray so great a charge as our stay required. Of dry fish we made about 40,000, of corfish cabout 7,000. Whilst the sailors fished, myself, with eight or nine others of them might best be spared, ranging the coast in a small boat, we got for trifles near 1,100 beaver skins, 100 martens, and near as many otters;, and the most of them within a distance of twenty leagues. We ranged the coast botli east and west much further; but eastwards our commodities were not esteemed, they were so near the French who afford them better; and right against us in the main was a ship of Sir Francis Popham's, that had there such acquaintance, having many years used only that port, that the most part there was had by him. And forty leagues westward were two French ships, that had made there a great voyage by trade, during the time we tried those conclusions, not knowing the coast nor salvages' habitation. With these furs, the train and corfish, I returned for England in the barque; where, within six months after our departure from the Downs, we arrived safe back. The best of these fish was sold for five pound the hundredth, the rest by ill-usage betwixt three pound and fifty shillings. The other ship stayed here to fit herself for Spain with the dry fish, which was sold, by the sailor's report that returned, at forty rials the quintal, each hundred weighing two quintals, and a half.''* Mr. Lorenzo Sabine, in his Report on the Principal Fisheries of the American Seas, says: "At the time the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth the island of Mouhegan, in Maine, had become a noted fishing station. In 1C22 no less than thirty-five ships from London and the west counties of England made profitable voyages to our shores. 'Where, in Newfoundland,' says Smith, 'a common fish- erman shared six or seven pounds,' in New England he 'shared fourteen pounds.'" * Col. Mass. Hist. Soc., vol. VI, 3d series, pp. 103, 104. MAINE: WALDOBORO' DISTRICT. 63 W. D. Williamson, who wrote iu 1832, gave the following account of Monhegan : " Mouhegan Island was iu ancieut times, without exception, the most famous one on the sea- board of this State. It was the land aimed at and first mentioned by the original voyagers and fishermen about these waters, and was so noted a stage for the latter as to be sometimes called a plantation. To this the New Plymouth settlers resorted early and frequently to exchange furs for provisions. In 1G2G Abraham Shurte was sent over by Elbridge and Aldsworth to purchase the island of the owner, Abraham Jennings, of Plymouth, for which he gave 50. It is situated 9 miles southerly of George's Islands, 5 leagues east-southeast of Towusend, and 3 leagues westwardly of Metinic. It contains upward of a thousand acres of good laud, has a bold shore on all its sides, a large projection of rocks at its northeastward part, and has one good harbor. On its south side is the Meuauah Island, of two acres, distant a cable's length, and the harbor is between the two islands, the entrance into it, on the southwest of Monhegan, being safe and easy. "The number of people on the island is between seventy-five and one hundred, who inhabit twelve or fourteen dwelling-houses, and are the owners of the soil, industrious, moral, and well informed. They have a school-house, where their children are educated and religions meetings are attended. Fishing and agriculture are the employments of the men. They own several vessels, and while the more able-bodied arc engaged in the former business at home and in the codfishery on the Grand Banks, the old men and boys cultivate the laud, raising good crops, keeping cows, swine, and sheep. "The island, though within the county of Lincoln, belongs to no town. It is a democratic com- munity. It has uo officers of any kind, not even a justice of the peace. The people's affairs arc goveiued and guided by themselves conformably to certain prudential rules and usages which they have mutually established. They have paid one United States direct tax, otherwise they are stran- gers to taxation, except what they pay toward the support of their school."* THE FISHERIES SINCE 1820 From a conversation with Mr. Henry T. Studley, one of the oldest fishermen of the islaud, Captain Collins gathered the following information relative to the more recent fishing interests of Monhegan : As early as 1820 residents of the island commenced building small vessels for use iu the fish- eries. This business continued till 1837, since which time little has been done. The two principal builders were Henry Trefetheu and Josiah Sterling, these building eighteen vessels, aggregating about 523 tons. Some of the larger vessels built by these parties were engaged in the Grand Bank cod fisheries, while others went to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence for cod and mackerel. Mr Studley estimates that from 1830 to 1840 eight vessels were engaged regularly in the bank fisheries, and that 9,000 quintals of fish were cured yearly on the island. From this time the bank fisheries declined very rapidly, and were soon wholly discontinued. The method of "dragging" for mackerel, which has been so extensively employed by the fishermen of the island, was first introduced into the locality by Capt. N. E. Atwood, of Prov- iucetown. In the summer of 1845 he, iu company with a brother, came to the island with a "gang" of nets and fished from dories, going out from the shore every night wheu the weather was suitable. In speaking of his work, he says: "We were gone from home four weeks, and made $90 to a share." Other Cape Cod fishermen joined him the following season, and soon the island fishermen provided themselves with nets and took part in the fishery. In 1859 there were seventeen boats, with two men each, engaged in mackerel dragging from the island. In 1SC2 four purse-seines were bought by the residents and fished from small boats. This method has been fairly successful, and three seines are still owned by the Moiihegau fishermen, who use them dur- * Williamson's History of Maiue, vol. I, p. 61. 64 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. ing the height of the mackerel seasou. In 1868 some of the fishermen from other towns in the vicinity engaged in mackerel dragging more extensively, using small vessels and going further from the shore. About the same time a few small vessels were bought for this purpose by the islanders, who found the business a profitable one. PRESENT CONDITION OF THE BOAT-FISHERIES. With the exception of the early Grand Bank fisheries, boat-fishing has been the chief occupation of the people. Mr. Studley places the height of this business in 1864, when $35,000 worth of fish were taken by fifty men, the "high- liner" stocking 61,600. Few, if any, lobsters were taken prior to 1876, and now only eight men are engaged in this fishery. The catch is sold largely to the Portland and Boston smacks. There are now about 150 inhabitants on the island. In 1879 forty-two men and eight boys engaged in the boat-fisheries, while several others fished from the two small schooners that com- posed the Mouhegan vessel fleet. The quantity of fish cured was 3,460 quintals, the greater part of which were sold in Portland. 33. DAMARISCOTTA AND ADJOINING TOWNS. DAMARISCOTTA. Damariscotta is situated at the head of navigation on the Damariscotta River, about 15 miles from ils mouth. Originally a part of the Pemaquid patent, it was separated from Bristol and Nobleborough arid incorporated in 1847. Its present population is 1,332. The principal village, bearing the same name, is situated on the river two miles below the head of tide- water. It has long been engaged in ship-building, the work being confined chiefly to vessels of large size, and only five fishing vessels and four menhaden steamers have been built during the past twenty years. The town has never been engaged to any extent in the sea fisheries, and though small parts of several menhaden steamers are owned by the residents, neither steamers nor schooners make their headquarters in Damariscotta, and they may be properly considered as belonging to other localities. The fish dealers get their supply of fresh and salt fish at the mouth of the river in summer, but in winter all of the fresh fish are shipped by rail from Portland and Gloucester. Quite a number of farmers and mechanics visit the fishing grounds once or twice each sea- son, combining pleasure and profit. They usually catch and salt enough fish to supply their families during the greater part of the year. In addition, some of the inhabitants of the place engage extensively in the winter smelt fisheries of Broad Bay, near Damariscotta Mills, sending their catch to New York and Boston. DAMARISCOTTA MILLS. Damariscotta Mills is a village of 200 inhabitants at the head of tide-water on the Damariscotta River, two miles above the city. It is located on the stream that connects Damariscotta pond with the river. This pond a sheet of fresh water twelve miles long- by one-fourth to one and a half miles wide has long been a favorite breeding place for the alewives. During their spring migrations great quantities are caught by means of dip-nets, one man frequently dipping 2,000, and occasionally as many as 10,000 fish in an hour. In 1879 it is estimated that about 600,000 fish were taken, the town letting the fishing privilege for $2,000. There is a very extensive smelt fishery in the bay just below the village. Mr. T. J. York informs us that about 25 tons are taken yearly, four-fifths of them being shipped to New York and Boston for a market. Eels are also taken from their winter quarters in the mud by means of spears. The above are the only fisheries of note from the place, as it is too far from the fishing or clam- ming grounds to admit of a profitable business. Occasionally some of the farmers and mechanics MAINE: WALDOBORO' DISTRICT. 65 of the vicinity, iu common with those of Dainariscotta and New Castle, go down the river on a fishing trip during the summer, but the catch is unimportant. NOBLEBORO'. Nobleboro' is an agricultural section lying to the north of Damariscotta. It has a small interest in the smelt and alewive fisheries iu common with the people of Damariscotta Mills. Aside from this it has no fishery interests, for the town, which is devoted almost exclusively to agricultural pursuits, is 20 miles from the sea, with only fresh water within its boundaries. It is not uncommon for some of the residents to visit the fishing grounds at intervals during the summer months to catch a supply of cod and hake for their own tables. H. THE WISCASSET DISTRICT. 34. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES OF THE DISTRICT. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE FISHERIES. The Wiscasset customs district, extending from Damariscotta River to Georgetown, was settled as early as 1C30 by families who came to the region to engage in the fisheries. The first residents located iu the vicinity of Booth Bay. We know little of the fishing interests of the district prior to 1800, but at this time a fleet of small vessels was seat to the Bay of Fundy and to Cape Sable for cod, while vessels of similar size were engaged iu the shore fisheries along the coast of Maine. By 1817 large schooners were built to engage iu the Labrador fisheries. Between 1840 and 1845 ten to twelve sail of vessels were sent annually to Labrador, and the fishery was continued to a comparatively recent date, though it is now entirely abandoned. Considerable attention has been paid to the capture of mackerel from the beginning of the century, and by 1825 jigs were introduced. In 1837 several vessels were sent to the Bay of Chaleur for mackerel, this locality having since been visited regularly by a large fleet. The first purse seine used by the fishermen of Maine for the capture of mackerel was brought to Dainariscove in I860, and in 1801 it was taken to Southport, where it was used by the boat- fishermen for one or two seasons, after which it was manipulated by the crew of a small schooner. No vessels were interested in the Southern mackerel fishery off the coasts of Virginia and New Jersey prior to 1867. THE HERRING AND MENHADEN FISHERIES. The herring fishery in the vicinity of South port was formerly quite important, and a number of small craft from different localities came to the region to secure cargoes. A large part of the catch was smoked and many of the fishermen owned small smoke-houses for preparing their fish. By 1830 vessels were sent to the Magdalen Islands to catch or purchase herring which were to be smoked for the West India trade. This business continued to be important up to 1855, and cargoes have been lauded from time to time since that date. Six menhaden oil and guano factories are located in the town of Booth Bay. The first was built in I860, and the fishery was prosecuted with much vigor up to the spring of 1879, Booth Bay having, next to Bristol, the most extensive menhaden fisheries in the State. SHIP-BUILDING. Nearly all of the towns of the district have been more or less interested in .ship-building, and not less than three hundred fishing vessels have been launched during the last fifty years. The ship-builders of East Booth Bay at the mouth of the Damariscotta River have built 5 G R F G6 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. fully half of the entire number, while those of Booth Bay proper, North Booth Bay, and Westport, have been extensively engaged iii the work. PRESENT CONDITION OF THE BOAT AND VESSEL FISHERIES. The fishing fleet at present numbers sixty-three sail, sixty of them being actively employed. Nearly half of the fleet are engaged in the shore fisheries, the remainder being employed in the offshore fisheries for cod and mackerel. There are in the district cue hundred and forty-six boat-fishermen. These spend a greater part of their time in the capture of "ground-fish," though some of them are extensively interested in the lobster fishery, which is fairly important. STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOR 1880. The following table gives u detailed statement of the fishing interests of the district: Summary statement of persons employed and etijiital invested. Persons employed. X umber. Capital invested. Amount. H r of vessel-fishermen Xuiubi r of boat-fislnTriHii Number of rurrrs. packers, fitters, i Number ( f factory-bands Tut.il SGI Capital in vessels and boats $227,020 14G Capital in neta and traps 23, 5SG 87 Other fixed and circulating capital | a 159, 237 Total ... 410,443 821 a Other j'.xcd and circulating capital. Cash capital. $28,000; wharves, shore-houses, and fixtures, $39,100; factory buildings and apparatus, $92.137 (of this amount $S?,367 is for menhaden oil and guano factories not used since 1878); total, $159,237. Detailed statement of capital invested in ret-mls, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, exelu Val sive of boats on and nets. le of Total fit. value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In food-fish fishery : CO 2 1 2, 461. 67 152. 98 35.95 $S7, 27 j 4,900 2,500 $15, 795 $97 , 385 $200. 455 4 900 Kcis. Gill-Bets : In vessel fisheries. . . In boat fisheries Purse-seines: In vessel fisheries ... Haul-seines : In boat fishei ies Total 51 125 30 $815 1,500 16,500 250 Idle In menhaden fishery Total 500 G3 2, C50. 80 94, C75 15, 795 97 , 385 207, 855 Boats. 409 11,750 11 750 208 19, OK, 128 1,460 700 8, 015 Traps. Total "' *"" 20 5,895 100 4, 421 550 17, G05 1,40.1 7n,i 19,705 Total 5,915 4,521 Detailed statement of the quantities and rallies of tlie products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value as sold. Grand total 17,111 OGG $261 685 Fresh fish. IDS COO 040 59 000 OOQ For fertilizer .. ICO COO "50 Total 890 000 5 110 Dryfiih. Cod .. 7 46-> 315 ' .vri r:; 1 SO, 3G3 Hake 1 731 510 718 256 9 G"0 337 995 1 9 176 2, 414 Pollock '85 070 110 096 1,000 Cask 31G GSO 136 410 3,349 Total 10 133 580 3 656 570 97,712 MAINE: WISCASSET DISTRICT. Detailed statement of tlie quaii/ities and raluts of the 2>rodncls Continued. 67 Products specified. Pounds, Pounds, fresh. prepared. Bulk. Value as sold. Pickled fish. 4, 9C9, 500 3, 313, 000 1C, 5Ci> barrels . $95 49 Herring: 000 10 000 3 000 000 Total 4 99 500 3 331 000 Smoked fish. Herring: 18 824 13 COO Canned fish. ^00 000 17 3'M Lobsters. 48 800 3G7 342 68 988 cans 8 89G Total 700 Total . . . 80 60 2 873 Miscellaneous. Fisli-oil G 530 9 60 3 000 Total IS 188 35. NEW CASTLE AND EDGECOMB. NEW CASTLE. New Castle is practically a part of Damariscotta, though it is on the opposite side of the river and has a separate municipal government. The residents of the village, like those of Damariscotta, engage to a greater or less extent in the smelt and eel fisheries of Damariscotta Mills during the winter months. Two or three " hedges" have been placed in the river for the capture- of alewives on their way to the spawning grounds, but these are fished to a limited extent only, and the catch is very small. The supply offish is obtained largely from the towns at the moutli of the river in summer, and from Portland, Boston, and Gloucester in winter. EDGECOMB. The town of Edgecomb, lying just north of Booth Bay, extends from the Shcep- scott River on the west to the Damariscotta on the east. It has a population of 1,050, the majority being engaged in agriculture. Two small fishing boats are owned in the town. These visit the fishing grounds occasionally during the summer months and return with small fares of cod, hake, and mackerel, which are peddled among the residents of the region, since there are neither fish markets nor curing-stands in the town. A few of the inhabitants of the lower part of the town lobster and clam to a limited extent, and a number of small weirs have been built along the banks of both rivers for the capture of smelt and alewives, but the catch is so small that it may be wholly neglected. 30. BOOTH BAY AND ITS FISHERIES. EAST BOOTH BAY. East Booth Bay, locally known as Iloclgdou's Mills, is a little village in (lie eastern part of the town of Booth Bay, at the mouth of the Damariscotta River. It has a fleet of nine vessels. Eight of these are engaged in the shore and Bay of Fundy fisheries and one visits 68 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. the Western Banks in early summer and fishes for mackerel later in the season. Twenty-five residents of the village and adjoining shores are engaged in the boat-fisheries. The principal part of their catch consists of cod, hake, mackerel, and lobsters. The quantity of fish cured annually at East Booth Bay varies greatly. At the present time it is about 3,500 quintals. Most of the menhaden factories are situated in this part of the town. The village has long been noted for the number and quality of the fishing vessels launched from its ship yards, and they are now found in all the principal fishing towns from Cape Cod to Eastport. Over one hundred and fifty sail have been built within the past fifty years, some of them being among the staunchest and swiftest on the coast. The subject is treated more fully under the Booth- Bay fisheries. BOOTH BAY AND ITS EARLY FISHERIES. The town of Booth Bay occupies the southern portion of tin 1 peninsula formed by the Sheepscott and Damariscotta Rivers. It was first settled about 1G30, and was known as Cape Newagen for many years. Later the name was changed to Towns- hcud, and in 1842 it was again changed to Booth Bay, the first name being reserved for the extreme southern point of the island of Southport and the second for the principal harbor of the town. It was incorporated in 17G4, and at the present time includes the post-office districts of Booth Bay, North Booth Bay, and East Booth Bay, with a total of 3,200 inhabitants. The location is an excellent one for the prosecution of the sea-fisheries, and fishing has been the principal occupation of a large number of the inhabitants from the time of the earliest settle- ment. We find no records dating back of the present century, but in 1800 the fleet was composed almost exclusively of small craft fishing along the shore or visiting the grounds in the vicinity of Cape Sable. The fleet continued to increase slowly, reaching its maximum shortly after the close of the rebellion. The Labrador fisheries were prosecuted from this region as early as 1817, when the schooner Ruby was sent out from North Booth Bay. This fishery continued to be followed quite regularly by a few vessels from this and other ports of the town for some time. It reached its height about 1844, when the fleet numbered eight or ten sail. Six years later it was entirely discontinued. The smallest craft that ventured to these distant grounds was the schooner Frederick, of 45 tons, car- penter's measurement, belonging at East Booth Bay. The fishermen of the town have been largely interested in the mackerel fisheries for upward of seventy-five years. Jigs were introduced from the westward by 1825. The first bait-mill was bought before 1830. Seines were first used about 1805; and the first vessels were sent South to engage in the spring mackerel fisheries in 1807. During the early days the mackerel were sent to Boston, Gloucester, and Portland for inspection ; later they were landed at Southport j and it was not until 1804 that Booth Bay firms became interested in packing and inspecting their own catch. Since that time the business has been quite important. Trawls were first introduced in 1858, when the schooner Albatross fitted out with them for a trip to the banks. In I860 dories were first used for hand-lining on the Western and Grand Banks. The Grand Bank fisheries have never been extensively prosecuted. PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES. At present the town owns forty-three vessels of over 5 tons burden. These are distributed in the different fisheries as follows: Mackerel seining, eight; seining and trawling, six; Western Banks and Quereau cod fisheries, six; Grand Banks cod fish- eries, one; and shore fisheries, twenty-two. A number of the vessels are partly owned by Portland capital, and a few land their catch in that city, while others sell at Boston and Gloucester. The boat-fishermen, of which there are ninety-seven, fish during the summer for cod, hake, and lobsters, MAINE: WISCASSET DISTRICT. 69 some going to the outer headlands or islands to camp during the height of the season. The quan- tity offish annually cured in the town is about 17,000 quintals. Lobsteriug and clamming are not much followed by the fishermen, as neither species seem to be as plenty as in the districts on either side. A lobster cannery was built here by Portland parties in 1876, and by sending its smacks as far as Pemaquid Point oil one side and to Small Point on the other a fair supply is obtained. A good many mackerel are put up at the cannery during the season. THE MENHADEN INDUSTRY. Between 1S67 and 1878, the principal fishing interests of the town centered in the menhaden oil and guano factories located at East Booth Bay. In this fishery the town ranked second in importance in the State. Four of the factories were built in 1866 and a fifth the following year. About the same time another was transferred to the town from South- port, where it had been in operation but a short time. These six factories had a total value in 1878 of $146,612. At this time the films owned and equipped seventeen steamers at a cost of $216,800, and captured 170,380 barrels of fish. They employed two hundred and twenty-one fish- ermen and eighty-six factory hands, and made 475,247 gallons of oil and 4,948 tons of fish guano. INDUSTRIES DEPENDENT ON THE FISHERIES. The principal business depending upon the fisheries for its support is ship-building, and in the number of fishing vessels launched from the yards Booth Bay ranks first in the State, the little village of East Booth Bay alone having built over one hundred and fifty sail within the last fifty years, while those built in other parts of the town would swell the aggregate to about one hundred and seventy-five, most of them being of large size. Quite a number of schooners, ships, and brigs have been built during the same period. One firm now does a small business in boat-building. The entire commercial interests of the town are largely dependent upon the fisheries, and most of a vessel's needs, in the -way of repairs, gear, or provisions, can be supplied. There are four sail-lofts and two marine railways, with a considerable number of mechanics who are busy in keeping the schooners in repair. In 1870 store-houses were built to supply the fishing-fleet with ice for the preservation of bait and market-fish. In 1874 the Cumberland Bone Company built extensive works in the lower part of the town for the manufacture of fertilizers, and in 1878 they used 1,500 tons of "green" fish-chum, valued at $15,000, in the preparation of their products. A company for the manufacture of sea-weed fertilizers, known as the Alga? Fertilizer Com- pany, was formed in 1SG9; the work was continued for about three years, when the small demand for the products forbade further operations. NORTH BOOTH BAY. North Booth Bay, including Sawyer's, Barter's, and Hodgdou's Islands is an agricultural section extending along the east side of the Sheepscott River. There is no vil- lage of note, the population being considerably scattered. Formerly quite an extensive fishing business was carried on by people living along or near the shore, and vessels were sent to Labra- dor for cod, and to Magdalen Islands for herring, beginning with 1831, only a few years after the origin" of these fisheries. It has now a fleet of seven vessels engaged in the fisheries: three of ^ these divide their time between trawling and seining; one goes only to Western Banks and Quereau, and three fish along the shore, Fifteen men are employed in boat-fishing during a greater part of the summer, and in lobsteriug and clamming in the spring and fall. The majority of the vessels are fitted and owned by two firms that cure annually about 4,200 quintals of codfish, which are sold largely in Boston and Portland. 70 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 37. SOUTHPORT AND ITS FISHERIES. SOUTHPORT. Soutbport, a high rocky island about G miles long by 3 miles wide, lying to the south of Booth Bay, is separated from the mainland by a deep but narrow channel. It formed a part of Booth Bay until 1842, when it was incorporated under the name of Townseud ; in 1850 it received the name of Soutbport, which it has since retained. The island has a population of 084, all being largely dependent upon the fisheries for a, livelihood. Its fishing interests have been extensive for many years, and its vessels have met with more than average success, bringing considerable money to the inhabitants, who arc at the present time in a better financial condition than those of the average fishing community. The fisheries of this island, like those of Booth Bay, originated with the earliest settlers, when boats and small vessels fished only in the immediate vicinity. The residents engaged to a limited extent in the Labrador cod fisheries, sending their last vessel as late as 1850. Vessels from this place visited the banks near Capo Sable and Sable Island before 1825, and they have continued to resort to these grounds ever since. Mackercling came into prominence about this time, and in 1827 the first bait-mill was brought here from Gloucester by the schooner Echo. The first vessel sent from Southport to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence was the schooner Oliuda, in 1837. Mackerel were inspected here as early as 155. In 1801 a purse-seine was pur- chased by resident fishermen from parties living at Damariscove ; it was used for several years by boat-fishermen, who rowed out from the shore after the fish had been discovered. In 1808 vessels from the island engaged for the first time in the spring mackerel-fisheries off the shores of Virginia and New Jersey. The schooner American Eagle was the first to supply herself with dories for bank fishing in 1S58, and in 1800 trawls were introduced by the schooner Island Queen. Southport has occasionally sent vessels to engage in the winter fisheries of George's Banks; two schooners went to this locality in 1S59 ; one in 1802; and two, several years later; but the hardships and dangers encountered soon caused the fishermen to abandon the business. The smoking of herring for family use dates back beyond the present century, and in 1806 quite a quantity of herring were smoked annually by the inhabitants of the island. Each fisher- man had a little smoke-house on the shore, and took large quantities of "Sperling" (young her- ring) from the waters of Ebeuecook Harbor, which has long been a favorite resort of the species. A little later twenty-five sail of vessels frequented this locality from different fishing towns along the shore, and either smoked their catch on the island or carried it elsewhere for that purpose. The business has not yet entirely died out, and in 1879 four fishermen smoked 1,000 boxes for the Boston market. The fishing fleet from the island now numbers thirteen sail, distributed as follows: Eight in the bank fisheries, four seining and trawling during different parts of the same season, and one employed in seining. In addition to these, half a dozen small craft just under 5 tons engage iu the shore fisheries. The boat-fishermen, numbering twenty-seven men, reside mostly at Cape New- Jigen, near the southern extremity of the island. They usually fish during the summer mouths, after which they turn their attention to lobsteriug and clamming. The quantity of fish cured on the island is annually decreasing, and is now about 10,300 quintals. 38. WISCASSET AND WESTPORT. WISCASSET. The town of Wiscasset, on the west bank of the SheepscottEiver, near the head of navigation, was first settled in 1C03 under the name of Po\vnalboro. The present name was adopted in 1802. In 1840 it had a population of 2,314, which in 1870 was reduced to 1,978. The business of the place is chiefly dependent on the large lumber interests. MAINE: WISCASSET DISTRICT. 71 According to Mr. W. P. Leiiiit.x, Wise-asset was formerly extensively engaged in tbe fisheries, and being tbe only port in tbc district all of tbe vessels of tbe region were obliged to go tbere to paper. Tbe business began about 1822, and increased so rapidly that in 1832 $3,000 was paid in bounties to tbe fishermen belonging to the Wiscasset district. Tbe fishery was at its height between 1858 and I860, when thirty to thirty-five sail of "bankers" and an equal number of shore-vessels fitted at Wiscasset. Many of them were owned wholly or in part in tbe town, and tbe rest belonged to the towns of Woolwich, Soutbport, Westport, and Booth Bay, where the i ulk of the catch was landed to be cured for market. The vessels usually made short trips in the early spring to Cape Sable, after which they went to "the Cape shore" for cod, returning in time to engage in the mackerel fisheries of the New England coast in the late summer and fall. The method of trawling was introduced into the region about 1845, and from tbe first was remarkably successful among the "bankers," the vessels securing full cargoes of larger and better fish in about two-thirds of the time required with baud lines. Very little bait was carried by tbe Wiscasset vessels, tbe greater part of them using herring that were taken in gill-nets from day to day while tbe vessel lay at anchor on tbe fishing grounds The vessels were "fitted at tbe halves,'' and the crews were gathered from the surrounding country. From I860 tbe fishing interests of the town gradually declined, and by 1873 Wiscasset had entirely lost the trade in this line, the vessels for the most part fitting in Booth Bay and Port- land. At the present time Wiscasset has only one vessel, a schooner of 53.50 tons, engaged in tbe fish- eries. This vessel carries twelve men, aud lands her catch wholly at Gloucester and Portland, seldom returning home during tbc fishing season. Tbere are no boat-fisheries of note, and, aside from the vessel mentioned, tbe only fishing consists in tbe capture of a few fish and lobsters for the Wiscasset market by fishermen belonging at Edgecomb and other towns nearer the fishing grounds. A small part of tbe business of tbe town is indirectly dependent on tbe fisheries. One of the largest saw-mills is extensively engaged in tbe manufacture of fish-box shocks, shipping annually to Gloucester and Provincetowu from 22,000 to 25,000 in number, valued at $10,000. Tbe mill employs about fifty men and boys, aud is engaged chiefly in the manufacture of sugar-box shocks and hogshead heads for the West India trade; aud it is only the refuse lumber, that cannol be used for this purpose, that is worked up for fish-boxes. Tbe sbooks are shipped by vessel, fully nine-tenths of the entire quantity going to Gloucester. About one-fourth of the business of the mill is dependent upon this trade. WESTPORT. Westport is a narrow island forming tbe western bank of Sbeepscott Bay. It lies just south of Wiscasset, extending to tbe lower part of Georgetown, a distance of 10 or 11 miles. It was formerly a part of Edgecomb, but was set off and incorporated in 1828. In 1870 it had a population of 699. Many dilapidated buildings along the shores of the island mark the location of defunct curing-stands, where formerly an extensive business was done, showing that Westport must have taken a prominent place among the fishing towns of the State. Ship-building was carried on to some extent, and two or three yards furnished a good many vessels to this and adjoining towns. Westport vessels joined the Booth Bay fleet in the Labrador fisheries in 1819, and three or four schooners were sent yearly until 1850. Vessels were sent from Westport to the Magdalen Islands for herring at an early date, the schooner Banner visiting the locality before 1830. By 1840 six sail of large vessels went regularly to these islands in the early spring, bringing their catch home in bulk, where tbe fish were smoked and boxed for the Boston market. Several parties engaged extensively in the business, and large smoke-houses were built in different parts of tbe town. 72 GEOGKAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. Mackerel jiggiug was introduced about 1820, and the method is still in use. Attempts were made to introduce purse-seines iuto tbe fisheries of the islaud in 1872, and again in 1875, but the experiments resulted in considerable loss to the parties interested, and the method was finally abandoned. Captain McCarty was the first to supply himself with dories in the bank fisheries, in 1872, but they have never come into general use. The present fleet consists of seven vessels, three visiting the banks with hand-lines during a part of the year, and joining the other four in the shore fisheries during the balance of the season, which with some of them lasts through a greater part of the winter. The boat-fishermen, numbering twenty-eight, generally camp on the outer islands during the height of the fishing season in summer, returning to their homes occasionally for a supply of provisions. These follow fishing during a few months only, spending the rest of their time in farming. There are at present three curing-stands on the island, only one of them doing any extensive business. The amount of fish handled varies considerably from year to year. In 1878, according to Mr. B. F. Jewett, the quantity, including those cured by the boat-fishermen, was about 3,400 quintals. In 1879 not over 2,500 quintals were handled, as a considerable portion of the catcli was landed in other places. L THE BATH DISTRICT. 39. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES OF THE DISTRICT. The Bath customs district, including the coast-line between Westport and Harpswell, contains some of the oldest settlements on the coast of Maine. It includes the Kennebec River, which was the favorite resort for the Europeans who came in early times to trade with the natives. European fishermen came to the locality during the first quarter of the seventeenth century, and the region has never since been wholly deserted. Between 1800 and 1870 the fisheries were extensively pros- ecuted from a number of the more important settlements. Since that time they have been less important, and, if we neglect the residents of Georgetown, few persons are at present extensively interested in them. Bath had formerly a large trade with the fishing- vessels of the vicinity, and at present has anchor and cordage factories which supply a considerable percentage of the local fleet, besides shipping large quantities of their goods to other localities. It has also extensive ship-building interests, and many of the best fishing-schooners of New England have been built here. STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOE 1880. The following statements show in detail the present condition of the fishing interests of the district: Summary statement of persona employed and capital inristed. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 73 $3G 54!i 191 7 02C 30 25 600 ''94 Total G9 171 a Other fixed, and circulating capital. Cash capital, $13,200 ; wharves, sborchouses, and fixtures, $12.400 ; total, $23,COO. MAINE: BATH DISTRICT. 73 Detailed statement of capital iiireited in teasels, boats, nets and Imps. Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, esclu- siveofboats and nets. Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In food-fish fishery : 10 253. 45 $10, 850 $4, 550 $9, 300 $24 700 ffets. Gill-nets: 20 $300 Total 10 253.45 10, 850 4,550 9,300 24, 700 In boat fisheries 150 1,800 Jloals. In vessel fisheries 48 900 900 Total Traps. 170 2, 100 In shore fisheries 140 8,225 1,860 800 10, 885 Fykes 10 :.o Total 188 9,185 1 860 800 11 815 3 835 876 Total 3 848 4 920 Detailed statement of the quantities atid values of the products. Products specified. Pounds fresh. Pounds prepared. Bulk. Value as soM. Grand total 6 233 615 $7 50 Fresh fish. 52 00 6 967 785 000 9 944 40 000 Total 1 547 500 10 511 Dry fish. Cod 9 134 275 735 504 00 Qg5 Hake 9G7 680 40] 408 5 376 506 50 180 096 3 618 Pollock 380 480 146 944 o (304 Cusk 122 200 52 640 1 292 Total 4 111 155 1 516 592 35 895 Pickled fish. 007 4QQ 151 600 4 358 Herring: 4 500 34 000 510 6 000 4 000 100 Total **75 900 189 600 4 968 Lobsters. Fresh .- 213 400 7 85 Clams. For food .. 76 000 7 COO bushels 2 660 9 660 345 Total .. . .. 85 660 3 005 Miscellaneous. Fish-oil " 708 5 376 4 838 2,500 Total . 10, 046 40. GEORGETOWN AND ITS FISHERIES. Georgetown is au island forming the eastern boundary of the Keunebec, a few miles south of Bath. It is said to have been first settled by John Parker in 1029. The town formerly included a number of islands in the month of the. Kenuebec and the present towns of Woolwich, Bath, 74 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. Arrowsic, and Phipsburg. It now includes only the island, originally known as Eraskohegan, and later as Parker's Island, about nine miles long by an average of two miles wide. The locality was visited by John Smith as early as 1014, and from his writings we learn that French fishermen visited it at an earlier date. The first permanent settlers were engaged in the fisheries, which, from that date to the present time, have been continued without interruption. Though little has been written of the extent of its early fisheries, it is said that as early as 1794 a Mr. Riggs was engaged in fitting vessels and in curing the fish landed by them. His business continued to increase, and by 1812, according to the estimates of his son, Moses Eiggs, about twenty-five "bankers" and an equal number of shore vessels fitted and cured their fish at his place. Others soon engaged in the trade, and in 1S43, according to the same authority, between 25,000 and 30,000 quintals of fish were cured at Riggs (Jove alone. Up to this time few fish had been cured on other parts of the island, it beiug the custom for the catch to be handled by the professional curers, who either charged one-sixteenth of the market value of the fish or reserved one quintal of fish out of every sixteen for their services. Gradually, however, the fishermen began to build small curing-stands of their own, and they usually kenched the fish that were landed from time to time until the close of the season, when they could give their attention to ''making" them, or, as was not uufrequently the case, their wives and children cured the first cargo while they were out after another trip. Both the shore and bank fisheries increased in importance until 18(58, when, according to Mr. W. K. Riggs, one of the largest dealers, Georgetown handled annually nearly $250,000 worth of fishery products, the greater part of which were landed by the fishermen of Georgetown and the adjacent towns of Westport, Woolwich, and Phipsburg. The fleet has since been gradually reduced, until there arc now but six fishing vessels, aggre- gating 91.05 tons, owned on the island. These are valued at $5,000, and carry a total of thirty men. In 1879 there were six curing-stands, each doing a small business, the total quantity of fish cured being about 5,500 quintals, of which more than one-third were hake. The boat fisheries of Georgetown are quite varied. The fishermen of the western part of the island are chiefly engaged in the river fisheries for alewives, shad, salmon, and other species, though a few go to the outer islands to fish for cod, haddock, and hake. The residents of the eastern and southern sides of the island are more largely dependent upon the fisheries, and, while they work on land during a portion of the year, a greater part of their revenue comes from the water. About the 1st of April the trawling season begins, continuing till September, when a small school of herring reach the shore. These remain for several weeks, and the fishermen engage in their capture as long as they find it profitable, after which most of them fish for lobsters. Some continue in the lobster fisheries till the following spring, wliile others "haul out" at the approach of stormy winter weather, and devote their attention to clamming till the spring trawling season arrives. In 1879 there were thirty boats, with fifty-two men, engaged in the shore fisheries, the average stock to a man being about $125 to $150. This is said to have been from $50 to $75 below the average for other years. Ship-building was formerly an important business in the town. The fishermen began giving their attention to this work during the winter mouths as early as 1835. From that date they have built a greater part of their own vessels, in addition to a number that have been sold elsewhere. Nine different firms have been engaged in this business to a greater or less extent since 1835, and from that time to 1878 thirty-eight fishing vessels have been built, in addition to a considerable number of larger crafts for the coasting and foreign trade. MAINE: BATH DISTRICT. 75 41. BATH AND OTIlElt LESS IMPORTANT TOWNS. WOOLWICH. Woolwich is a settlement of two or tliree hundred inhabitants, on the west bank of the Kenuebec, nearly opposite the city of Bath. It is surrounded by an agricultural dis- trict, on which it is largely dependent for its trade. About thirty or forty years ago a few fishing schooners were built at the village for the resident fishermen, as well as for those of Wiscasset, Westport, and Georgetown; but though ship building is still carried on to a limited extent, it is now confined wholly to vessels of larger size. As early as 1825 Woolwich became interested in the bank fisheries, and about 1855 there were not less than twelve sail of "bankers" belonging to the town. At this time two large curing- stands were located at the village, both of which handled considerable quantities of fish. Later the fishing interests gradually declined, and by 1805 not a "banker" remained. For the past fifteen years the people of the town have, wholly neglected the sea fisheries, though they still engage in those of the river, catching considerable quantities of shad, alewives, smelt, and other species. BATH; AN ACCOUNT OF ITS COMMERCIAL INTERESTS. The city of Bath is situated on the west bank of the Kenuebec River, fifteen miles above its mouth. The region was first explored iu 1004. It was a part of Georgetown up to 1781, when it was set off and incorporated under its present name. In 1840 it had a population of 5,143, which iu 1870 was increased to 7,371. It has long been noted for its extensive ship building interests, being at one time more largely engaged in this industry than any other city on the continent. The banks of the river in the vicinity of the city are lined with large ship yards ; but the recent depression in this business has had its effect upon them, and at the present time they present an appearance of lifeless inactivity. THE FISHERIES AND THE TRADE "WITH FISHING VESSELS. As a fishing town Bath has never taken an important rank, though, like Wiscasset, it has served as a market where the vessels from the lower islands could secure their outfit. The merchants of the city have been interested in the fisheries to the extent of owning parts of many different vessels in order that they might more effectually control their trade; but even when the fleet was owned in this way the catch was usually lauded at the lower fishing towns, and at no time has Bath served as a market for any considerable quantity of fish. The trade with the fishing fleet began before 1840, and in 1850 fifty to sixty sail from the lower towns came to the city for provisions, gear, salt, and other necessary outfit. The height of the business was between 1800 and 1804, when upwards of seventy vessels fitted at Bath. At that time several cargoes of salt were imported annually for this trade. The repeal of the " bounty law " is said to have virt ually put an end to the business, and at the present time few vessels resort to this place for their fittings, and the business is almost wholly discon- tinued. The local fleet has been greatly reduced, and there are now but two fishing vessels, aggre- gating 23 tons, owned in the town, and these do not fish with any regularity. INDUSTRIES DEPENDENT ON THE FISHERIES. The people have been indirectly dependent upon the fisheries in other ways. Several of the ship-builders have been engaged, to a limited extent, in building fishing vessels, two of the firms, Thomas M. Hogan, and Deering & Dounell, having built twenty-four vessels each since 18GG, when this particular branch of ship building began. In 1843 a cordage factory was built at Bath by Mr. Donnell, of Newburyport, Mass., who had been in business at the latter place since 1804. He soon developed a trade with the Maine fishing fleet, selling an average of $2,000 worth of cordage yearly up to 1870. At this time an agency was established at Gloucester, Mass., and by 1S73 the business had increased to 810,000 76 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. annually. Later a further increase was noticeable, and from 1874 to tbe present time the trade with fishing vessels alone has averaged $10,000. In 1840 an anchor foundry was built at Bath. This from tbe first depended largely on its trade with fishing vessels. In 1850 its sales to this class of vessels had increased to about $5,000 yearly. The anchors averaged 100 to 150 pounds each, the largest made here up to that time being 211 pounds. This was considered too large for use by the fishing fleet, aud it was held for over a year before a purchaser could be found. About 1850 the demand for larger anchors bc- gau, and by 1864 those of 700 pounds weight were sometimes made. During the height of the business anchors were shipped extensively to the principal fishing ports of Massachusetts, the sales amounting to $20,000 annually. Little is done in this line at present, and the firm has turned its attention to the trade with the coasting fleet. PHIPSBURG. The town of Phipsburg occupies the western bank of Keuuebec .River between Bath and the ocean. It is an agricultural region with few commercial interests, and has no vil- lages of importance. Several small fishing vessels arc owned in the town, these being employed in the shore fisheries, the captains selling their catch to the Georgetown dealers or "running if fresh to Bath and Portland. A number of weirs arc built for the capture of salmou, alewives, and other river species, and a few parties fish for lobsters and cod along the outer shore during the summer months. Aside from this, the fishing interests of the town are at. present quite limited,, though in former years they were of considerable importance. J. THE DISTRICT OF PORTLAND AND FALMOUTH. 42. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES OF THE DISTRICT. RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE FISHERIES OF DIFFERENT LOCALITIES. The Portland and Falmouth district includes the coast-line between Cape Small Point and Cape Elizabeth, whicti mark the limits of Casco Bay. This region, like many other portions of the State, was early visited by people interested, in the fisheries. For many years fishing was the principal occupation, aud the fishermen were distributed along many portions of the coast and on the principal islands, so that all sections were equally interested. Since 1840 the fisheries of the central portion of the dis- trict have decreased greatly in importance, while those of Portland have increased enormously,, and this city now practically controls the fishing interests, not only of the district, but also of the greater portion of Western Maine. The people of Harpswell still continue to engage in the shore fisheries to a considerable extent, and the fisheries of that town are to-day nearly as important as at any time since its first settlemeut. STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOR 1880. The following statement shows, in detail, the extent of the fisheries of the district : Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 77G $343, 930- 570 45, 421 234 a ?6G, COC Number of factory-hands 71 75"> 951 Total 1 631 a Other fixed andci $ 55, 000; total, $3G6, GOO imlating capital Cash capita], $80,800 ; wharves, storehouses, :.iul fixtures, $:'J4,800; factory buildings and appaintus, i. Of tbe $55, 000 for factory buildings and apparatus $1,500 is for menhaden oJ and guano factories not in use since 1878- MAINE: DISTRICT OF PORTLAND AND FALMOUTJI. 77 Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, exclu- siveofboats and nets. Value of outfit. Total Value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In fuod-fisli fishery: 91 3, 259. 18 $131,030 $25 323 $117 745 4^77 710 Nets. Gill nets: 374 $0 4 GO Idle 1 32.24 500 500 500 3 203. 83 10, 500 10 500 In lobster fishery 10 227. 82 0, 975 300 1,000 8,875 In vessel fisheries 40 22, 000 In oyster fishery 1 09. 90 3,000 150 3,130 Total 914 34. -10'J Total 100 3, 793. 03 155, 025 25, 025 119,405 .11111,71:, Traps. Boa is. 700 4 "00 518 14 895 14 895 9 015 In shore tisbei ies 489 21, 240 5,050 2,000 28, 290 Total 9,715 10, SIC] Total 1 HOT 30 13.1 5 050 2 000 43 185 Detailed statement oftlic quantities and rallies of the products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value ii. sold. 42, 230, 420 $C49 153 Fresh fish. 6 890 000 91 947 For bait 1 040 000 5 200 barrels 3 900 80 000 200 Total 8, 01C 000 90 047 Dry fish. (Joil 14, 49*5, 000 4, 995, 200 150, ICO Hake 4 030 500 1 674 400 00 405 Haddock 1 291 500 459 9 00 9 ""5 Pollack .. 913, COO 352, 800 6,300 Cask- C89 000 96 800 7 "87 Total 21,425 500 7 778 400 . 201, 337 PicOfdJleh. 6 884 400 4 589 GOO 131 951 Herring: 000 000 4?0 000 7,200 1 260 000 720 000 18, 000 Total 8, 744 400 5 789 600 '28 948 barrels 157, ir.l Smoked fish. Ilt'i ring : 400, 000 233 333 7 000 boxes 4,900 2, 400, 000 1 200,000 06. 000 Total 2, 800, 000 1, 433, 333 70. 900 Canned feh. Mackerel". 75, 000 51, 804 cans 5.390 Lobsters. 241 000 8,836 Canned 305, 000 59, 400 cans 7,703 Total 540, 000 1C, 509 Clams. 50 500 = 5,050 bushels 1,977 517 020 51,702 bushels 3, 093 barrels 18, 405 50 000 5, 000 bushels = 09, 990 cans 6,708 Total 623, 520 27, 151) 78 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. Detailed statement of ilie quantities and values of the 2'oducts Continued. Products specified. PouDds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value as sold. Miscellaneous. Fish-oil . . . . ..'.... $13 890 "2 4"5 *>0 163 3 OCO -Enhancement in value of southern oysters, iu transporting and 37 500 Total ... .. 74 573 43. HARPSWELL AND ITS FISHERIES. The town of Harpswell cousists of three long- ami rocky peninsulas, separated from each other by deep but narrow channels. It also includes a number of islands, some of which are quite small, while others are of considerable importance. It is situated about 15 miles from Portland, near Cape Small Point, which marks the eastern limit of Casco Bay. The region was first settled iu 1720, when it was known as Merryconeag. The town was incorporated in 1758, and in 1840 had a population of 1,440, which had increased to 1,749 in 1870. The inhabitants are principally occu- pied in farming or fishing. Those on the upper part of the peninsulas devote the greater part of their time to the land, while the fishermen live about the southern headlands or on the islands convenient to the fishing grounds. It seems that Harpswell has been engaged in the fisheries to a considerable extent from its earliest settlement, and many of the early writers refer to it as a fishing town. Some of its vessels were sent to Labrador as early as 1825, and it is said that others engaged in the Grand Bank fisheries for many years. EXTENT OF THE FISHERIES IN 1879. In 1879 there were seven curing-stands, and 20,575 quintals of cod, hake, haddock, pollock, and cusk were dried by the fishermen and dealers, in addition to 175,000 pounds of the same species reserved for local consumption or for the country trade. A large quantity of haddock are taken by Harpswell vessels in winter and sold directly to the Portland dealers. In 1879 there were twenty-one fishing vessels, aggregating 451.92 tons, and valued at $20,350, owned at Harpswell. These furnished employment to one hundred and four men, nearly all of whom were Americans. Twelve of the vessels engaged exclusively in the shore fisheries; five others, after fishing along the ashore in summer, engaged in the winter haddock fishery for the Portland market; and the remaining four were employed in "running" lobsters to Portland and to the Harpswell cannery. THE BOAT-FISHERIES. The boat-fisheries of the region are quite important, giving employ- ment in 1879 to one hundred and fifty-two men. Some of them fish for lobsters iu the early spring, and the remainder for cod and other species. In summer nearly all are engaged in the cod and hake fisheries with lines and trawls. Early in September the herring arrive in considerable num- bers, and a greater part of the vessels, with many of the boats, engage in their capture with nets. Part of the catch is salted, and the remainder is sold fresh in Portland. THE MENHADEN FISHERY. Prior to the disappearance of the menhaden many of the fisher- men engaged extensively in their capture, the catch being salted and sold for bait to the offshore tieet. Between 1870 and 1878 several thousand barrels were put up annually. Casco Bay has been a favorite resort for the menhaden for many years; and in 187G an oil and guano factory was MAINE: DISTRICT OF PORTLAND AND FALMOUTH. 79 built ou Sebascotlegan Island, a few miles from Cunclj's Harbor. The following season another factory was built on the same island. Each of these employed a seining vessel and two " carry - aways." The business was continued till the fall of 1878, when, owing to a scarcity of fish, both factories were closed. About 25,000 barrels of fish were lauded at the two establishments while they were in operation. THE CLAM FISHERIES. In winter many of the farmers and fishermen spend their spare hours digging, shucking, and salting clams, which are very abundant ou the mud-flats along the shores. According to Mr. A. T. Trufaut, this business is on the decline and now amounts to only 12,200 bushels annually, while formerly the quantity was considerably greater. Quahaugs are said to be fairly abundant in Qnahaug Bay, in the eastern part of the town. This practically marks the northern limit of the species ou the Atlantic coast, for though they may be occasionally seen beyond it, they do not occur in any numbers. THE LOBSTER FISHERY AND CANNING INTERESTS. Next to Eastport, Harpswell was the first town iu the State to engage iu the canning of lobsters. A cannery was located here by Boston parties about 1849, and was run for five or six years. About 1858 Portland parties came to the town and engaged in the same work for one season. From that date till 1877, when the present cannery was erected, nothing was done in this line. Since 1877 the business has been prosecuted with considerable vigor, and during the past two or three years both lobsters and mackerel have been put up. The packing-seas( n formerly lasted from April to November, with a suspension of work, ou account of the poor condition of the lobsters, during two mouths iu midsummer. The season, as now regulated by law, lasts from the 1st of April to the 1st of August. In addition to the canning inten sts, Harpswell has shipped many fresh lobsters to Portland, Boston, and New York, in smacks. This business began as early as 1S30, and had assumed im- portant proportions before the fishermen living farther east had any knowledge of the value of the lobster fisheries. Owing to long continued and excessive fishing, the species is not so abundant as formerly, and few of the fishermen depend wholly upon this fishery for a livelihood, though many engage extensively in it in the spring, and some do so at other seasons. 44. THE FISHING TOWNS OF CASCO BAY. The towns lying along the shores of Casco Bay between Harpswell and Portland, including Brunswick, Freeport, Yarmouth, Cumberland, Falmouth, and Westbrook, were iu former times engaged extensively iu the fisheries. BRUNSWICK AND VICINITY. Wheeler's history of the region contains the following statement about the early fisheries of Brunswick : "The earliest business carried on here, in addition to farming and trading in furs, was salmon and sturgeon fishing. Thomas Purchase, soon after his settlement here in 1G28, caught, cured, and packed salmon and sturgeon for a foreign market, and it is stated that there were at one time 'saved in about three weeks thirty-nine barrels of salmon, besides what was spoiled for lack of salt, and about ninety kegs and as many barrels of sturgeon, and that if they had been fitted out with salt and apt and skillful men, they might have taken abundance more.' It is also stated iu Douglas's history that there was a company formed in London for the purpose of importing cured or dried sturgeon, and that they had an agent at the foot of Pejepscot Falls and a building erected there. This was no doubt, as McKeen observes, a very considerable business, and it was carried on upon quite a large scale, from time to time, until into the last century; and until the commencement of King Philip's war, in 1C75, it was doubtless a great business with Mr. Purchase. The business has not been carried on to any extent within the present century, the salmon haviug entirely dis- 80 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. appeared from the river, ami there being fewer sturgeon than formerly ami a lessened demand for the latter. Present indications betoken, however, a return of the salmon fishery before very many years."* One hundred ami twenty-one years later, judging from another passage in the same volume, the fisheries were still important. Wheeler says : "The town, at a special meeting in January, 1749, appointed Ensign William Vincent to inspect the fishery at Brunswick, and to regulate the same according to instructions from the selectmen."! These statements evidently relate to the river rather than the sea fisheries. It is, however, known that the people of the region were also interested in the bay fisheries to a considerable extent for many years. But later, other industries sprang up, and the fisheries were neglected. The inhabitants are now principally engaged in agriculture, having large and fertile fields, to which they devote most of their energies. Ship-building has been extensive, and a considerable number of mechanics have, until a very recent date, found constant employment in building large vessels for the coasting and foreign trade. None are wholly dependent upon the fisheries for a, livelihood, and, barring those living on the islands, few visit the fishing-grounds with any regularity except in midsummer, when the mackerel are abundant. THE CLAMMING INTERESTS. The shores of the bay abound in clams, and almost every cove between Portland and Harpswell has extensive mud and sand fiats where the species is peculiarly abundant. During the winter ami early spring the farmers have many spare hours, ami the mechanic-:, carpenters, and ship-builders are out of employment. At such times many of them engage extensively in clamming, and after selling as many as possible in shell to the peddlers and to Portland dealers, they "shuck" the remainder for use as bait in the vessel fisheries. A few parties begin digging as early as October, but the majority usually find other employ- ment until late in December. From this time till the following May not less than one hundred and eighty-five men and boys engage in this work, some of them continuing till the first of June. In addition to the above, quite a number of fishermen from the adjoining towns and numerous islands engage in this business to a greater or less extent. The, men build small shanties along the shore where they spend the hours of high water in shucking their clams. At about half-ebb they start for the flats, following the water line as it recedes, and gradually working back with it as it advances. Several crews often occupy the same shanty, and two or three frequently join in the purchase of a small boat, which enables them to visit the more distant flats. When the tides "serve" they can spend a greater part of the day in digging, but ordinarily only one tide is util- ized. The average clammer will dig from 2i to 3 bushels at a tide, while a rapid worker who knows the grounds will often get twice that quantity. One of the largest dealers of the locality, Mr. Hamilton, of Chebeague Island, estimates the quantity of clams dug during the season of 1878-'79 at 4G,100 bushels, over 39,000 bushels of which were shelled and salted for bait. If to this quantity we add the catch of the Portland and Harps- well fishermen it is seen that not less than 00,000 bushels are taken annually from the flats along the shores of Casco Bay. The price, according to the same authority, varies greatly from year to year, the average for shell clams being from 75 cents to $1 per bushel. The shelled, or salted clams, range from 83 to $6.50 per barrel, according to the supply and demand. These figures rep- resent the value received by the fishermen for the clam-meats, as the salt and barrels are always furnished by the dealers. In 1875 the fishermen received $G per barrel, and in 1879 the price had dropped to $3. * Wheeler's History of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell, Maine, p. 115. \ Ibid., p. 552. MAINE: DISTRICT OF PORTLAND AND FALMOTJTH. 8t THE FLOUNDER FISHERY. Another business in which the fishermen of the Casco Bay islands, Portland, and Cape Elizabeth are interested, is the winter flounder fishery. The first to engage in the capture of this species for market along this portion of the coast was Mr. Fowler, of New London, Conn. Hearing of the abundance of flounders about Portland, he came to the region with twelve fyke-nets in the winter of 1871-'72, and after renting an old sloop which was to answer both as home and packing-house, set his fykes on the soft bottom of the outer harbor in 3 to 8 feet of water at mean low tide. Finding no market for his flounders in Portland he shipped them by rail and steamer to New York. From this beginning the business has gradually increased until in the winter of 1878-'79, according to Mr. Robert Hamilton, of Chebeagne, twenty-five men from Portland, and twenty-four from the various islands of the bay were employed regularly in this fishery. The season lasts from October to April, the average weekly catch being about 1,500 pounds for each fisherman. A portion of the flounders are now sold in Portland for shipment to Canada, but a greater part still go to New York. THE CANNING OF FISHERY PRODUCTS. Several canneries have been built along the shore of Casco Bay for putting up fruits, vegetables, and meats. One of these, located at South Freeport, began the canning of lobsters and clams in the summer of 1876. The business has been continued regularly since that time, with a gradual increase in the quantity of clams put up. In the summer of 1879 the canning of mackerel was begun at this place. The supply of clams is obtained wholly from the people of the locality, while small vessels are sent to the outer islands to purchase lobsters and mackerel from the professional fishermen. 45. PORTLAND AND ITS FISHERY INTERESTS. THE EARLY FISHERIES OF PORTLAND. Portland, the metropolis of Maine, is located on one of the best harbors of the coast, a few miles above Cape Elizabeth. It was first settled in 1G32, and was included in the town of Falmouth up to 1786, when it was incorporated as a separate town. The city charter was adopted in 1832. The place has suffered much from wars and fires, having been on several occasions almost completely destroyed. In 1790 it had a population of 2,246, which had increased to 12,815 in 1850 and to 33,810 in 1880. Its location on so excellent a harbor, in the very center of one of the best fishing districts of the coast, has giveu it a prominence in this industry from its earliest settlement. Richmond's Island, but a few miles from the harbor, was. one of the most important fishing stations of New England for many years, beginning with 1630, and was annually visited by fishing vessels from different parts of Europe. A few extracts from those who have examined into the early history of the region will suffice to show that fishing occupied the attention of a majority of the early settlers. Hon. William Gould, in writing of the early history of Portland, says : "Of course the first business at Casco, like most other localities in New England, was to choose a favorable place, fell the forest, and build the trunks of the trees into a habitation; and while doing this, and preparing a clearing for cultivation, the early settlers could get the quickest returns from their labor from the sea, such as wild fowl, shell and other fish, because these required no cultivation. To know how well this was improved in our harbor it is only necessary to examine the shell heaps at Cushing's Point. Some idea of the facilities for fishing and of those engaged in it may be obtained from an account of 'Two Voyages to New England; * * * * a description of the country, natives, and creatures, by John Jocelyn, gentleman, London, 1675.' The author had a brother, Henry Jocelyn, at Black Point, who was a leading mau in the infant colony, whom he first visited in 1638. He was a close observer of men and things, and describes all he saw in a quaint style. He was the first European traveler who remained long enough to get a correct idea 6 G R F 82 GEOGEAPHICAL KEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. of the country and people. After speaking of the immense number of alewives in all the streams in April, he says, 'Trout there be good store in every brook, ordinarily two and twenty inches long.' He further says, 'A wonderful number of herring were cast up on shore at high water in Black Point Harbor, so that they might have gone half way the leg in them for a mile together.'"* He continues : "Our first trader established himself on an outlying island when the mainland was a howling wilderness, dealt with Indians and fishermen, and was killed for cheating his customers. * * * His successor, John Winter, was an honorable man, and carried on an important foreign trade. There is a halo of romance about those early days when dried fish, which, with skins of wild animals, were the only products of the country, were shipped direct to Spain and cargoes of wine brought back in return." In another place he again refers to Mr. Winter, who seems to have been acting as agent for an English company that had obtained a grant of Richmond's Island and the present town of Cape Elizabeth in 1631. He says of him : " He soon built a ship on the island and settled a place for fishing, and employed many servants in fishing and planting." In March, 1634, says Winthrop : " Seventeen fishing- ships were come to Richmond Island and the Isle of Shoals." These were from Europe to load with fish cured at the several stages which must have employed a large number of men. These ships brought all the stores needed at the settlement from England. Winthrop says : "In the spring of 1635 a ship of 80 tons and a pinnace of 10 tons arrived at Richmond's Island." In 1636 (after a change in proprietors of the land) Winter was to receive one-tenth of the profits and 40 premium in cash annually. They employed the ships Hercules and Margery and one other whose name is not mentioned. In 1638 Trelawney (the land proprietor) sent a ship of 300 tons from England to the island laden with wine, probably the proceeds of a cargo of fish sent to Spain or Portugal. The returns sent to the proprietor in England were oak pipe-staves, beaver skins, fish, and oil. t The site of the present city was visited by two fishermen, who made it their home as early as 1632. Mr. Gould refers to the matter as follows : " In 1630 Richard Tucker, joined soon after by George Cleaves, established himself at Spur- wink River in planting, trading, and fishing, where both remained till 1632, when they were ' ejected by Winter ' and ' sought refuge on the north side of Casco, on Fore River, and laid the foundation for the first settlement upon the Neck, now Portland,' where they continued many years." Other trading posts were established in the vicinity at a later date, of which Mr. Gould men- tions several. He says : " Just outside the breakwater is Cushing's Point, which was another business center. Col. Ezekiel Cushing, its owner, came here from Provincetown about 1738. He was largely engaged iu the fisheries and the West India trade, and owned several whalers, which were engaged in the business when whales could be taken nearer home than now." As the settlement grew in size and importance its people gradually came to own a large fleet of vessels, that were sent to different parts of the United States and to foreign countries. About Elwell's Successful Business Houses of Portland, pp. 168, 169* t/frui.,pp. 166, 170, 171. MAINE: DISTRICT OF PORTLAND AND FALMOUTH. 83 the beginning of last century a limited trade sprang up between Portland and the West Indies, and large quantities of lumber were shipped to that region. In addition to lumber, according to Mr. Gould, these West Indiamen soon began carrying out soap, candles, and dried codfish in "drums" of the weight of 500 to 800 pounds each. These were consigned to the captain, who sold his cargo, bought another of sugar, molasses, and rum, and returned, paying no commission to the foreign merchant. The business continued to increase, and soon a greater part of the Portland fish were sent there for a market. "After the war," says Mr. Gould, "the West India trade, which had grown before the Revo- lution to be an object of considerable importance, was revived, and a profitable business was done in exchanging lumber and fish for rum, sugar, and molasses." This trade was extensive up to 1850, and even later a few vessels were sent, the last one going in 1878. From the first, Portland has taken a leading rank as a fishing port, and by the beginning of the present century she had a fleet of vessels engaged in the Grand Bank cod fishery. A little later she sent vessels to Labrador for cod, and in 1832 the first vessel from the town started for the Gulf of Saint Lawrence for mackerel. She has had no vessels regularly engaged in the George's Bank cod fishery, and has been interested only to a limited extent in the fresh-halibut fishery ; but aside from these her fishermen have been engaged in all the leading sea-fisheries of the New England coast. Space forbids a review of the Portland fisheries during the years of their development, and though it might be interesting to trace each branch of the business through its various stages of growth, and to show the causes that have led to the transfer of many of the fishing vessels from the smaller towns of the State to Portland, we must confine ourselves to a description of the fish- eries as they are found at the present time. THE VESSEL FISHERIES. In the summer of 1879 the Portland fishing fleet numbered seventy- nine sail, valued at $114,775. These vessels aggregated 3,004.13 tons and carried six hundred and sixty-one men. Of the entire fleet sixteen visited the more distant fishing grounds for cod, twenty-one were provided with purse-seines for catching mackerel, thirty-two engaged in the shore fisheries, four were employed in the halibut fisheries to a limited extent in summer, and six carried lobsters to the Portland market. Six of the codfish fleet, after returning from their first trip, were "fitted out for the matcfcfcrel fishery, and nineteen of the shore fleet joined them during the height of the season, making a total of forty-six vessels engaged in the mackerel fishery during the summer months. About the 1st of November nine of the vessels are fitted for the winter haddock fishery, continuing the business till the following spring. The vessels are usually owned by a number of parties rather than by a single individual. In most cases the ship-builders, riggers, sail-makers, fitters, and packers each own a part, in order that they may control the trade of the vessel in their respective lines. It is also customary to induce the captain of the vessel to buy a small part, thus causing him to feel a deeper interest in the work and to give more attention to the interests of all concerned. One of the owners is selected as the "managing owner," and it becomes his duty to act as agent for the vessel and to keep full and accurate accounts of all expenditures and receipts. This party is usually selected on account of his knowledge of the business, and is frequently the captain of the schooner or the merchant who furnishes the supplies. The vessels are usually " fitted at the halves," the owners furnishing provisions, gear, and 84 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. salt. The crew must man and sail the vessel, and catch, dress, and salt the fish. They usually pay for half of the bait and ice, and hire their own cook. Nearly all of the Portland vessels engaged in the bank cod fisheries carry dories for hand-lining, none of them being provided with trawls on account of the additional expense involved in their use. These vessels as fitted for an average trip usually carry from 125 to 150 hogsheads of salt and about 40 barrels of clam-bait. On their return the meu are expected to land and wash the fish and to put the vessel in order. This done their work is completed, and they are at liberty to turn their attention to other occupations or to ship in other vessels. The fish are "made" by profes- sional curers, who take one quintal in twelve in payment for their labor. As a rule the fisherman has no ready money, and must be furnished with a certain quantity of provisions for his family during his absence. The owners usually assume the responsibility of furnishing a limited quantity of goods to each man, but care is now taken that their value shall not exceed $30. Each member of the crew keeps his fish separate, and receives a share in proportion to the number taken by him. On his return his proportional part of the trip is figured up, and more goods are advanced, if necessary, provided his share of the trip is thought to considerably exceed the value of the goods already furnished. He must wait, however, until the fish have been cured and sold, and the money has been received by the owners before he can settle his accounts in full. Some of the men being anxious to get their money immediately, will sell their interest in the catch as soon as they arrive, to the fitters or owners, at a considerable sacrifice. In the mackerel fishery the vessels fit "at the halves," the fish being usually sold at the end of each trip, though they are occasionally retained till the close of the season. Portland was among the first towns to send vessels to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence for mackerel. According to Mr. Gushing, one of the oldest inspectors in the city, she sent her first vessel to that region in 1832, and has continued the business regularly ever since. She has now, next to Gloucester, the largest mackerel fleet in the United States, having twenty-eight sail of vessels owned by Portland capital engaged in the purse-seine mackerel fishery. In 1879 sixteen of the vessels fished wholly in the Gulf of Maine; seven fished from Cape Hatteras to Mount Desert Island ; two spent a greater part of the season in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and two divided their time between the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Gulf of Maine. In 1880, so far as we have been able to learn, none of the fleet fished in British waters. In addition to the above, nineteen of the shore vessels engaged in the mackerel fishery with line or net during the height of the season. The shore-fishing vessels, numbering thirty -two sail, are engaged in the capture of cod, hake, haddock, pollock, cusk, mackerel, and herring, fishing first for one kind and then another, accord- ing to the season, or the relative abundance of the different species. The fishing season begins about the first of April and continues till late in November. Formerly many of the smaller craft fished for menhaden with gill-nets, but as none of these fish have visited the waters of the State since 1878, they have been obliged to engage in other fisheries. Early in September large schools of herring make their appearance along the outer shores, and most of the smaller vessels, with many of the boats, are engaged in their capture for a number of weeks. The herring are taken in gill-nets, and sold to the packers and smokers. During the winter months haddock are quite abundant, and nine of the local vessels, together with some from other places, are engaged in this fishery, selling their catch to the smokers, who prepare them for shipment to Canada and different parts of the United States. Trawls are used in this fishery, and the catch is often enormous, while the price paid makes the profits to the fisher- men larger than those of any other fishery. MAINE: DISTRICT OF POKTLAND AND FALMOUTH. 85 THE BOAT FISHEEIES. The boat fisbermen of Portland, about one Luiidred and forty in number, are almost wholly Americans. Few of tbein lire in the city, the greater part being scat- tered about on the islands in the vicinity and at Cape Elizabeth, both for cheapness of living and for convenience in getting to and from the fishing grounds. They use lap streak, keeled, and center-board boats, 18 to 22 feet in length. These are provided with two movable masts, with sprit sails, and have an average value of $50 to $75 each. The fishing begins late in March and continues till November, when most of the boats are hauled up, though a few fish more or less all winter. At first trawls are extensively used, the fishermen setting from 800 to 1,200 hooks each; but as the season advances and bait becomes scarce hand-lines are substituted for them, as the dog fish are usually so plenty at this season as to seriously interfere with trawl-fishing. " Couch" (Nutica claitsa) constitute the principal bait in summer, the fishermen gathering them on the fiats at low water and keeping them in live-cars till needed. The catch is composed largely of cod, pollock, hake, and mack- erel. Some of the boat-fishermen are beginning to carry harpoons for sword-fish, and nearly all own a "gang" of lobster-pots, which they fish with more or less regularly. The fish are sold to the fresh- fish dealers, or to the hawkers, at prices depending largely upon the quantity in market. The sup- ply is usually greater than the demand, and in order to be sure of a market each fisherman must find some one who will agree to take his catch at a stated price; otherwise he does not care to ven- ture out. On account of the uncertainty of finding a market much time is lost that might otherwise be profitably employed. The curers on the islands usually buy all the fish that are offered, but they require the fishermen to split them, and cannot afford to pay as much as the fresh-fish dealers in the city. For this reason many do not care to sell to the curers, though if the time gained through the certainty of a market be considered, they could doubtless make good wages in this way. This condition of affairs occurs only in summer, for at other seasons the market readily con- sumes all the fish that are offered. FISH-CURING IN PORTLAND. The fish landed in Portland are, with few exceptions, cured by parties making a specialty of this work. Land in the heart of the city, where the fish-wharves are located, is quite valuable, and the fish dealers do not have curing-stands of their own, as is the case with those in smaller cities, but are dependent on the curers for "making" any fish that their vessels may bring. Two firms, however, have utilized the roofs of their buildings as flake- yards, and in this way cure several thousand quintals annually. The principal curing-stands are on the islands of the outer harbor, where suitable buildings and flake-yards have been constructed. On arriving from the banks the vessels proceed to these islands, the crews landing and washing the fish, after which they wheel them to the flake-yard, when the curer takes charge of them and prepares them for the market, taking one quintal in twelve for his services. If they cannot be cured at once, the crew pitch them out of the vessel and carry them to the buildings, where they are "kenched" until they are needed. In this case the curer "washes them out" before they are placed on the flakes, charging six cents per quintal additional for this work. In some localities the flakes are provided with cloth covers, which are spread over the fish to protect them from the heat of the sun, which is often so great at mid-day as to render them nearly worthless. In other localities the fish are "bunched" early in the day before the sun becomes too warm, and spread again late in the afternoon. In many places along the coast no attempt is made to dry the fish in summer on account of the danger of burning them, and the catch is "keuched" till fall. In Portland, however, the curers have a very simple way of overcoming the difficulty, and 86 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. continue their work with little or no loss during the hottest weather. Their flakes are built so as to run nearly east and west, and are so arranged that the tops may be easily turned on a central axis. The fish are spread in the morning, and as the day advances and the heat increases the flakes are tilted toward the north, so that the sun's rays shall fall obliquely on the fish, and thus have little effect upon them. The property devoted to the curing of fish in Portland is valued at $26,000. The business furnishes employment to twenty-one men during eight months of the year and to several addi- tional ones during the busy season. The quantity cured in 1880 was somewhat larger than for several years past, though Portland has long been extensively interested in the business. The figures furnished by Messrs. C. & H. Trefethen, who are more extensively engaged in curing than any other firm, show the business for 1880 to have been 49,426 quintals, of which nearly seven- eighths were landed by Portland vessels. The catch was divided as follows : 21,788 quintals large cod; 16,813 quintals small cod; 6,626 quintals hake; 1,437 quintals cusk; 1,369 quintals pollock, and 1,193 quintals haddock. INSPECTION OF FISH. Portland is largely interested in packing and inspecting fish of differ- ent kinds, including mackerel, herring, cod, haddock, sword-fish, and other species. She is more extensively engaged in this business than any other city in the State, leading all cities in the United States in the quantity of herring inspected, and is excelled only by Gloucester in the quantity of mackerel packed. The mackerel are mostly taken by vessels belonging in Portland and other Maine fishing towns, though a few vessels belonging to Cape Ann, Cape Cod, and other fishing districts of Massachusetts pack in Portland to a greater or less extent. Nine firms engage regularly in this branch of the business. They occupy property valued at $89,000 and furnish employment to ninety-three men, forty-three of them being employed throughout the year. Up to 1879 the inspection charges were $1.50 per barrel, but in the spring of that year the price was reduced to $1.25. Mr. Charles Dyer, one of the leading packers in Portland, in referring to the business of the city for 1880, writes: " Portland has packed, in round numbers, 75,000 barrels [76,417] of mackerel, valued, clear of salt and packing, at about $5 a barrel. This has been a very prosperous year, and, were it not for the English mackerel coming into the country free of duty, it would have been more so." After speaking of the habit of packing English fish under American brands by the fish inspect- ors of other cities, and of the injury to the trade resulting therefrom, he continues : "Portland does not handle any English-caught mackerel, and for this reason Portland mack- erel stand highest in market." The nearness to the extensive fall herring fisheries brings Portland into prominence in con- nection with this trade. She has a fleet of her own engaged in the herring fishery, and, in addition, buys nearly all of the fish taken by fleets of other portions of the coast, though Boothbay handles a small percentage and Boston secures a considerable quantity. The figures furnished by Mr. E. G. Willard show 12,000 barrels to be the quantity of herring handled in 1880. In addition to the above, Portland handled 1,800 barrels of pickled haddock and cod, and a few barrels of sword-fish and alewives. SMOKED HERRING AND HADDOCK. Several Portland dealers have large smoke-houses, and are engaged in the preparation of Finnan haddies and bloater herring. These parties have a monopoly of the Finnan haddie trade of America. Eastport, the only other city extensively engaged in the prepaiation of these fish, is working wholly under contract with the Portland dealers, who purchase the products and distribute them to the trade. Jonesport, Vinal Haven, MAINE: DISTRICT OF PORTLAND AND FALMOUTH. 87 and Rockland, in Maine, Portsmouth in New Hampshire, and Boston in Massachusetts have eacli smoked a few haddock, but their trade has been wholly local and of comparatively little impor- tance. From Messrs. Wyer Brothers and John Lovett & Co., the two largest dealers in the country, we gathered the following facts about the origin and growth of the Finnan haddie trade: The haddock was first smoked in America at Montreal, Canada, by Mr. Thomas McEwan, a Scotchman, who had become familiar with the method of preparation before removing to this country. He began the business in a small way about 1860, sending to Portland for his fish. The first few lots, consisting of only 100 to 300 pounds each, were smoked in barrels. The trade soon increased so that smoke-houses were built, and, finding the expense of transportation so great, Mr. McEwan removed to Portland for engaging more extensively in the work. He soon formed a partnership with Mr. Lovett, one of the leading fish dealers of Portland, and continued the busi- ness on a larger scale than ever. At first the trade was wholly with Canada, and largely among the Scotch. Later the Americans commenced eating smoked haddock, and at the present time nearly one-third of the trade is with the United States. Up to 1808 Portland was the only town engaged in the business. At this time Portland dealers, learning of the abundance of haddock along the eastern part of the coast of Maine, located at Eastport to engage in the work, and the business has been continued to the present time, the season lasting through the winter only. During the season of 1879-'80, according to Mr. R. C. Green, Eastport smoked and shipped to Portland dealers about 211,000 pounds of cured fish, valued at over $12,000. The following extract from a letter received from Wyer Brothers, of Portland, gives the extent of the business of that city. They write: " The quantity of haddock cured here in the season of 1879-'80 did not vary materially from that put up the previous season. Though the demand increased, the catch of haddock from which the supply must be obtained fell a little short of that of previous winters, and it was often quite difficult to get a sufficient quantity for smoking. * * * We have carefully estimated the amount of haddock used for this purpose and find it to be about 2,100,000 of fresh fish, and, as they shrink almost one-half in curing, the wbole amount of smoked fish would be about 1,200,000 pounds." Adding to these the quantity shipped from Eastport we find that Portland now handles nearly 2,500,000 pounds of Finnan haddies annually. Property valued at $8,009 is used by the smokers, and twenty-four men are employed for six months of the year in preparing the fish. Wyer Brothers place the quantity of bloater herring smoked in Portland during the winter of 1879-'80 at 2,000 barrels of 350 fish each, equal to 700,000 herring in number. These were largely sold in Canada with the haddock. No hard herring are smoked in the city. THE LOBSTER FISHERY AND THE LOBSTER TRADE. Lobsters are caught ofl' Portland during the entire year, though the fishing is most extensive from March to July, and again from October to December. Thirty men, living chiefly on the islands or at Cape Elizabeth, fish exclusively for lobsters, while nearly all of the boat-fishermen have a few pots which they tend with more or less regularity at certain seasons. The local fishing-grounds are around Hog, Peak's, and Cushing's Islands and near Portland light in summer, and along the outer shore of Cape Elizabeth in winter. The traps are set in from three to twenty fathoms of water, one man tending from forty to sixty-five of them, usually visiting them once a day when the weather is suitable. During the height of the season some haul their pots twice a day. Twenty-five years ago, according to Mr. Trefethen, of House Island, an average catch was six or seven lobsters, weighing 4 to G pounds each to the pot. From that time they have gradually diminished, and, according to the same authority, the catch in 1879 averaged only one marketable lobster (which must be 10 inches long), and three 88 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. smaller ones to the pot, the average weight of tbe former being 2 pounds and of the latter 1 pound. The fishermen in the vicinity of the city bring their catch direct to market, while those living farther oft" are obliged to depend upon the smacks. The Portland lobster market is largely controlled by two firms, while a third does a limited business. Thirteen smacks, aggregating 287.GS tons, valued at $9,575, make frequent and regular visits to different portions of the coast between Cape Porpoise and the Grand Mauau and buy the "count lobsters" of the fishermen, carrying them to the Portland markets. Others, though not regularly employed, bring occasional cargoes to the city. The fisherman keeps his lobsters in live cars until the smack arrives, when he sorts them out, those of marketable size being purchased by the captain, while the smaller and soft-shelled ones are retained to be sold to the boats running to the canning establishments. The time required for the round trip varies from one to two weeks, according to the weather, the abundance of lobsters, and the distance traveled. The average smack carries from 4,000 to 5,000 lobsters each trip ; if the well is overcrowded, many die in transit, the loss in this way, especially in summer, being often very great. The price paid to the fishermen ranges from three to four cents each, and the selling price in Portland averages about six cents. On the arrival of the smack, the live lobsters are transferred to the cars of the dealers, where they remain until needed. When an order is received for them they are taken out, boiled, and packed in boxes or barrels for shipment to the trade. A few live ones are shipped to the prin- cipal dealers of Boston, but this method is not usually adopted, as many are killed by the jarring to which they are subjected on the train. Live lobsters are received in considerable quantities from Eastport, the usual method being to pack them in barrels with a quantity of ice: when carefully packed in this way they will keep from two to three days. As already stated, three firms are more or less interested in the lobster trade of Portland. These occupy property worth $12,000, and furnish employment to nine men. According to Mr. A. L. Johnson, one of the principal dealers, Portland, in 1880, handled 800,000 lobsters in number These cost the dealers about six cents each, making the total cost at first hands $48,000. The lobsters are variously estimated at from li to 2 pounds each; allowing them to average Impounds, the total weight would be 1,400,000 pounds. Of this quantity about one-half goes to Boston, one- fourth to New York, and the remainder to the country trade in Maine, New Hampshire, Massa- chusetts, and Canada. LOBSTER-CANNING BY PORTLAND CAPITAL. Portland capitalists are more extensively interested in the canning of lobsters than those of any other city in the United States. The busi- ness was begun at Eastport nearly forty years ago, and three or four years later a cannery was built in Boston. Before 1850 Portland people had become interested in the work, and from that date they have taken the lead in the business, showing remarkable energy and judgment. At first a good many lobsters were put up in the city, but as the demand increased the supply became insufficient, and they were obliged to establish canneries at different points along the coast, gradually increasing the number and going farther and farther from home, until to-day Portland has twelve canneries on the coast of Maine, employing about 300 laborers on shore and nearly 1,000 fishermen. These canneries, with their fixtures, are worth $38,000, and it requires an additional capital of $80,000 to carry on the business. The three firms controlling this trade are the Portland Packing Company, Buruham & Merrill, and J. Winslow Jones. These firms have consulted their books and furnished figures from which the following summary of the business for 1880 has been obtained: 4,731,088 pounds of lobsters were used, and 849,8971 one-pound and 99,371 two-pound cans were put up. lu addition, 267,943 one-pound and 5,597 two-pound cans of mackerel (Scomber scombrus) were packed, 510,864 pounds of round fish being required for this purpose. About 3,500 bushels of soft- MAINE: DISTRICT OF PORTLAND AND FALMOUTH. 89 shelled clams (Mya arenaria) were used, from which 38,400 caus of clams aud 14,400 cans of clam chowder were prepared. Over $53,000 were paid to the fishermen for their catch; $19,000 were paid to the employe's for their labor; and the manufactured products, including cans, cases, &c., had a market value of $157,500. lu addition to their work on the coast of Maine, the above firms have seventeen canneries in the British Provinces, distributed as follows: Three in New Brunswick, 11 in Nova Scotia, 1 on Prince Edward Island, 1 on the Magdalen Islands, and 1 in Newfoundland. About $214,000 capital is required for carrying on their business, aud the figures for 1880 showed that 10,588,578 pounds of live lobsters were used in packing 1,916,096 one-pound caus, aud 281,928 cans of other brands. Owing to the duty on the tin in which the lobsters are packed, over 95 per cent, of the products were sent directly to England, France, and Germany, or passed through the United States, in bond, en route for those countries. The above firms have storehouses, can-factories, and offices in and about Portland valued at over $50,000, and eighty men are employed for three or four mouths each winter in making the cans that are to be used during the following season, which, in Maine, is limited by law to the mouths of April, May, June, and July. THE FRESH-FISH TRADE. The wholesale fresh-fish trade of Portland is controlled by seven firms located in the vicinity of Custom-house and Commercial Wharves. They obtain a greater part of their cod and haddock in summer from the local fishermen, who set their trawls off the outer islands of Casco Bay in from thirty to forty fathoms of water. The boats laud about 400 pounds each trip, making an average of three trips a week during the fishing season. Formerly the mackerel were furnished by the numerous "drag-boats" of the locality, but of late, owing to the scarcity and small size of the fish, the number of these boats has greatly diminished, and the supply is now obtained from the seining fleet, or is occasionally brought from Boston. Sword-fish are landed in considerable numbers by the boats and vessels fishing along the shore Irom the 1st of July till the 15tb of August. Three or four small schooners visit different localities from Cape Elizabeth to the Bay of Fundy for halibut, but the catch is usually very limited aud a large part of the supply is brought from Gloucester. Late in the fall some of the larger vessels that have previously been employed in the offshore cod and mackerel fisheries fit out with trawls for the winter shore fisheries, catching cod, hake, and haddock, which are usually sold fresh in Portland. The wholesale dealers handle between seven and eight million pounds of fresh fish annually. Probably three-eighths of the entire quantity, if we include those used for smoking, are haddock, one-fourth are cod, the bulk of the remainder being composed of mackerel, hake, pollock, sword- fish, salmon, and herring. About half of the fresh fish are sold in Canada aud the greater part of the remainder are sent to Boston and the interior cities of Maine, New Hampshire, and New York. The dealers occupy property valued at $24,000, aud have $10,000 additional capital invested in the business. Twenty- four men are constantly employed in boxing and icing fish, and twenty seven others are required to assist during the busy season, which lasts about five or six months. The retail fish trade is divided between the regular merchants, who rent buildings and deal exclusively in sea products, and the peddlers that vend fish from hand-carts and wagons through the city and surrounding country. There are eight regular retail dealers, each doing a fair trade. They buy chiefly of the wholesalers and seldom deal directly with the fishermen. The number of peddlers varies considerably with the season, the average being about forty. This class is made up largely of aged fishermen who have worn themselves out by exposure in their open boats, aud are now satisfied with the small amount of mouey that can be made in this way. 90 GEOGRAPHICAL EEYIEW OP THE FISHERIES. THE TRADE IN FISH OIL. A large part of the oil saved by the Maine fishermen is carried directly to Boston for a market, and outside of Portland and Eastport there are no oil dealers in the State of Maine. Eastport handles but a limited quantity, the greater part of which is obtained from the provincial fishermen. The firm of John Conley & Son controls the oil' trade of the city, less than 5 per cent, of the total quantity brought to Portland being handled by other parties. Mr. Conley furnishes the following statement of the trade for 1880: "On account of the higher prices paid for oil in the West, we have allowed much that is usually landed in Portland to go to Boston and other places. The quantity handled in this city was 49,851 gallons of liver oil from the coast of Maine, and 2,475 gallons from ]S"ova Scotia; also 595 gallons of herring and 2,372 gallons of menhaden oil from different sources. This gives a total of 52,818 gallons, costing at first hands $20,422.36. About 4,464 gallons of the above were sold to dealers in New York, and the rest was shipped direct to the consumers throughout the country'" THE TRADE IN PROVISIONS AND OUTFITS. With so large a fishing fleet of its own, and so many outside vessels visiting the city for a market, it is reasonable to suppose that Portland does a large business in supplying the fishermen with provisions, salt, and ice. Five firms depend wholly on their trade with fishermen and fishing vessels, and a sixth supplies a large amount of ship- chandlery to the vessels of the port. The dealers depend largely on Boston for their provisions and other supplies, but a portion of their stock comes direct from the factories along the coast. The lines and trawls are made in Castine ; the cordage in Plymouth and Boston ; the nets in Boston; the seine-boats in Gloucester, and the dories in Salisbury, Newburyport, Gloucester, and Harpswell. The trade amounts to $150,000 annually, and requires the services of sixteen clerks and accountants. The salt trade has been extensive for many years. From 1812 to 1866, it was largely con- trolled by Dana & Co., and by E. G. Willard from 1867 to the close of 1878. Mr. Willard acted as agent for the large importing house of J. P. & G. C. Robinson, of New York, and for the thirteen years during which he controlled the fishing trade in salt he estimates that 30,000 hogs- heads were sold annually at $1.50 to $1.75 per hogshead. About one-half of the entire quantity was used by Portland vessels, and the remainder was sold to vessels belonging in Southport, Wesrport, Boothbay, and other towns along the coast of Maine. With so extensive a trade in fresh fish and so large a market fleet, Portland requires a large supply of ice. This is supplied by several firms, the principal one being D. W. Clark & Co., who estimate the annual quantity consumed by the fishing trade to be about 2,200 tons, worth $6,600. This is divided as follows: 1,000 tons to the fresh-fish dealers, 700 tons to the large vessels in the mackerel and halibut fishery, and 500 tons to the smaller market vessels and boats. THE TRADE IN DRY AND PICKLED FISH. Having spoken of the quantity of fish cured and inspected in Portland, we now consider the city as a distributing center. We are indebted to Mr. E. G. Willard, who buys a greater part of the fish landed in Portland either for himself or on commission for the largest houses in New York and Boston, for many of the following facts which, though only estimates, probably vary but little from the actual figures. Most of the Portland cod are kench-cured, many of them being prepared for exportation to the West Indies. Formerly nearly all of the cod were packed in drums before shipping, but now the curers on the islands are beginning to carry their large fish in bulk to Boston and New York. At the present time, fully 50 per cent, of the cod are packed in drums and sold to the larger dealers of Boston and New York, by whom they are exported to the West Indies. The remainder are pur- chased by the same parties for shipment to the Western and Southern States. In 1880, Portland MAINE: DISTRICT OF PORTLAND AND FALMOUTH. 91 dealers handled 27,000 quintals, in addition to those shipped by the cnrers of the islands. A con- siderable portion of them were brought from the fishing towns farther east. The hake trade of Portland is largely controlled by Mr. Willard, who buys nearly all that are caught by Portland vessels, as well as those from other portions of the State. The quantity handled annually varies from 12,000 to 14,000 quintals, but in 1880 it reached fully 15,000. These fish are all hard-dried and packed in eight-quintal drums. The greater part are sold to J. Van Prague & Co., of Boston, who in turn export them to Surinam. No city in the United States offers so good a market for dried pollock a.s Portland. The trade is controlled largely by the wholesale grocers, who buy all that are offered by the Maine fishermen, and send to Cape Ann and the British Provinces for an additional supply. Mr. George Trefethen, the principal dealer in pollock, writes as follows: " In reply to your inquiries about the pollock trade of Portland for 1880, 1 will state that the catch has been very light. At Eastport [which has the most extensive fishery in the country], it was almost a total failure. * * * I think there were about 18,000 quintals sold in Portland in 18SO. Of those handled by us, 30 per cent, were from Nova Scotia, 15 per cent, from Cape Ann, 40 per cent, from the Portland district, and the balance from the eastern part of the State, includ- ing Eastport. The prices have ruled about 50 cents per quintal higher than in 1879, or $2 to $2.50 per quintal. The demand has been good all through the season, and the stock now on hand is not more than 50 per cent, of what it was last year at this time. The prices are now [January 22, 1881 ] higher than for several years, owing to the small catch of last season, good light salted dry- cured fish bringing 3 to 3J cents per pound." The grocers depend almost wholly for their trade on the counties of Cumberland and York, in Maine, and Rockingham, Stratford, Belknap, and Merrimac, in New Hampshire. In most places there is a foolish prejudice against pollock, and outside of the above-named and adjoining counties there is little demand for them. Here, however, according to Mr. Trefetheu; they are esteemed equally with the cod by a majority of the people, and some even prefer them to the latter species. About 3,000 quintals of haddock, and 2,500 quintals of cusk are handled here annually. These are mostly sold in Boston, Gloucester, and Plymouth, to be cut up and shipped to the West as "boneless cod". Boston takes about three-fourths of all, and Gloucester and Plymouth divide the remainder equally. Portland's trade in mackerel is rapidly increasing. The city has the second largest fleet of "seiners" in the country and, in addition to the quantity landed by these, many vessels from other places fishing along the coast of Maine in summer find it convenient to pack a portion of their catch in Portland. Mackerel are also sent here for a market from other fishing ports in the State. Mr. Willard estimates that an average of 40,000 barrels were handled annually for several years; the quantity for 1880 was 70,417 barrels. Over two-thirds of the entire quantity are sold in New York, the remainder going chiefly to Boston, Philadelphia. Baltimore, and the West. The quantity of herring handled in Portland from year to year depends largely upon the size of the school that visits tho shore. In 1876, the catch was unusually large, and 25,000 to 30,000 barrels were brought in for a market. In 1878, the school was smaller than for many years, and only 10,000 barrels were received. In 1SSO, the quantity reached 12,000 barrels. Half of the products of this fishery are sold in New York, and the remainder are usually shipped to Boston and Canada. About 2,000 barrels of pickled cod and haddock reach the Portland market yearly. Three- fourths of these are sent to Philadelphia and New York, and from thence to the mining districts of 92 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. Peiinsylvauia; the remainder go mostly to Boston. In 1880, only about 1,800 barrels were received. CAPE ELIZABETH. Cape Elizabeth lias no fisheries that can be treated separately from those of Portland. The two places are separated only by the waters of Portland Harbor, and being so unequal in size the larger has naturally absorbed the business of the smaller. Cape Elizabeth has at the present time not even a retail fish market, and the forty boat-fishermen living in the town are obliged to take their catch to Portland for a market. A number of fishing vessels are officered and manned by fishermen from the Cape, and some are largely owned by these people; but all fit and sell in Portland, and are largely controlled by the Portland dealers. The two places are so intimately related to each other in the fisheries that the smaller is very naturally included with the larger, and the vessels and boats of the former are treated as a part of the Portland fleet. K. THE SAGO, KENNEBUNK, AND YORK DISTRICTS. 46. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. THE GENERAL FISHERIES. The Saco, Keunebuuk, and York customs districts extend from Cape Elizabeth to the southern boundary of the State. The region was visited in the fall of 1880 by Mr. W. A. Wilcox, secretary of the Boston Fish Bureau, for the purpose of making a careful study of the past and present condition of the fisheries. From his report we learn that the section was formerly extensively engaged in the fisheries, and had quite a fleet of vessels visiting the off- shore banks. Of late, however, the vessel interests have declined, and the fisheries are now chiefly confined to the capture of ground-fish, herring, lobsters, and clams in the inshore waters. A few small vessels are still owned, but a majority of the men are provided with small open boats for engaging in the work. THE CLAM FISHERIES. The clam flats are very extensive, and enormous quantities of soft clams are dug annually, many being sold fresh, while the remainder are used as bait by the shore and vessel fishermen. THE HERRING FISHERY. The fall herring fisheries in the vicinity of Wood Island are also important, these waters being visited by larger schools of spawning fish than those of any other locality on the New England coast. In fact, the Wood Island region is the principal herring spawning ground in the United States, and each season immense numbers of fish visit the locality, where they remain until their eggs have been deposited, after which they return to the deeper waters. During the season, which lasts for several weeks, hundreds of vessels are engaged in the fishery, the catch, which varies greatly from year to year, being marketed in Portland, Boston, and B'oothbay. STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION OF THE SAGO DISTRICT FOR 1880. The following statements show separately the extent of the fisheries of the region for 1880, a separate statement being given for each district. The data from which these statements are derived were gathered by Mr. Wilcox: MAINE: SACO, KENNEBUNK, AND YORK DISTRICTS. 93 STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOR 1880. The following statement shows in detail the con- dition of the sea fisheries of the Saco customs district: Summary statement of persons employed and capital invented. Persona employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. f 37 $18 825 Number of boat fishermen 152 3 225 10 08 diiii Number of factory hands 53 Total 30 550 Total 252 * Other fixed and circulating capital Caah capital, $4,800 ; wharves, shorehouses, and fixtures, $2,500; factory buildings and apparatus, $1.200; total, $8,500. Detailed statement of capital invested in rcssch, boats, nets, and traps. Value of Vessels and boats. No. Toiinage. Value. pear, exclu- sive of boats Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. Number. Value. and nets. Vessels. Nets. In food-fish fishery: Gill-nets: 10 86.04 $5,750 $2,850 $4, 900 $13, 500 In vessel fisheries 50 $750 60 720 Total 10 86.04 5,750 2, R50 4,900 13, 500 Eoate. Traps. 30 600 600 In shore fisheries 124 2,505 1,520 700 4,725 Lobster-pots 1,880 1,395 Total 154 3,105 1,520 700 5,325 Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the, product. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value as sold. 3 538 340 $71 254 Freeh fish. 240 000 3,200 225 000 1,125 barrels 844 For fertilizer 40, 000 200 barrels 100 Total 505, 000 4,144 Dryfieh. Cod 942 500 324 800 10, 150 324 000 134 400 1,800 252 000 89 600 1,800 Pollock 87 000 33 600 600 C u8 k . 59 800 25, 760 632 Total 1, 665, 300 608, 160 14, 982 Pickled fith. 60 000 40, 000 200 barrels 1,150 Herring : Ordinary 212, 500 170, 000 850 barrels 2,550 Total 272, 500 210, 000 1,050 barrels 3,700 Lobtteri. Fresh 405, 600 14,872 Clamt. 225, 000 22, 500 bushels 7,875 429, 940 42. 994 bushels 3. 071 barrels 15, 355 Canned 35, 000 3, 500 bushels = 52, 800 cans 6,620 Total 689, 940 29, 850 Miscellaneous. 2, 715 gallons 1,086 1,800 1,620 Marine products used for fertilizers 1,000 Total 3,706 94 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOR 1880. The following statement shows in detail the con- dition of the sea fisheries of the Kennebuuk customs district: Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 68 $27 610 189 3 748 12 fl6 500 Total 69 Total ... 37 858 a Other fixed and circulating capital. Cash capital, $2,500; wharves, shorehonses, and fixtures, $4,000; total, $0,500. Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, loats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, exclu- siveofboats and nets. Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. In food-flsh fishery : 13 206. 16 $12, 700 $3, 950 $5,640 $22, 290 Net*. Gill-nets: Total 13 206.16 12, 700 3,950 5,640 22, 290 In vessel fisheries . . . 40 $630 Total 120 1 610 T 1 fi h 'f 46 920 920 In shore fisheries 79 3,110 890 400 4,400 Tra.pt. Fykes 75 4:0 125 4 030 890 400 5,320 2 250 1 688 Total 2 325 2 138 Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the product. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Valne as sold. 7, 502, 425 $82 586 Fresh fah. 452, 000 6 027 310, 000 1 550 barrels 1 162 80 000 200 842 000 7 389 I>ryfoh. C ot j 2 233 725 769, 776 24 055 Hake 1 601 100 664 160 8 895 1 376 550 489 440 9 833 Pollock 469 800 181, 440 3 240 Cuak 140 400 60 480 1 485 Xotal . ... 5,821 575 2 165,2% 47, 508 Pickled jith. 142, 5*0 95,000 2,731 Herring: 550 750 440 600 6 609 Total 693, 250 535,600 2, 678 barrels 9.340 Lobefort. Fresh 108, 600 3,982 Clami. For food 37,000 3, 700 bushels 1,295 Miscellaneous. Fish-oil 9 666 Callous 3,866 8 895 8,006 ],200 Total 13, 072 MAINE: SACO, KENNEBUNK, AND YORK DISTRICTS. 95 STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION FOR 1880. The following statement shows in detail the con- dition of the fisheries of the York district: Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persona employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 15 Number of boat-fishermen 290 6 494 Number of carers, packers, fitters, &c 8 a3 000 Total 313 Total 23 187 a Other fixed and circulating capital. Cash capital, $1,500; wharves, storehouses, and fixtures, $1,500; total, $3,000. Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, exclu- sive of boats and nets. Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In food-fish fisheries : Active 3 45.73 $2, 550 $858 $1 185 $4 593 Net*. Gill-nets: 6 Total 3 45 73 2 550 858 1 185 4 593 In boat fisheries 225 2,700 ii 1 Soils. 3 75 11 200 193 5 000 2 900 1 000 8 900 Total 234 2,865 Traps. Total 204 5,200 2,900 1,000 3,100 Fykes 50 300 I 105 829 Total 1 158 3 629 Detailed statement of the quantities and values of Hie product. Products specified. Pounds, frtmli. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value as sold. Grand total 5, 858, 980 $76, 803 Frehjuh. For food 1 595 000 828 000 20 000 50 Total 2 443 000 24 4" I>ryftelt. Cod 975 000 336 000 10 500 Hake 837 000 347 200 4 650 Haddock 567, 000 201, 600 4 050 Pollock 304 500 117 600 2 100 Cnsk 104 000 44 800 1 100 Total . 2 787 500 1 047 200 22 400 PicUedfitk. Mackerel 42,000 28 000 805 Herring: 03 750 75 000 1 125 Total 135, 750 103, 000 515 barrels.... 1,930 Lobsteri. Fresh 99,000 3 630 Clamt. For food ... .. .... 373 750 37 375 bushels 13 081 Forbait . . . . 119 980 11 998 bushels 857 barrels 4 285 Total 493 730 17 366 JfwMBotnaouf. Fish-oil 4, 675 gallons... .. 1,870 Sounds . ... 4 650 4 185 Marine products used for fertilizers . 1 000 Total 7 055 96 GEOGEAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 47. SCARBOROUGH BEACH, PINE POINT, AND SACO BAY. SCARBOROUGH BEACH. The settlement at Scarborough Beach is situated 6 miles south of Portland and 3 miles from the village of Scarborough. The only branch of the fisheries to which the inhabitants give any attention is clam-digging ; in this they are almost as largely interested as the residents of the adjoining settlement of Pine Point. About twenty men from the Beach are at work on the clam-flats the year round, and from September to April the number is increased to forty. Formerly a large part of the clams dug by the people of this settlement, after being shelled and salted, were sold for bait to the fishermen at various places along the coast. Fully 3,000 barrels were frequently disposed of in this way during a single season ; but owing to the establish- ment of a cannery, the quantity salted for bait in 1880 did not exceed 1,000 barrels, the bulk of those taken being used for canning purposes. Many are shipped in shell during the year to the Boston and Portland markets, while a few are sold to peddlers from the smaller towns of the interior. The total catch for 1879 was about 30,400 bushels. PINE POINT. At the eastern end of Old Orchard Beach, 8 miles west of Portland, is the railroad station of Pine Point. The place is by many supposed to have been named from Mr. Charles Pine, one of the early settlers, while others contend that the name was suggested by the abundance of pine trees in the locality. The ocean shore in this neighborhood is neither more nor less than a low sandy plain a mile and a half in width, extending inland to the base of a series of elevated ridges known in colonial times as Blue Point Hills. From these heights the spires of Portland are distinctly visible, and during the war of 1812 a signal station was established here to give notice at Portland in case any strange vessels should be seen in the offing. Although clams are abundant everywhere in this vicinity, they are taken in greatest numbers on the flats bordering the estuaries of the Dunstan, Spirwink, Libby, and Nonesuch Rivers. The clam-beds on the Dunstan are a quarter of a mile wide, lining both sides of the stream for 2 miles from its mouth ; on the Spirwiuk they extend one and a half miles, and are only one-eighth of a mile wide; on the Libby they are a mile in length, and one-fourth of a mile across; while the Nonesuch has a belt of the same width, along either bank, 3 miles long. It will thus be seen that their total area is equal to that of a strip 7 miles long by a quarter to half a mile broad. These clam-flats are among the most important along this portion of the coast, and it is here that the well- known " Scarboro' clams", which have the reputation of being the best on the New England coast, are obtained. They have an excellent flavor, and are more attractive in appearance than those found in many places, the shells, as well as their contents, looking very white and clean. Some claim that there is danger that such immense numbers of clams will be dug that the species will ultimately become extinct in this region, where they are now so plenty. To guard against such a contingency, the following State law, which is almost wholly neglected elsewhere, is strictly enforced in the town of Scarborough. "No person shall take or destroy any shell-fish, or obstruct their growth iu their beds, unless the municipal officers of the town grant him a permit in writing, for an agreed sum for the use of the town, under a penalty of not less than twenty nor more than five hundred dollars." In this town licenses are granted for the year, beginning with April 1, to any of the resident fishermen, on the payment of a fte of 25 cents ; no one living outside of the limits of the town being allowed to engage in the fishery. A cannery was established here in 1809 by Messrs. Buruham & Morrill, of Portland, since which time a considerable quantity of clams have been packed annually. Tbe work begins in October ami continues till the end of the year. From GO to SO bushels of clams are used daily, MAINE: SAGO, KENNEBUNK, AND YORK DISTRICTS. 97 and au average of twenty-three persons, the greater part of whom are children, are employed in the work of gathering them. Besides those used by the canneries, large numbers of clams are sold during the summer to the numerous seaside hotels, and many are shipped at all seasons of the year to the Boston and Portland markets ; some are also carried to the interior by peddlers. Fifty men are employed on the various sand-flats of the town. The average annual production is about 36,000 bushels of clams iu shell, valued at upwards of $12,000. One bushel in the shell will yield a gallon and a half when shucked; but, owing to the extra labor required iu shelling them, a gallon of meats is considered equal in value to a bushel in the shell. The usual price is about 35 cents per bushel. Mr. Reuben Snow, who has given us valuable information respecting the clamming interests, informs us that there are fourteen men, owning ten dories and two small sail-boats, engaged in the shore fisheries between Wood Island arid Cape Elizabeth for six months of the year. The catch consists for the most part of ground fish, mackerel, herring, and lobsters. In the fall and winter fishing is discontinued, and the men turn their attention to clamming. SACO BAY. Saco Bay lies 15 miles south of Portland, in latitude 43, longitude 70. It extends from Prout's Neck on the north to Fletcher's Neck on the south, a distance of 5 miles. On the point of the last-named peninsula is Biddeford Pool, a place of some interest historically, which, though extensively engaged in the fisheries, is more generally known for its attractions as a summer resort. The towns of Biddeford, Saco, and Scarborough border on the bay, but the largest cities of the first two, each named after the town iu which it is located, are 8 miles inland, on opposite banks of the Saco River. From the mouth of this stream, which enters the bay at Biddeford Pool, to that of the Dunstan River, G miles to the east, the shore is one continuous sand bank. The northern part of this stretch of sand lying within the town of Scarborough is known as Pine Point, and the central portion is called Old Orchard. There are several islands in the bay, the largest of which is Wood Island, the great resort for the shore herring fleet during the months of September and October. It lies just off the entrance to Saco River, forming a natural breakwater for the protection of Biddeford Pool. On the east- ern end of the island, which is about 800 yards long, is the Wood Island Light-house, which, being provided with a red flash-light and a fog-bell, is of considerable importance to the fishermen. About 250 yards west of Wood Island is Negro Island, and 800 yards further on is an island 400 yards long, known as Stage Island, on the northeastern end of which is Stage Island Monument,, the daylight guide to the harbor of the Pool. At the month of the Saco River is a granite break- water which extends about 1,100 yards from the shore. The channel leading to the river is be- tween the monument and this breakwater, and a constantly changing sand-bar makes its naviga- tion, without the aid of a pilot, both difficult and dangerous. This bay has been the home of llsheruieu since the earliest settlements upon its banks, over two hundred and fifty years ago, and to this day the locality is noted for its abundance of herring, ground fish, lobsters, and clams; while the river was once scarcely less famed for its salmon and other fresh- water species. 48. MR. W T ILCOX'S ACCOUNT OF BIDDEFORD POOL AND ITS FISHERIES. BIDDEFOED POOL. Biddeford Pool, a settlement of several hundred inhabitants, is situated about 15 miles south of Portland, at the southern extremity of Saco Bay. The "Pool," from which the village has derived its name, is a well-sheltered haven about a mile square, connected by a narrow passage with a larger and more exposed outer harbor. It is wholly inaccessible at low 7 G R F 93 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. tide, and even at bigb water only small and medium-sized vessels, such as those usually employed in fishing and coasting, can enter. The first recorded residence of Europeans on this portion of the coast was in ihe latter part of 1C1 6. During that year an expedition, consisting of thirty-two men, under the leadership of Capt. Bichard Vines, was sent over from England by Sir Ferdinando Gorges, for the purpose of pros- pecting the territory granted to the Plymouth Company by King James ten years earlier. The company arrived in September and spent the winter at Biddeford Pool, which they christened "Winter Harbor, a name that is still retained by the outer harbor. At that time there were no whites in Massachusetts, and the nearest English neighbors were at Jamestown, Va. For much of the time during the next seven years Captain Vines and others were engaged in transporting colonists to this coast, and numerous settlements were made before the close of that period. The first settlers, we are told, derived their principal support from the sea, which furnished them not only with food, but with a ready article of barter. So absolutely dependent were they upon the fisheries that between the years 1661 and 1665 the greater part of the salary of the resident minister, Rev. Seth Fletcher, was paid in sea-products. We may add that to this day fishing has continued to-be the most important industry of the place, and that at the present time the pulpit is filled by a fisherman from Cape Porpoise. The small vessels owned at Biddeford Pool are engaged principally in fishing for ground fish along the coast between Boon Island and Cape Elizabeth. The catch is taken with hand-lines and trawls, and consists principally of cod, hake, haddock, and pollock. A portion of the fleet is engaged in the lobster fisheries during part of the year. Over 1,200 lobster-pots are fished among the islands in Saco Bay and along the outer shore. Eleven men engage in the business for ten mouths in the year, and ten more, who are employed in the capture of ground fish during the summer, go lobstering for five months. As the water grows cold in the fall, the lobsters gradually work into deeper water, and pots are set as far as seven miles southeast of Wood Island at a depth of from 30 to 50 fathoms, where individuals of large size are frequently taken. Lobsters have decreased both in number and size of late years. In 1876, sixty-five would fill a barrel, but now (1880) ninety are required. The total catch of lobsters in the town during 1879 reached 238,000 in number. Those engaged in the lobster fisheries report considerable quantities of large shrimp in the deeper waters of the vicinity. Thus far no one has engaged in their capture to any extent, and, none having been sent to market, the fishermen have very little idea of their value. If the species is abundant as represented, there is every reason to believe that a fishery will soon be developed, and that it will be found to yield large returns to those who engage in it. The bottom of the pool is covered with well-stocked clam beds, which are exposed at low tide, when, with the exception of one narrow channel, it is left entirely dry. These flats are "worked" by ten men for eight mouths in the year, and produce annually 2,600 bushels of clams, which are usually sold to the large hotels of the town or carried by peddlers to the villages of the interior. The State allows any and all fishermen to dig clams for bait whenever they desire, but by law of the town none but its own citizens are permitted to take them for sale. This law, however, is not very strictly enforced. A cannery was built here in 1868, and, with the exception of the seasons of 1872 and 1873, from 4,000 to 7.000 bushels of clams were packed annually up to 1876, when the business was discontinued. The working season lasted during October and November of each year. The supply of clams was purchased from the local fishermen at prices varying from 30 to 50 cents a bushel. For many years large schools of spawning herring have annually made their appearance in the MAINE: SACO, KENNEBUNK, AND YORK DISTRICTS. 99 vicinity of Wood Island, Cape Porpoise, and Boon Island. They arrive between the 7th aiid 20th of September and remain for two or three weeks, after which they work their way southward, often going as far as the entrance to Boston Harbor. There they are met by quite a fleet of the so-called " Irish boats" from Boston, and by numerous small vessels from Gloucester, Marblehead, Salem, and Beverly ; but although these all help to swell the total catch, the bulk of the fish are always taken off Biddel'ord Pool and vicinity. An extensive fleet of small schooners from Maine, New Hamp- shire, aud Massachusetts resorts yearly to this region, and as many as 185 sail have been seeu fishing here at one time. They take their catch with gill-nets, which are fished from dories manned by two men each. The vessels use from six to twenty nets according to their size, an average being from ten to twelve. The largest vessels carry six or seven dories and from twelve to fifteen men. The nets used are forty yards long, twenty-one feet deep, and have a mesh varying from two and a half to three inches. They are set in the afternoon and "run" or "picked" the next moruiug. The fish usually "mesh" in the night, but in exceptional instances they have been known to do so in the daytime. In this case the nets are visited twice a day. The average catch is 10 barrels to the net, although as high as 50 barrels are sometimes taken. The herring are generally marketed at Portland, where they are packed "round" ('. e., as they come from the water) in barrels filled with a salt-water pickle, The greater part are distributed through the Southern and Western States. The total quantity taken by the fleet in 1879 was 15,000 barrels, while in 1880 it was diminished to 7,500. The average annual catch is between 10,000 and 12,000 barrels. A life-saving station was established near Biddeford Pool in 1874, the captain aud crew of which are selected from the fishermen of the region. Captaiu Goldthwaite, who is in charge of the station, has shown us many courtesies and given us much valuable information about the fisheries of the place. From him and others we learn that the fleet of the town numbers ten vessels, valued at $5,750 and carrying thirty-seven men. There are, in addition, forty-eight men, with thirty boats, engaged in the capture of fish, lobsters, and clams during a greater part of the year. The value of the sea products taken by these parties during the average season is about $22,000. 49. MR. WILCOX'S ACCOUNT OF THE FISHERIES OF KENNEBUNK AND KENNE- BUNKPORT. KENNEBUNK AND KENNEBUNKPOIIT. About 25 miles south of Portland are the towns of Keunebunk and Keunebuukport. They are separated from each other by a river, at the mouth of which is a small harbor that affords shelter 1'or the boats and vessels owned in the vicinity. Two villages, known as Kennebnuk and Kennebuukport, respectively, are, with the exception of Cape Porpoise, the only settlements of importance. The people of these villages have given little attention to the fisheries, their time being largely employed in ship-building, which for many years has been their principal business, and they have won an enviable reputation for the superior quality of their work, especially in the vessels of large size. Though the business has, for some years past, been less extensive than formerly, the four ship-yards constructed, between the years 1873 and 1879, sixty-four vessels, having a total of 25,803.20 tons. Thirty-eight of these, aggregating 1,078.97 tons (including seven menhaden steamers), were for the fisheries. A number of other fishing vessels, too small for enrollment, have been built here. The few boat-fishermen of these towns fish from April to November along the outer shore aud in Wells Bay, using hand-Hues and trawls for ground fish, and nets for mackerel and herring. About one-third of the ground-fish taken are cod ; the rest are mostly hake and haddock, the 100 GEOGRAPHICAL HE VIEW OF THE FISHERIES. proportion of cusk and pollock being rather small. Most of the catch is marketed at Portland. The value of the fish taken in 1879, including the mackerel and herring, was about $3,000. Clams are found in considerable numbers on both sides of the river for a mile and a half from its mouth. About 500 bushels are dug during the season, some of which are used for bait by the fishermen, and others are distributed by peddlers through the surrounding country. Lobsters arc caught near the mouth of the river, and four hundred pots are set for them during the spring and summer, the fishing being discontinued during the winter. The catch in 1879 amounted to thirty- eight thousand in number, valued at $2,280. CAPE PORPOISE. Three miles east of Kenuebunkport is the little settlement of Cape Porpoise, which belongs to the town of Kenuebunkport. The ground in the neighborhood is exceedingly rocky, and the soil is quite poor. The inhabitants being thus debarred from the pursuit of agri- culture must turn their attention to other employments, and according to Mr. S. H. Pinkhain, who has furnished us with much valuable information, nearly all of the men and boys are engaged in fishing. The harbor, although difficult of entrance, is otherwise well adapted for the small vessels and boats which are used in the fisheries of the region. A dozen schooners, varying from 8 to 32 tons each, are registered at the custom-house, aud an equal number of smaller craft, measuring from 3 to 5 tons, with twenty-eight dories, are owned in the village. Including the vessel-fishermen, there are at the Cape one hundred and seventeen men and boys who depend chiefly on the fisheries for a livelihood. The fishing is confined largely to trawling for ground-fish in Wells Bay and along the shore from Boon Island to Cape Elizabeth, only one vessel going as far as Banquereau for codfish. Herring are usually plenty, in September or October, just outside the harbor, where they are taken in considerable numbers. The fishermen also engage largely in the herring fisheries of Wood Island. Little attention is given to the capture of mackerel, though a few are taken with nets in the fall. About one-fifth of the ground-fish taken by the fleet are cod, the remainder being principally hake and haddock. During the winter months, when few fish are taken, some of the men turn their attention to the capture of lobsters, while others resort to the harbor flats for clams. About 2,000 bushels of the latter are dug annually for bait aud food. From 1,200 to 1,400 lobster-pots are fished within 4 miles of the harbor at this season, the usual method being to set them on trawls containing 50 or GO each. In the spring, when the fishery is at its height, 2,000 pots are often used. An average catch for a season is, at present, about thirty-five thousand lobsters in number, though formerly it is said to have been much larger. 50. MR. WILCOX'S DESCRIPTION OF THE FISHERIES BETWEEN WELLS AND KITTERY. WELLS. Thirty six miles southwest from Portland, in Wells Bay, are situated the fishing stations of Wells Beach, Perkins Cove, and Ogunquit Harbor, all included in the town of Wells. The beach is C miles long, the eastern half being sandy while the western part is broken and rocky. The harbor being exposed aud shallow, few vessels are owned here, and most of the fishing, according to Mr. S. S. Perkins, to whom we are indebted for the facts given below, is carried on from small sail-boats of from 13 to 20 foot keel. These are provided with movable masts; they carry from one to two men each. Twenty-five of the fishermen live at Wells Beach, the most northerly of the stations mentioned, twenty others reside at Ogunquit, on the southwest, while fifty-five belong to Perkins Cove, which is situated midway between the other two. The total fleet of the town is seventy-five boats, manned by one hundred fislierinen. MAINE: SACO, KENNEBUNK, AND YOEK DISTRICTS. 101 The fishing is cbiefly with baud-lines ami trawls between Cape Porpoise and Nubble Light, wbicb are about S miles apart. The men continue the work, whenever the weather is favorable, throughout the entire year, cod being the principal species taken in the winter, bake in the fall, and haddock in the spring. Mackerel, also, arc captured in their season by means of hand-lines and gill-nets; and herring and menhaden are often taken in considerable numbers to be used as bait in the other branches of the fishery. lhe total catch, including the various edible and non- edible species, amounted in 1879 to 2.930,000 pounds of round fish. About one-half of the catch, exclusive of herring and menhaden, is cured and sold in Boston or Gloucester, and the remainder is purchased by peddlers and by the various dealers of the interior towns of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Lobsters have not been very plenty for several years, but many are still caught, both with pots and with the old-fashioned hoop-net. The latter consists of an iron ring, 2 feet in diameter, covered with netting. When it is to be fished, the bait is fastened in the middle, and the whole is lowered through the water to the bottom, its position being marked by a wooden buoy, which floats at the surface. About 250 of these simple traps and 75 of the common lath pots are used. The catch amounts to about 7,000 lobsters annually. Clams are found in large numbers along the shore near the mouths of the Ogunquit and Webhannet Rivers. One hundred and twenty-five men are employed in digging them during nine months of the year, or from September to the following June. One man will get about 4 bushels in a day; but, on account of unfavorable tides and bad weather, the average number of working days to a month is only 10. It is estimated by Mr. Perkins, and others, that 72,000 bushels were dug during the season of 1879-'SO. A large proportion of the clams are used as bait by the local fishermen, and tke remainder are sold to peddlers from the inland towns. Prior to 1874 vessels for fishing and coasting were built at Wells, to some extent, but since that date the business in this line has been confined wholly to the construction of the small sail- boats to be used in the shore fisheries; during the season of 1879 sixty-five of these were made by- one firm. CAPE NEDDOCK. The village of Cape Neddock, including the little settlement of Donald's Cove, has twenty-one men engaged in the fisheries during six months of the year. These devote their attention to the capture of cod, hake, and haddock, with hand-Hues and trawls, in Wells Bay and other neighboring fishing grounds; but from April to July a number of them engage in the lobster fisheries. The catch of lobsters, which amounts to 21,000 in number, is sold in Boston, while the cod and other species are marketed at Portsmouth and Cape Ann. There were no fishing vessels from this place during 1879, though two or three small craft are usually owned in the locality. YOEK. The port of York, 12 miles to the northwest of Portsmouth, N. H., has a history of considerable interest, for it is said to have been the first English city incorporated on this continent. A charter from King James I, in 1C06, embraced the province of Maine as far north as the forty- fifth parallel of latitude, and supplies were sent out from England, as early as 1G1G, to the colonists who had settled under its provisions at various points along the coast from Saco to the Piscataqua River. In 1020 the Plymouth Company received a new grant, extending north to the forty-eighth parallel, and covering the entire province of Maine. Three years later, the first permanent settle- ment at the place where York now stands was made, under the auspices of Sir Ferdiuando Gorges, a friend of Charles I; though it seems probable that English subjects had resided in the vicinity prior to that date. On the 3d of April, 1039 (the charter of the Plymouth Company having been previously revoked), the territory lying between the Piscataqua and Keunebec Rivers was bestowed 102 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. upon Sir Feriliuando, who thus became sole proprietor of the towu. It was probably Gorges's influence at court which secured its incorporation as a city, under the name of Gorgeana, on the first of May, 1G11. On the 25tli day of the March following the issuance of the city charter, Thomas Gorges, a relative of the proprietor, was chosen as the first mayor. The descendants of some of the aldermen elected at the same time still live in the place. In 1652, as a result of the difficulties between the King and Parliament, the colonial possessions of Sir Ferdinando were transferred to the Massachusetts Bay Company, which abrogated the charter of the city of Gorgeana and changed the name of the town to that by which it is now known. Coining down to the last century, we find the port with its custom-house, and with quite a fleet engaged in trade with the West Indies and other foreign countries, together with numerous vessels employed in the fisheries. Its maritime importance is, however, wholly a thing of the past, for otber neighboring ports have long since absorbed its commerce, and the fisheries have gradually declined until at the present time one vessel of over 20 tons burden, together with several large sail-boats and a few dories, comprise the entire fishing fleet of the town. These are used by the fishermen in the capture of cod and other ground-fish, which they take with trawl and line on Jeffries' Banks, off Boon Island, and along the shore. Clams are dug on both sides of the York River for a mile and a half from its mouth, and about 2,375 bushels are taken annually, of which the greater part are sold to peddlers and sent to the interior; but of late years the species is said to have decreased in abundance. Lobsters are trapped among the rocky ledges near the harbor from April to the middle of July. The catch has been small for a number of years, amounting in 1879 to only 20,000 lobsters, and those taken have been of inferior size. The same is said to be true for many other places along the coast of Maine, the cause of it usually being given by the residents as over-fishing. With the present State law, which forbids the canning of lobsters between the mouth of August and the following April of each year, rigidly enforced, a decided improvement may be expected. KITTERY. The old town of Kittery is situated directly opposite New Castle, N. H., on the north side of the Piscataqua River. At the present time it has forty-seven men engaged in fishing and lobsteriug during the summer months, or from March to November. Two large weirs are located on the outer beach, and a third one in the mouth of the river. During the season of 1879 there were taken from these weirs 180 barrels of mackerel, 325 barrels of herring, 100 barrels of alewives, and 1,740 barrels of menhaden, the whole having a value of over $3,000. Other species, including tautog, scup, and salmon, were taken, but in such limited quantities that they may be wholly neglected. Salmon were formerly quite abundant in the river, but they gradually disappeared until, for fifteen years prior to 1878, none were seen. Since that time a few have been secured. The catch of salmon in 1880, for the three weirs mentioned, amounted to nineteen good-sized fish, taken during the mouths of April and May. Two small schooners and twenty-three boats are owned by the fishermen, who engage to a considerable extent in fishing for different species along the shore. The catch in 1879, exclusive of those taken in the weirs, amounted to 525,000 pounds offish, valued at $5,250, and 18,000 lob- sters, worth $900. II. THE FISHERIES OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. By W. A. WILCOX. ANALYSIS. A. REVIKW OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND ITS FISHERIES: 51. General description with statistics. B. PORTSMOUTH AND VICINITY: 52. The fisheries of Portsmouth and neighboring towns. C. THE ISLES OF SHOALS : 53. The Isles of Shoals as a fishing station. 103 T n. THE FISHERIES OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. A. REVIEW OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND ITS FISHERIES. 51. GENERAL DESCRIPTION WITH STATISTICS. THE COAST LINE AND THE FISHERIES. New Hampshire has an area of about 9,491 square miles, yet its only coast line is a short stretch of 18 miles wedged in between Maine and Massachu- setts. In this limited space, there are some small coves tor fishing vessels, but the only harbor for ships or the larger class of fishing vessels is that of Portsmouth, near the entrance of Piscataqua River. The ocean shore is mostly a sandy beach backed by salt marshes, and near the mouth of the river are some clam flats. A few miles off the coast in Ipswich Bay are the well-known Isles of Shoals which in years gone by were quite important as a fishing station, but now given over to summer hotels. The entire coast and islands are included in one customs district, with Portsmouth as the port of entry. This is the principal city in the State, both in population and in commercial importance. The other places where fisheries are carried on are Exeter, New Market, New Castle, and the Isles of Shoals. The inhabitants of the coast towns of New Hampshire have for very many years given atten- tion to the fisheries as a means of support and profit. As early as 1623, " The Company of Lacouia," organized by merchants from the west of England, obtained patents for a large tract of country, including portions of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. This company established fish- ing stations in New Hampshire, on the Piscataqua River near Dover, and at Odiorue's Point. At Portsmouth a considerable foreign trade was carried on about a hundred years ago, and the bank fisheries for cod claimed much attention. According to Belkuap*, the fishery at Piscataqua and its neighborhood, for the year 1791, not including the fisheries at the Isles of Shoals, employed in the cod and scalefish fishery 27 schooners and 20 boats, measuring 030 tons, and 250 seamen. The products of the New Hampshire fisheries for the year 1791, including the fisheries of the Isles of Shoals, were 5,170 quintals merchantable fish, 14,217 quintals Jamaica fish, and 0,463 quintals scale fish; making the total, 25,850 quintals. The success of the fishery that season was uncommonly good. An estimate of the total number of seamen belonging to New Hampshire in the same year states that there were 500 in foreign trade, 50 in coasting trade, and 250 in the fisheries. Some of the seamen who in summer were employed in the fishery, were in the winter engaged in the coasting business or in foreign voyages. The number of entries of vessels at Piscataqua in the coasting trade and cod fishery during the year ended October 1, 1791, was 50, and the tonnage was 1,166 tons. TCHE FISHERIES FROM 1S67 TO 1879. From the records of the custom-house it appears that the fishing fleet of the Portsmouth district has at times numbered as high as from 100 to 125 sail. * Belknap's History of New Hampshire. Boston : 1792. Vol. III. 105 106 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. There is no record of the value of the products prior to 1SG7. The returns from 1867 to 1879, as given by the collector of the port to the Bureau of Statistics, show the quantity and value of the different kinds of fish handled by Portsmouth dealers, and includes fish brought from the small fishing stations of Kittery and New Castle at the mouth of the harbor. Fishery products of Portsmouth Customs District, 1867-1879. Tears. Codfish, cured. Mackerel, cured. Herring, cured. Other fish, cured. Oysters. Other shell- fish. Fresh fish not shell-fish. Oils, other than whale. All other products of the fisheries. Total value of all prod- ucts. Quantity. o 1 > ^> a I Value. Quantity. Value. Quantity. d 1 > Quantity. * 1 o B l> Quantity. o p > Quantity. Value. cj j= > 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 .... 1876 1877 1878 .... 1879 Cwt. 2,236 2,505 11,415 12,125 7,450 8,100 14, 356 12, 480 12, 664 15,710 8,425 25, 049 16, 891 Dulls. 11,706 12, 537 72, 497 70, 900 31,950 50, 250 65, 600 159,881 59, 072 55, 115 38, 366 79, 256 58, 093 Cwt. 20 164 4,640 8,830 7,130 3,600 403, 850 20, 170 6,024 15, 29,i 3,450 7,900 13, 100 Dolls. 160 1,423 33,411 52, 400 35, 20C 16, 500 67, 500 104, 360 49, 120 00, 024 14, 575 17, 700 31, 475 Cwt. 2,474 6" 3,300 4,140 1,978 Dolls. 6,536 210 7,750 9,910 3,956 Cwt. 12, 067 15, 988 7,512 4,245 7,900 6,550 6,770 10, 145 5,240 G, 136 2,602 4,892 5,039 Dolls. 34,010 60, 023 22, 410 10, 660 20, 637 20, 400 18,810 26, 657 14, 500 16, 895 4,723 9,856 10, 573 Bush. 5,500 3,500 14, 200 13, 500 11, 500 12, 400 5,700 Dolls. 3,300 5,100 8,520 8,425 6,900 7,680 3,400 Dolls. 950 2,000 1,800 2,950 3,200 1,400 2,050 Lbs. 630, 806 1, 153, 147 1,400,791 1, 733, 922 1, 437, 851 I, 602, 009 2, 329, 525 2, 001, 775 1, 888, 868 2, 389, 067 3, 423, 758 3,785,815 3, 592, 531 Dolls. 13, 875 26, 231 35, 719 43, 978 33, 244 48, 883 69, 755 64, 762 56, 531 48, 224 59, 485 44, 167 44, 264 Gall. 5,016 9,441 11,679 12, 508 9,294 15, 733 12, 890 1,120 12, 886 6,540 6,938 5, 90d 6,420 Dolls. 3,316 7,126 9,668 8,808 8,006 14, 153 9,492 650 8,103 3,008 3,996 2, 72:. 1,614 Dolls. Dolls. 73, 853 114,630 191,775 208, 031 143, 093 159, 266 238, 357 358, 042 193, 459 1(10, 980 135, 470 159, 180 165, 210 130 380 933 1,235 575 172 2,538 3,040 1,175 1,560 1,895 2,017 5,190 770 1,736 1,700 DOO 9,135 80 16, 055 1,056 1,100 1,656 1,400 6,600 2,970 THE OYSTER INDUSTRY. Mr. Ernest lugersoll reports as follows concerning the oyster iu-lustry of this district: "A few miles up from the mouth of the river Piscataqua, and the harbor of the city of Ports- mouth, 1ST. H., an extensive bay reaches southward from the river into the lowlands. It is divided into two portions: first, Little Bay, nearest the river, and second, Great Bay, with which the former is connected by Furber's Straits, where Durham River comes in. A portion of Great Bay, on the eastern side, is also known as Greenland Bay; and two rivers flow into it (the Exeter and Lamprey), besides a multitude of trout-brooks. This interior basin is perhaps 10 miles long and 5 to 7 wide, but the shores are very irregular. It is so shallow that a large portion of the shores are left as dry flats at every low tide, yet there are channels deep enough to allow large vessels to go up to New Market and Exeter, when the water is favorable. This spot was renowned among the Indians for the oysters living there, and considerable shell-heaps attest the constant use made of the bivalves. Whatever might have been its resources a century or half a century ago, it is certain that within more recent times the locality was forgotten, or at least made no account of, as oyster-ground, by the large population that inhabited the shores. It was therefore looked upon almost as an original discovery when, in 1874, the explorations of the Coast Survey, which was sounding and mapping out the channels, showed that there were oyster-beds still flourishing at many points from one end of the bay to the other ; that is, in Great Bay, for none, to my knowl- edge, have ever been found in the outer Little Bay. There were no tools proper for the gathering of oysters in the neighborhood, and very little was done at first to make the knowledge gained available. There lived in New Market, however, an old Chesapeake oysterman by the name of Albert Tibbetts, who sent to Providence for oyster- tongs, procured boats, and began raking in earnest. Others imitated his example, and the following year witnessed great activity. For several mouths, I was told, there were probably a dozen boats, with two or three men iu each boat, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND ITS FISHERIES. 107 raking every day, the average take being about five bushels to the man. They used not ouly tongs and rakes, but used also dredges. In the winter, also, they would cut long holes in the ice, and dredge the beds by horse-power, stripping them completely. It was seen that this rash and wholesale destruction would speedily exterminate the mollusks, and laws were passed by the State forbidding the use of the dredge under all circumstances, making the mouths of June, July, and August 'close time,' and forbidding fishing through the ice at any time. The last regulation was the greatest help of all, for the ice-rakers would not throw back the d6bris of dead shells, but pile it on the ice, where the hundreds of young oysters attached to it would freeze to death. But these beneficent restrictions came too late, and the business of oystering has steadily declined, until now only two or three boats keep up a desultory search for profitable beds, and a bushel and a half a day is considered good work for each man. Only seven or eight persons were engaged during the summer of 1S79, and these not all of their time. All unite in ascribing the decline of the industry to over-raking of the beds, and feel disposed to pray for a law forbidding any raking whatever during several years, in order to give the oysters a chance to recuperate their depleted ranks. The beds, as I have said, are all in Great Bay. They occupy the channels at various points, and are each of considerable extent. There are perhaps a dozen well-known localities or clusters of beds. These are mainly situated in Greenland Bay, near Nannie's Island, along the Stratham Channel, up Exeter River to some distance beyond the bridge of the Concord Railroad, in the Little Channel near by, and up Lamprey and Durham Rivers. The chief raking now is done off Nannie's Island. The average of the water on the beds is hardly more than 10 feet deep, and it is pretty fresh. The tide- way, as a rule, is strong, and the bottom tough, clayey mud. The oysters are very large. I heard of specimens 15 inches long, and those of 9 and 10 are common. One man told me of a single specimen procured in 1877 which weighed 3 pounds 1 ounce in the shell, the fleshy part alone weighing 1 pound 1 ounce. These large ones, however, all have the appearance of extreme age, and are heavy, rough, sponge-eaten, and generally dead, though the ligament still holds the two valves of the shell together. In taste, this oyster is flat and rather insipid, which is laid to the too great freshness of the water. It takes a large quantity of them to ' open' a gallon of solid meat, a bushel not yielding more than two to two and a half quarts. As a consequence, there has not been a very great demand for them, though all that can be got now are readily disposed of. Formerly the price was $1 a bushel in New Market, where they were chiefly bought; but in 1879, 80 cents was the price. No culture of these or of imported oysters has ever been tried here, and the chances are against success." In New Hampshire there are three wholesale oyster dealers; and the business of those dealers, together with the oyster business in other parts of the State, is summed up by Mr. Ingersoll as follows: Number of wholesale dealers 3 Number of men fishing in summer for natives 6 Number of vessels and sail-boats engaged - 5 Value of same $300 Number of restaurant servants 6 Annual earnings of same $2,500 Total number of persons supported -- 25 Annual sales of I. Native oysters bushels.. 1,000 Value of same - $800 II. Chesapeake "plants" , bushels.. 7,000 Value of same $~, 000 III. Fancy stock bushels.. 800 Value of same SI, 000 IV. Value of Norfolk "opened stock" .- .?l,00(l Total value of oysters sold annually "9- ^"0 108 GEOGEAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. PRESENT EXTENT OF THE FISHERIES. The various fisheries engaged iu by the New Hampshire fishing fleet of twenty-three vessels are for the capture of cod aud other ground fish on the Grand and Western Banks and the New England coast, and the mackerel fishery in the Gulf of Maine. These vessels with their gear and outfit, including boats and nets, are valued at about $107,000. In the shore fisheries for alewives, herring, cod, and other species, and lobsters and clams, there are employed one hundred and seventeen boats, valued, with their nets, traps, and other gear, at $12,000. The capital iu wharves, buildings, and other shore property, and the active cash capital, amounts to $89,800, making the total capital invested in the fisheries of the State $209,465. The total number of persons employed is four hundred and fourteen and the value of the products in first hands is $176,684. STATISTICS OF THE FISHERIES OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR 1880. The following statements show in detail the extent of the fisheries iu this State : Summary statement of pirsons imploycd and eajnlal invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 207 169 38 $100, 895 12, 770 89, 800 Number o ess Number of curers, packers, fitters, and factory -bands Total 414 209, 465 Detailed statement of capital infested in vessels, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear and out- tit, exclusive of boats and nets. Total value. Nets aud traps. No. Value. Veseeli. 23 1, 019. 05 $51. 500 $43, 005 $94, 505 Nets. Gill-nets: 125 1 500 oa s. 14 7 700 117 4,590 4,590 In shore fisheries 94 3,190 4,610 7,800 Total 160 9,470 Total 211 7,780 4,610 ]:!, 390 Traps. 1 800 1 800 Total 1,810 3,300 Detailed statement of the quantities and rallies of the products. Products specified. Pounds, flesh. Pounds, prepared. Bnlk. Value. Grand total 10. 400, 294 $176, 684 Fresh fall. 4 395 134 C3, 575 For bait and fertilizers 200, 000 1,000 barrels 375 Total 4, 595, 134 63, 950 Cured flih. Dry fish 2 794 210 1 066,700 33, 920 Pickled fish 2, 573, 350 1,741.400 48, 434 Total 5, 367, 560 2, 808, 101) 82. 354 NEW HAMPSHIEE: PORTSMOUTH AND VICINITY. Detailed statement of the quantities and rahies of the products Continued. 109 Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value. Shellfish. 250, 000 $7 500 Claras 179, 600 17,900 bushels 8 980 8,000 1, 000 bushels aO 050 Total 437 600 22 530 Miscellaneous. Fish oil ..... .... 8 900 "aliens 6 500 Fish sounds 1,500 1,350 Total 7 850 rt Includes $5,250 enhancement in value of southern oysters. NOTE. The proportion of different species included in the fresli and cured fish is estimated as follows: Alewives, 425,000 pounda; cod, 5,447.597 pounds; cusk, 38,000 pounds; haddock, 044,347 pounds; bake, 397,500 pounds; halibut, 25,000 pounds; herring, 108,750 pounds; mackerel, 2,573,000 pounds; pollock, 75,500 pounds; swordfish, 20,000 pounds; mixed fish, 208,000 pounds. B. PORTSMOUTH AND VICINITY. 52. THE FISHERIES OF PORTSMOUTH AND NEIGHBORING TOWNS. PRESENT CONDITION OP THE FISHERIES OF PORTSMOUTH. Although New Hampshire has but one port of entry, yet this one is among the most important on the New England coast and possesses much of iiiterest for its historic connections, as well as for its present commercial importance. It is situated on the Piscataqua River, 3 miles from its outlet into the ocean and 57 miles by rail northeast from Boston. The harbor is easy of access, has water enough at all times for the largest vessels, is well sheltered, and since the earliest settlement of the country has been a favorite harbor of refuge for coasting vessels. The river, which is the boundary between Maine and New Hampshire, has seven fathoms of water as far as 5 miles from its month. A swift current prevents its freezing or being blocked. There are numerous islands in the river both above and below the city. The following islands lie between Portsmouth and the river's mouth. Those belonging to New Hampshire are Leache's, Snuff Box, Oliver's or Goat, Shapleigh's or Jenkins's, Pierce's, Four- tree, and Salter's. Those within the limits of Maine are Seavey's, Clark's, Fishing, Pebble's, Gerrish, Cntt's, Moore's, and Fernald's or Navy-yard. At the mouth of the river are Wood, White, Horn, and Little Horn Islands. Two of the islands below Portsmouth and three wharves at the city are devoted to the fishing industry. There is no direct foreign trade and but a small fleet of vessels compared with past years, yet the fisheries are at present on the increase. The vessels now engaged, though fewer in number than formerly, are of larger size, and with a prosperous season oue vessel well equipped with the improved apparatus of capture will secure as large a catch as was once taken by several vessels of small size with the old methods of fishing. The nearness of Portsmouth to the best fishing grounds and to the great fish distributing centers of New England, a fine harbor, and the improved facilities for the capture and care of fish, all tend to the favorable development of the business. The large vessels engage in the Grand Bank, Western Bank, and New England shore cod fisheries and io the mackerel fishery, trawls being mostly used in the former and purse-seines exclusively in the latter fishery. The small wherries used by the boat-fishermen are usually 110 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. schooner-rigged, and with a crew of one or two men are employed in trawl and hand-line fishing off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. This fishing is carried on for about six months of the year, and most of the catch is sold to Portsmouth dealers. Lobster-pots are set around the ledges at the mouth of the harbor from Kittery, Me., to Odiorue's Point. The lobsters are mostly sold at Portsmouth, and distributed, boiled or alive, through the adjacent towns. A small part of the catch goes to Boston market. A State law pro- hibiting the capture of small lobsters is well observed, the lobsters being of very good size, though of late years not very abundant. As in other New England fishing ports, the fishermen of Ports- mouth are accustomed to save the livers of fish for the manufacture of fish-oil. The firm of Mar- vin Brothers is engaged in the preparation of crude and medicinal cod-oil, and during the year 1879 produced 150 barrels of the former and 120 barrels of the latter grade of oil. According to the census report on the oyster industry, by Ernest Ingersoll, published in 1881, " there are only two dealers in Portsmouth who trade in oysters by wholesale and at first hand. They each send a schooner to Virginia in April, the voyage lasting about three weeks, and bring a load of 2,300 to 2,600 bushels each. Nearly the same course is pursued here as in Boston. Tbe captain is given sufficient money to probably fill his vessel, and told to do the best he can with it ; but he is not given a rate of freight per bushel, as in Portland, but hired at a given sum, which, in 1878, was $425. This amounts, however, to about the same thing as the 18 cents a bushel paid for freight to Portland and Boston. All these 5,000 bushels of oysters are bedded down on the banks of the river in Portsmouth Harbor, a mile or so below the city, where the ebb-tide leaves them nearly dry. They last through to the middle of October, with the help of a few 'fancy' oysters from New York for the retail-counter. The cost per bushel of these oysters, as delivered in the establishment, varies from 40 to 50 cents, and the average selling price, at wholesale, is 75 cents. u In the winter no vessels come from Virginia, and all supplies are drawn from Norfolk by steamer to Boston, and thence by rail, or, in emergency, by buying in Boston or Portland. These are almost wholly opened oysters, in barrels and kegs. Not more than 1,000 bushels, all told, are supposed to come into Portsmouth during the winter, in the shell. These cost 50 to GO cents. Of the others, I could get nothing better than estimates from each dealer, which, added together, give about 45 barrels, or 1,350 gallons, as the combined importation. Perhaps 150 gallons more come from Boston, in emergencies. The whole consumption of Portsmouth, then, seems to cost about as follows : Oysters iu vessels, 5,000 bushels $3,500 Oysters in shell, otherwise 500 Oysters opened (about) 750 Oysters, fancy and extra (about) 750 4,500 " The oyster establishments 'employ G men, paid from $G to $15 per week. In all, 25 persons are supported by the trade. No planting has ever been done at Portsmouth, and even those bedded down in the harbor show little growth of shell or body. To supply Dover, N. H., a few miles above, about 2,000 bushels of Chesapeake oysters are brought up each spring and laid down in Cocheco River, near the town. A proportionate winter supply comes by rail." The fishing industry of Portsmouth in 1879 employed twenty-four vessels and thirty-five boats. Some 200 7nen were engaged in fishing, while about 30 men worked ashore in curing and packing the catch. The total capital invested in the business was about $200,000, and the value of the NEW HAMPSHIRE: PORTSMOUTH AND VICINITY. HI product iu first hands was about $150,000. The catch consisted of bank and shore codfish and other ground fisb, mackerel, herring, and shell fish. NEW CASTLE, EXETER, NEW MARKET, ASD SEABROOK. New Castle is at the month of the Piscataqna River, three miles east of Portsmouth. At the present time, as for more thau two hundred and fifty years, the few inhabitants are mostly engaged m fishing, setting their trawls and lobster-pots near home off the coasts of Maine, and New Hampshire. Their catch consists mainly of cod, hake, haddock, and lobsters, and is marketed at Portsmouth. With the exception of one small vessel of 22 tons, the fishing is carried on from dories or small wherries of sloop or schooner rig. The fishing is mostly done from April till the latter part of November. The amount of capital invested in the fisheries at this place is about $2,000; the number of men employed is forty-four; and the value of the catch is $10,000. Exeter is 12 miles and New Market 10 miles from Portsmouth, on the Exeter River. During the months of May and June ten weirs are employed in securing the alewives that come up the Piscataqna into the Exeter River. The average yearly catch is 2,500 barrels, but has fallen short the past two years. In 1879 it was about 2,000 barrels, and was disposed of at Portsmouth. There are forty men employed and $3,000 capital invested iu the fisheries at those two towns. Seabrook is on the road from Portsmouth to Newburyport, about 1C miles from the former and C miles from the latter place. This town has been for over seventy-five years the chief place of manufacture for that peculiar class of fishing boat known as the "straight boat," or "Hamp- ton boat.'' An account of this industry will be found in the chapter on boats and vessels. C. THE ISLES OF SHOALS. 53. THE ISLES OF SHOALS AS A FISHING STATION. DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLANDS AND PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES. The Isles of Shoals is a group of rocky islands, eight iu number, situated 9 miles southeast from Portsmouth light-house and 21 miles northeast from Newburyport light. The State line of Maine and New Hampshire passes through the group. On some of the islands not a blade of grass can be seen, while others have little patches of grass here and there. There is not a tree on any of the group and the largest vegetation is a few whortleberry bushes. The principal islands, their respective names and sizes are: Appledore, formerly Hog Island, about 350 acres; Star, 150 acres; Haley's, or Smutty Nose, 100 acres. With but few exceptions, these three islands are the home of the small resident population of the group. The other barren ledges, with here and there the solitary house of a lone fisherman or the light-house keeper, are named Cedar, White, Loudoimers, Malaga, and Duck Islands. Quite a good harbor, and the only secure one, opens to the westward, with Smutty Nose Island to the northeast, Star Island to the southwest, and Cedar Island southeast. These islands were discovered by the famous Capt. John Smith, in 1614, and named after himself the "Smith Isles"; but they did not long retain his name, for in a deed from the Indian sagamores to John Wheelright and others, in 1C29, they are called the "Isles of Shoals." From 1800 to 1880 there has been no record of the number of men engaged, or the extent of the fishing industry. Mr. L. B. Caswell, the leading fish dealer, who was born and has lived here over fifty years, reports that during his recollection quite an extensive business in fish has been 112 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. done ; much more than at the present time. During 1872, there were 33 boats fishing from Star Island. That year Star and Appledore Islands were sold for hotel purposes, and large summer hotels were built, which are yearly crowded with guests during the summer mouths, giving the islands a lively appearance. This inroad of tourists has, however, driven the fishermen away from the two leading islands. "Twenty years ago," wrote Celia Thaxter in 1873, "Star Island cove was charming with its tumble-down fish houses, and ancient cottages with low, shelving roofs, and porches covered with the golden lichen that so loves to embroider old weather-worn wood. Now there is not a vestige of those dilapidated buildings to be seen; almost everything is white and square and new; and they have even cleaned out the cove, and removed the great accumulation of fish-bones which made the beach so curious." The fisheries of the islands in 1880 were carried on by thirty-five men, who owned a small schooner and twenty small sail or lapstreak boats. The catch consists of ground fish, herring, mackerel, and lobsters. The capital invested amounts to about $2,600, and the value of the products is about $8,000. Most of the fish are sold in Gloucester and Boston, though in the summer season the hotels take a considerable quantity. III. THE FISHERIES OF MASSACHUSETTS. By A. HOWARD CLARK. MATERIAL FOR WHALE FISHERY AND FOR GLOUCESTER DISTRICT GATHERED BY A. HOWARD CLARK; FOR NEWBURYPORT, SALEM, MARBLEHEAD, BOSTON, PLYMOUTH, NEW BEDFORD, AND FALL RIVER DISTRICTS, BY W, A. WILCOXj FOR BARNSTABLE, NANTUCKET, AND EDGARTOWN DISTRICTS, BY F. W. TRUE. ANALYSIS. A. THE COAST OF MASSACHUSETTS AND ITS FISHERIES: 54. Outline and present condition of the fish- eries. E5. History of Massachusetts fisheries. B. THK DISTRICT OFNF.WBURYPORT: 56. Review of the district. 57. The fisheries of Newbury port and Ipswich. C. THK DISTRICT OF GLOUCESTER: 58. Review of the district. 59. The fisheries of Essex and Rockport. 60. Gloucester and its fishery industries. 61. The fisheries of Manchester. D. THK DISTRICT OF SALEM AND BEVERLY: 62. Review of the district. 6!i. The fisheries of Beverly and Salem. E. THE DISTRICT OF MARBLEHEAD: G4. Review of the district. 65. Marhlehead, Swampseott, Nahant, and Lynn. F. THK DISTRICT OF BOSTON: 66. Review of the fishing interests of Boston district. 67. Boston and its fishery industries. 63. Medford, Braintrei', and Qnincy. OS). Fishing towns from Wcy month to Cohasset. G. THE DISTRICT OF PLYMOUTH : 70. General review of the district. 71. Scituate and Duxbury. 72. Plymouth and its fisheries. H. THE DISTRICT OF BARNSTABLE : 73. Review of the fisheries of Cape Cod. 74. Provincetown and its fisheries. 75. Truro and Wellfleet. 76. Fishing towns from Eastham to Dennis. 77. The fisheries of Yarmouth and Barnstable. 78. The fisheries of Sandwich and Falmouth. I. THE DISTRICT OF NANTUCKET: 79. General review of the district. 80. Nantucket and its fisheries. .1. THK DISTRICT OF EDGARTOWN: 81. Review of the fisheries of the district. 82. Martha's Vineyard. 8:5. No Man's Land and its fisheries. 84. The Elizabeth Isles. K. THE DISTRICT OF NEW BEDFORD: 85. General review of New Bedford district. 86. Agawam to Fairhaven. 87. New Bedford to Westport. L. THE DISTRICT OF FALL RIVER: 88. General review of the district. 69. The fisheries of Fall River. 90. The oyster interests of Tannton River and vicinity. 113 8 G E F T in. THE FISHERIES OF MASSACHUSETTS. A. THE COAST OF MASSACHUSETTS AND ITS FISHERIES. 54. OUTLINE AND PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES. Massachusetts is the center of the sea-fisheries of the United States. From here arc carried on all the various branches of the bank and shore cod, haddock, and halibut fisheries, the mackerel fishery, menhaden and whale fisheries, lobster, oyster, clam, aud other fisheries; and numerous industries related to them have their headquarters here. The coast of the State possesses excellent harbors aud peculiar facilities for carrying on an extensive maritime business. For more than two hundred and fifty years the bays have abounded in fish of many kinds, and the inhabitants have looked to the sea as a means of support. Cape Cod, "the right arm of the State," has always been the home of hardy fishermen, and Cape Ann, on the northern side of Massachusetts Bay, is the headquarters of the largest fishing fleet belonging to any port in the country. For convenience the coast towns are divided into eleven districts, corresponding to the eleven customs districts of the State. Commencing at the New Hampshire line, the first district is that of Newburyport, which includes the towns of Newburyport aud Ipswich. Next in geographical order is the Gloucester district, embracing Essex, Rockport, Gloucester, and Manchester. The Salem district conies next, and includes Beverly and Salem. The other districts are Marblehead, including Marblehead, Swampscott, Nahant, and Lynn ; Boston, including towns from Boston to Cohasset on the south shore of Massachusetts Bay; Plymouth, embracing Scituate, Duxbtiry, Kingston, and Plymouth; Barustable, including Provincetown and other places in Barustable County; Nautucket, embracing the fisheries of Nantncket Island; Edgartown, including Martha's Vineyard, No Man's Laud, and the Elizabeth Isles; New Bedford, embracing all towns from Wareham to Westport; and the Fall River district, which embraces the fisheries of the Tauntou and adjacent rivers, and in which is included the fishery for shad in the Connecticut River at Holyoke. In the early history of the colonies, whales were abundant near shore and were easily captured by small boats. Later, as they became scarce inshore, they were pursued by vessels, and in time the whaling grounds extended to all parts of the world. The whaling fleet in the United States was largest in 1S4G, when 122 vessels were engaged in that business. Of this number 470 were owned in seventeen ports of Massachusetts, and the rest in towns of other New England States, New York, aud Delaware. New Bedford owned 256, Nantucket 74, Fairhaven 48, and other towns from 1 to 23 sail. The fleet in the United States on January 1, 1880, numbered 170 sail, owned as follows: New Bedford, 125; Provincetown, 19; Boston, 5; Dartmouth, 2; Marion, 2; Westport, 3, and Edgartown G making a total of 1G2 in Massachusetts; New London, Conn., 5; and San Fran- cisco, Cal., 3. 115 116 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. The products of the whale fishery were most profitable iii 1854, when the total receipts from the American fleet were valued at $10,802,594.20, and included 2,315,924 gallons of sperm oil, 10,074,866 gallons of whale oil, and 3,445,200 pounds of whalebone. A large part of this enormous product was the result of Massachusetts industry. The capital now invested in this fishery in Massachusetts, including the value of vessels, outfit, shore property, and circulating capital, is $4,411,150. The value of products in 1879 was $2,089,337, and the number of persons employed 4,300. Of the 2,099 vessels employed in the cod and mackerel fisheries in the United States in 1874, 1,020 of 49,578 tons belonged to Massachusetts. Accurate statistics of the combined fisheries of the State for any given year cannot be obtained. From the reports of the State inspector of pickled fish, we learn that the mackerel fleet in the United States in 1851 numbered 940 sail of 59,410 tons, and employed 9,993 men and boys. Of this fleet, 853 vessels of 53,705 tons were owned in Massa- chusetts, and the rest iu other States. United States mackerel fleet in 18f>l. Where owned. Vessels. Tonnage. Number of men and boys. MASSACHUSETTS. 7 5'JG 85 12 7(J1 97 28 1,918 339 4 259. 47 o 74 14 19 1,346 230 44 2 885 501 D-irt loutb 1 117 16 47 3,096 585 3 170 23 1 71 10 2J1 13, 639 2,326 48 3,231 577 37 2,482 491 4 101 33 1 45 3 1 30 5 g 42U 86 3 1C8 30 87 4 343 707 5 3.1(1 54 6 501 65 60 4 332 688 43 1,527 283 1 SO 9 13 715 119 4 305 48 Truro . 52 3,626 581 "Wollfleot 79 5, 411 852 14 990 169 OTHEH STATES. 833 47 53, 705 3 019 9,112 446 8 515 84 7 479 71 1,551 255 o 141 25 940 59, 410 9,993 MASSACHUSETTS AND ITS FISHERIES. 117 The total amount of mackerel inspected in Massachusetts from 1808 to 1880 was about 12,120,000 barrels, more than one-fourth of which were packed in Gloucester. The largest amounted inspected in any single year was 383,058 barrels in 1831. The only other years in which the inspection exceeded 300,000 barrels were 1830, 1848, 1851, 18G3, and 1870. This fishery in 1851 was distrib- uted among a large number of fishing ports in the State, but like the cod and other fisheries is now centered in a few leading ports. The fresh-halibut fishery has always had its headquarters at Gloucester. It began about the year 1830, by the visit of vessels to George's Banks. In 1844, the fleet at this port numbered 30 sail; in 1848, 03 sail; and in 1852, 75 sail. The value of halibut taken in 1851 was about $00,000. The fleet in 1879 numbered about 50 sail, and the receipts at Gloucester were worth to the fish- ermen upwards of $309,000. The fishery for cod on George's, Western, and Grand Banks has been of first importance to Massachusetts, and has employed large fleets of vessels and thousands of men. The Grand Bank fishing has been prosecuted from Marblehead, Gloucester, and other ports for over 200 years, and trips were made to George's, by Marblehead vessels, as early as 1748. At that time the vessels were not generally anchored on George's, but drifted about while fishing. Gloucester vessels in 1821 are said to have been the first to anchor on this bank and to begin the active prosecution of a fishery that yields the best of cod, and which for many years has annually employed from 100 to 200 sail of vessels. The oyster industry of the State in 1879 employed 890 persons, and a capital of $303,175. The value of this industry includes $41,800 worth of native oysters and $303,750 enhancement in the value of oysters brought from the South and transplanted in this region. The menhaden fishery in the same year employed 271 persons, and a capital of $179,105. The value of the products, including $20,477 worth of menhaden sold to factories outside the State, was $01,709. STATISTICAL SUMMARY FOR 1879. The tabulated statement herewith presented shows in detail the census statistics of the Massachusetts fisheries. The number of persons employed is 20,117; the capital invested is $14,334,450; and the value of the products in first hands is $8,141,750. These statistics show the production but do not exhibit the trade in fishery products, great quantities of fish and oil being received in Massachusetts from Maine and the British Provinces, and from here distributed throughout the country. The production is for the year 1879, and is estimated to have been 10 per cent, less in quantity and 20 per cent, less in value than the catch for 1880 or for 1881. The table shows the number of persons employed in the several branches of the fishing indus- try, viz, the number of vessel-fishermen, the number of boat-fishermen, including those engaged in fishing with weirs and other stationary apparatus, and the number of factory hands, or those employed in the preparation offish-oil and other products. The total number of persons actively employed in the industry is 20,117. To this number may be added about 5,000 persons engaged in manufacturing nets, hooks, lines, rigging, sails, spars, fish boxes and barrels, and in the building of vessels and boats used in the fisheries. Including the families of fishermen and of those engaged in preparing the products, it is estimated that 100,000 persons in Massachusetts rely upon this industry for their support. The quantity of apparatus used in the fisheries is also shown, including the number of vessels and their tonnage, the number of boats in vessel and shore fisheries, the number of gill-nets, purse- seines, and drag-seines, and the number of weirs and other fishing traps. Sailing craft of over 5 118 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. tons burden Laving custom -bouse papers are classed as vessels; all other craft are classed as boats. The total number of vessels actively employed is 1,007, aggregating 81,080.49 tons. Forty-seven additional fishing vessels, aggregating 2,151.08 tons, were idle throughout the year 1879, but actively employed in 1880. Several vessels not included in these statistics started on fishing trips in 1879, but never returned. The general distribution of the fleet in the different fisheries was as follows: 796 vessels, of 42,090.81 tons, in the food-fish fishery; 3 vessels, of 27.19 tons, in the lobster fishery; C vessels, of 557.54 tons, in the oyster fishery; 35 vessels, of 1,2G9.70 tons, in the menhaden fishery; 101 vessels, of 30,786.51 tons, in the whale fishery; 1 vessel, of 84.05 tons, in the Antarctic fur-seal fishery; and 5 vessels, of 204.09 tons, in the squid fishery. Some of those in the food-fish fishery were engaged for a part of the year in the oyster or the lobster fishery. The amount of capital dependent upon the industry is also shown, including the value of vessels, boats, gear and outfit, netting, traps, wharves, shorehouses and fixtures, factories and their apparatus, and the amount of cash capital required to conduct the business. The value of vessels includes the value of hull, spars, rigging, anchors, and cables; the gear is the fishing apparatus, exclusive of boats, nets, and seines; and the outfit is the furniture of the vessel, the private equip- ment of the fishermen, and the provisions, salt, ice, bait, and barrels used in the vessels during the fishing season. The total capital in the business is $14,334,450, distributed as follows: Vessels, $3,171,189; boats, $351,736; gear and outfit, $3,159,055; netting, $264,468; traps, $105,402; shorehouses, and fixtures, $2,875,600; factories and their apparatus, $077,000; cash capital, $3,730,000. The total yield of fish by the fisheries of Massachusetts, reduced to the original weight as taken from the water, is 341 935,982 pounds, and the quantity of various species is estimated as follows : Kind. Quantity. Kind. Quantity. Kind. Quantity. Kind. Quantity. Pounds. Founds. 100 500 Halibut Pounds. 14 205 916 Pounds. I 022 180 989 194 7 794 780 Shad 16-1 524 Base' stri ed"~" 287 955 Eels 395 100 Cl 422,668 Smelts 35, 006 Blue fiall 4 73 841 571 470 26 060 077 103, 310 67 434 Perch 33 574 9,650 5 000 24 09 890 Pollock 4 751 495 731, 950 Cod 17 216 955 Hake 8 437 749 220 Tautog 373 335 Mixed species, including those not elsewhere enumerated, or those used for bait and fertilizers that could not be classified, aggregate 9,791,000 pounds. It is estimated that in 1879 39,855,000 pounds of mackerel and other fish were caught but thrown away as useless, being generally too small for sale in the fresh or pickled state, but in 1880 several million pounds of such fish were canned and found a ready sale. The quantity and the value of fish consumed fresh is 124,101,021 pounds, valued at $ 1 ,608,523. The leading kinds thus used for food are cod, haddock, mackerel, and halibut. About 8,385,000 pounds of different species are used for bait, 25,811,573 pounds of menhaden for the manufacture of oil and guano, a few million pounds for fish manure, and the balance eaten fresh for food. MASSACHUSETTS AND ITS FISHERIES. 119 The different species included iu the total quantity of fish consumed fresh are as follows : Kind. Quantity. Kind. Quantity. Kind. Quantity. Kind. Quantity. Alewives: Pounds. 937 139 Eela Pounds. 395, 100 Menhaden : Pounds. Pound*. 103 310 1 774 995 571 470 For bait 254 504 9 650 80 550 C7 434 For oil and 514 950 ' 87 955 fl 26 371 25 811 573 Tautog 373 335 4 238 234 Hake 1 378 289 33, 574 Mixed fish : 97 000 Halibut 9 111 216 Pollock 1, 100, 736 For food 1 692 GOO 5 000 220 Cod 23 796 570 1 216 G10 Scup 1 022 180 fertilizer 8 000 000 100 500 For bait 2, G10, 514 Sbad 164, 524 Cask 334 144 1G S9G, 368 Smelts 35, 006 The quantity of dried fish produced from 162,562,073 pounds fresh is 62,122,008 pounds, val- ued at $2,412,077. About 23,000,000 pounds of the dry fisli are prepared as "boneless", thus losing about 5,000,000 pounds iu weight. Pickled fish to the amount of 34,006,745 pounds, valued at $928,303, are produced from 50,049,488 pounds fresh. The amount of smoked fish produced from 5,367,575 pounds fresh is 1,435,800 pounds, worth $105,997. The value of fishery products canned is $58,300; shell fish, $649,013; products of the whale fishery, $2,089,337; and miscellaneous products, $290,200. In addition to the canned products enumerated iu the table, 463,152 cans of lobsters, valued at $57,894, and 403,200 cans fresh mackerel, $33,600, were put up outside of Massachusetts iu factories owned by Boston firms. These are accounted for in statistics of Maine cr elsewhere. The enhancement in value of dry, pickled, and smoked fish in process of curing is estimated at $1,557,646, about 60 per cent, of which may be credited to the vessel industry and 40 per cent, to the shore industry. The total value of fish and fish products iu the marketable condition is $8,141,750. To this amount may be added 25 per cent, as the expenses and profits of the wholesale dealers of the State, thus making the total wholesale value of the products of the Massachusetts fisheries $10,117,187. Comparing the several districts of Massachusetts, the statistics of which are given in connec. tiou with each district, we find that the district of Gloucester produces 189,383,026 pounds offish, or more than half the entire yield of the State. The capital invested iu this cfc'strict is $4,326,568, and the value of sea products $3,155,071, while the total capital of the State is $14,334,450, and the total value of products $8,141,750. Boston has a large distributing business, but is not so great a producing center. The capital invested iu this district is $3,218,949, and the value of the products $1,026,360. In the district of New Bedford, which is the center of the whale fishery of the United States, we find that the total capital invested is $4,329,638, and the value of prod- ucts $2,053,944. There are several industries in Massachusetts closely related to the fisheries, the statistics of which are not included iu the statistics except in foot-notes. One of these is the manufacture of isinglass from fish sounds, and of liquid glue from fish skins. There are eight such factories in this State, employing one hundred and eighty-two men and a capital of $315,000. During the year 1879 the value of isinglass and glue manufactured was $450,000. Another industry largely dependent on the fisheries is that of the fertilizer factories, which employ several hundred men and a large capital. The proportion of fish entering into their productions is valued in the prepared state at $198,333. These fish arc accounted for iu the tables at their unprepared value. The manufacturers of spermaceti caudles, whalebone, seines, nets, hooks and lines, cables and 120 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. anchors, the builders of vessels and boats, and many other industries, depend entirely or very largely upon the fisheries for their support. The amount of ice used in the Massachusetts fisheries during 1879 for the preservation of fish is estimated at 75,000,000 pounds, and the quantity of salt used in curing fish at about 70,000,000 pounds. STATISTICAL SUMMATION OF THE FISHERIES OF MASSACHUSETTS. The following statements sliow in detail the extent of the fisheries of Massachusetts in 1879: Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persona employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. el fisher 012,637 4,528 2, 952 $6, 681, 980 369, 870 Number of cnrrrs, packers, fitters, and factory hands Total Total 20,117 14, 334, 450 ,Ot' the vessel-fishermen, 8,289 are in the food-fish and lobster fishery ; 3,991 in the whale fishery ; 30 in the seal fishery ; 266 in the men- " -hade* fishery, and 30 in the oyster fishery. Some of the men engage in both the food-fish and the oyster fishery. bCasli capital, $3,730,000; wharves, shorehouses, and fixtures, $2.875,600; factory buildings and apparatus, $677,000. V '.' Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear and out- fit, exclusive of boats and nets. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vesselt. In food-fish and lobster fish- 0799 a 42, 118. 00 $1,968,389 $1, 303, 525 $3, 271, 914 Nets. Gill nets: In vessel fisheries 841 $10, 518 35 1 ^69 70 106 400 17 105 123 505 In boat fisheries 3, 293 40, 030 6 557. 54 20, 000 GOO 20, 600 Purse-seines, in vessel fish- 161 36 786 51 1 065 300 1 721 850 2 787 150 382 197, 3'JO e 1 fishe y 1 84 65 3 000 5,000 8,000 naul-seines, in shore fish- 17 s 2f>4 09 8 100 2,500 10,600 eries 83 16, 600 ic mjiii i 11. uoiy Total 1,007 81, OHO. 49 3, 171, 189 3, 050, 580 6, 221, 769 Total 4.602 264,468 Boats. 3 822 176 006 176, 006 Traps. Pounds, weirs, &c 106 76, 875 In shore fisheries 2,927 175, 730 108,475 284, 205 Lobster and eel traps 28, 527 28, 527 Total 6 749 351 736 108 475 400 211 Total 28, 633 105, 402 a Does not include 47 idle vessels, of 2.151.68 tons. Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value. Grand total $8,141.750 Fresh fish. 85 650 035 1, 487, 864 38 451 586 192 257 barrels . - 120, 659 Total 124, 101, 621 1,608,523 Dry fish. Cod . ... 148 327 885 56 054 757 2, 176, 881 Hake 7 059 460 3 181 296 65, 182 2 866 519 1 089 137 27, 770 Pollock 3 653 759 1 469 293 26, 778 Cusk 655 050 327 525 11,466 Total 162, 562, 673 62, 122, 008 8, 700 Number of barrels of oil made 37, 520 "There is also a description of vessels c ( alled jiggers, being small schooners of about 30 to 45 tons, which fish iu the South channels, in the shoals, and near Cape Sable. They number 300 and carry about 4 or 5 hands each, say 1,200 men, and take about 75,000 quintals of fish annually and consume 1,200 hogsheads of salt and make about 4,000 barrels of oil. Their fish is generally sold for the West Indies and home consumption. There is still another description of fishing vessels commonly called 'Chebacco boats,' or 'pink-sterns.' Their number is 600, from 10 to 28 tons, 9 G R F 130 GEOGEAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. and carry 2 men and a boy each, say 1,800 bands, and consume annually 15,000 bogsbeads of salt. Tbey take and cure 120,000 quintals of fisb, which are used for tbe borne and West India markets, except tbe very first, wbicb tbey take early in tbe spring, being of an excellent quality, ai'e sent to tbe Bilboa market, in Spain, \vbere tbey bring a great price. Tbese vessels measure about 10,800 tons, and make 9,000 barrels of oil. Tbere also were about 200 scbooners employed in tbe mackerel flsbery, measuring 8,000 tons, carrying 1,600 men and boys, take 50,000 barrels of mackerel annually, and consume G,000 bogsbeads of salt. Tbe alewive, sbad, salmon, and berring fisberies are immense, and consume a great quantity of salt. Recapitulation of the cod and mackerel fisheries of New England, 1790-1810. Vessels 2,332 Tonnage 115,940 Men 15,059 Salt, hogsheads 265,370 Fish, quintals 1,353,700 Oil, barrels 50,520 Mackerel, barrels 00,000 "Tbere are many persons who assert that in one year tbere were at Labrador and up tbe Bay more tban 1,700 vessels, besides tbe bankers, but I am very confident tbat tbey are much mis- taken." Tbe extent of the fisberies of Massachusetts in 1837, as quoted from Macgregor's report by Hon. Hannibal Hainlin, of Maine, in a speech delivered in Congress August 5, 1852, was as follows: Number of vessels employed in cod and mackerel fisheries 12,290 Tonnage of same 76,089 Number of quintals of codfish caught 510, 554 Value of same $1,569,517 Number of barrels of mackerel caught 234,059 Value of same $1,039,049 Men employed 11, 14(i Total value of cod and mackerel $3, 208, 860 Mr. Haiulin says: "The number of seamen estimated tbere as being engaged in tbat year is placed at 11,14.0. That is tbe number of seamen actually engaged on the ocean. There is another class of men, very numerous, which serves to increase the number a considerable per cent., who are left upon the shore for the purpose of curing, preserving, and taking care of the fish, and who alternate with those who do the fishing; consequently the number of fishermen who are returned as actually employed in the business is not the actual number of those who devote their lives to that occupation. And tbe number of seamen who are engaged at different times in tbe fisberies cannot be accurately ascertained; but it is at least 50 per cent, above the number of those who are employed any given time in fishing." The United States census statistics for 1840 give the following items concerning the Massa- chusetts fisheries, including the whale fishery: Number of quintals of smoked and dry fish 389, 715 Number of barrels of pickled fish 124, 755 Number of gallons of spermaceti oil 3,630,972 Number of gallons of whale and other fish oil 3, 364, 725 Value of whalebone and other productions of the fisheries 442,974 Number of men employed 16, 000 Capital invested '. $11,725,850 MASSACHUSETTS AND ITS FISHERIES. 131 The extent of the cod and mackerel fisheries of Massachusetts for the year 1850, as reported by the census, was as follows: Capital invested .$2, 127, 885 Men employed 7,917 Quintals of codfish 215, 170 Barrels of mackerel 236,468 Value of products of the fisheries $2, 188, 441 Hon. Lorenzo Sabiue, in his report to the Boston Board of Trade for the year 1859, gives the following statistics of the fisheries of Massachusetts for that year: Cod, mackerel, halibut, &e., fishery, tonnage 71,598 Persons employed 10, 550 Value of fish and oil $6,250,000 Capital invested $3,700,000 Sperm and other whale fisheries, tonnage 154, 048 Persons employed 11,800 Value of oil, bone, and candles $14, 500, 000 Capital invested 17,900,000 The following extract is from the Gloucester Telegraph of April 4, 1860: "The fishing interest of this Commonwealth, owing to a variety of causes, is not an increasing one. Indeed, the tonnage employed in the cod, mackerel, halibut, &c., business is 0,349 tons less than in 1825, while the tonnage in the whale fishery is barely 13 tons more than in that year. The fisheries which produce food are rapidly concentrating at Gloucester. Thus the tonnage at that port was 19,394 in 1855, and 32,644 in 1859. So, too, a large part of the whale fishery has been transferred from Nantucket to New Bedford. The losses recently in this branch of industry have been great, and in New Bedford alone nearly $2,000,000 during the past year." B. THE DISTRICT OF NEWBUKYPORT. 56. REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES OF NEWBURYPORT DISTRICT. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. Newburyport and the adjoining town of Ipswich comprise one customs district. The former place possesses a good harbor, and is important as a fishing center. Its maritime business is quite extensive. At the town of Salisbury, on the opposite bank of the Merrimac River, the dory originated about a hundred years ago. Newburyport, for many years, had a large fleet of vessels in the Labrador cod fishery, but the business is now discontinued. The fishing fleet of twenty-three sail now owned here, is engaged in the shore cod and mackerel fisheries. Large quantities of clams are annually dug from the sandy flats in the vicinity. The Merrimac River, which empties into the ocean at Newburyport, takes its rise at an altitude of 6,000 feet among the White Mountains of New Hampshire, scmie 120 miles away, although the -river by its course is said to be 260 miles long. It runs in a southerly direction through the center of the State of New Hampshire, and, passing into Massachusetts, for a few miles it con- tinues south, and then turns to the northeast, which course it follows to the ocean. This stream is well known as furnishing the power for the great manufacturing interests of Nashua, in New Hampshire, and Lowell and Lawrence, in Massachusetts, as well as numerous places of less note. Twenty-five small rivers and numerous small streams are tributary to the Merrimac. The largest of these rivers are the Nashua, Contoocook, and the Winnepissoggee. The tide flows to Mitchell's 132 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. Falls, a few miles above Haverhill, and the river is navigable for small vessels to this point, 20 miles from its inoutu. Within this limit are the once famous ship-building towns of Salisbury, Amesbury, and Haverhill on the north side, and Newbury, Bradford, and Newburyport on the south. Although this part of the New England coast had been visited by explorers several years before the French explorer De Champlain, yet he is credited with the discovery of the Merrimac in 1005. The great importance and value of this stream at the present time is for the power given by its numerous falls to the great manufacturing interests along its course, yet we are reminded of the time before those industries had polluted its waters and destroyed its natural gifts. For an abundance of food-fishes of the best varieties this river then had no superior, and in the early history of the country was highly valued on their account. Even the present geueia- tion recall the time when the river was well stocked with fish. William Stark, esq., at the Manchester centennial celebration held October 22, 1851, says: "My father has seen the shad so thick as to crowd each other in their passage up the falls to gain the smooth water above, so that you could not put in your hand without touching some of them, and yet there were more alewives than shad, and more eels than both." It is said enough eels were salted down annually to be equal in value to three hundred head of cattle. Salmon were also very abundant. Sturgeon, frequently alluded to in the early history, were plenty and caught to considerable extent. At present there is no fishing of importance carried on in the river. Alewives are taken to some extent, and during the summer New York parties camp along the banks and take sturgeon for their market. There is no record of the amount caught. Sturgeon are said to be quite plenty, but as they are not considered a food-fish in the New England markets no attention is paid to them by the New England fishermen. The State of Massachusetts is trying to restock the river with shad and salmon, but with the numerous factories above and the non-enforcement of the protection laws below, the salmon have a hard time; yet a good progress is reported. STATISTICAL SUMMATION OF THE FISHING INTERESTS FOR 1879. The following statements give in detail the extent of the fishing interests of Newburyport district: Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 212 $9 170 173 8 510 40 alOO 000 Total 425 Total 00 686 a Cash capital, $23,000 ; wharves, shoreliouses, and fixtures, $75,000. Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, exclu- sive ot'boats and nets. Value of outfit. Value. Nets. No. Value. Vessels. In food-fish fishery : 23 903. 39 $43, 350 $:., 025 $27,175 $76, 150 Gill-nets : 13 $:5C Idle 1 11 31 500 500 a 560 Total 21 914. 70 43, 850 5,625 27, 175 76, 650 Purse-seines: Tn T-PC^A! fi 1 Ar'A Boats. 104 3 720 3,720 Haul-seines: 11 2 200 In shore fisheries 113 3,440 3,230 5,130 11,800 Total 79 8, 51U Total 217 7,160 3,230 5,130 15, 520 MASSACHUSETTS: NEWBUllYPOltT DISTRICT. 133 Detailed statement of the ynatititiex and value* of the products. Products specified. Pounds, fivsh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value, prepared. Grand total $140, 681 Fresh fish. 2M, 399 125 18,530 1, 993, 125 1,314 13 536 29, 897 3 4 109 15 7, 672 30 13, 308 4,987 CO 18 8 556 150 315 710 500 500 2,186 1,020 570, 875 5,000 818, 675 375, 000 10, 050 600 2,000 11,124 5,000 10, 500 142, 000 c . T) Mixed fish Total 4, 240, 209 59, 728, Dry fish. 2, 789, 935 12, 380 81, 300 102, 000 90, 720 1, 115, 974 6,190 30, 896 49, 595 37, 195 / 40, 175 167 618 793 632 CUSIC If-kg, Total 3, 076, 335 1, 239, 850 42, 385 Pickled fish. 75, 000 756, 300 3, 500 9,000 60, 000 504, 200 2,000 0,000 900 14, 496 65 150 Mixed fish 84:(, WlO 572, 200 15, 611 Smoked fish. Halibut 40, 000 10, 000 800 Shellfish. - >i >i t*) >i ffl oj ;j3 3 . e | "3 1 a 3 et a 1 I 3 3 1 E a & 1 cs .5 1 1 < < t> 0* t> & t* > f* t> t> Quim. Dolls. EMs. Dolls. Ebls. Dolls. Qmn.\ Dolls. Lbs. Dolls. Galls. Dolls. Dolls. Dolls. Dolls. Dolls. 1869.... 250, 00 1, 350, 000 90. 000 1,350,000 40, 000 160, 000 25, 000 ! 9, 000 1 8,000,000 240,000 140, 000 120, 000 25, 000 15, COO att, 00? 3,002,500 1570.... 240,000 1,680,000 1 98, 000 1,372,00012,000 72,000 30, 000 90, 000 7,500,000 375,000 135, 000 94, 500 20, 000 1 5, 000 II 6,000 3,724,500 1871..-- 320,000 1,440,000 104,000 1, 040, 000 15, OOO 1 52, 500 35, 000 70, COO 8, 250, 000, 250, 000 180, 000' 108, 000 IS, 000 20, 000 8, 000 3, 006, 500 1872... 384, 000 1 2,016,000 71,075 781, 825 10, 000; 45, 000 25, 000 37, 500 8,000,000, 250.000J 225, OOo! 129,00020,000,23,000 6135,000 3,437,325 1873 .. 400,000 2,070,000 86,544 1, 125, 000 5, OOo! 23, 000 25, 000 50, 000 9, 000, OOO' 310, 000 275,000 165, 000 IS, ( 25,000 15,000 3,801,000 1874.... 475,000 2,375,000 120,000 1 1, 200, COO 10, 000 40, 000 30,000 75,00011,000,000 450,000 300,000 171,000 15,00021,000 c"5, 000 4, 425, OCO 1875.... 451,100 2, 508, 000 | 52, 783 581, 000 38, 000 153, 000 41, 000 123,00012,000,000 816,000 300,000 141, 000 10, OCO 24, 000 (2268, 000 4, 624, COO 1876... 425, 00 2, 295, 000 98, 800 838, 000 30, 000 127, 500 40,000' 120,00011,000,000 745, 000 275, 000 132,000 10, 000 25, 000 e285, 000 4, 027, 500 rt Includes $2, 000 -worth of oysters. c Includes 1, OCO, 000 pounds salt halibut, $55,000. b Includes 2.540,000 pounds fresh herrins, $125,000. d Includes 2,000,000 pounds smoked halibut, $260,000. ^Includes 2.750,000 pounds smoked halibut, $275, COO. 140 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF TEE FISHERIES. Statement shou-iny Hie number of mm employed and Uie number and tonnage of resseJs engaged in lite fisheries of the district of Gloucester for the years 1869 to 1876. Tears. Vessels employed. Men employed. Tonnage. 1869 Number. 510 Number. 0,120 Tons. 24 891 1870 .. 507 6,084 25 318 1871 . . . 491 5 900 24 904 1872 452 5 500 22 692 1873 385 5,000 21, 083 1874 . 406 5, 200 21, 267 1875 . 397 5,100 21, 537 1876 417 5,300 22, 775 59. THE FISHERIES OF ESSEX AND ROCKPOET. ESSEX. Essex is situated 25 miles north-northeast of Boston, oil tbe Essex Branch of the Eastern Railroad. It joins Gloucester on the east and Manchester on the south. The town was organized in 1819, when it became separate from Ipswich, which now bounds it on the north. The population of Essex in 1840 was 1,450; in 1880 about 1,800. The place is not favorably located for fishing either from vessels or boats, as it possesses no harbor. The Essex Eiver is a narrow stream that runs from the village to Ipswich Bay, a distance of 2 or 3 miles, and has sufficient depth of water at high tide to float the largest fishing schooners from the ship-yards to the sea. The principal industry of the people is ship-building, upwards of 1,200 of the best fishing vessels in the New England fleet having been built here during the past fifty years. In the early history of vessel building the woodlands in the vicinity afforded most of the material needed, but at present the lumber is brought from all parts of the country. There are several saw-mills, black- smith shops, and a spar-yard connected with the ship-yards, and a considerable number of anchor stocks and fish boxes are annually made in the town. The only factory in the district of Gloucester for the manufacture of fishing-lines is located at Essex. The business was established in 1830, when hemp lines were used in the fisheries, but since 1845 cotton lines have taken the place of those made from hemp. The lines are tarred by steam, a process begun at Newburyport in 1875, prior to which time they were prepared in tar heated by fire. The production of the factory amounts to about $30,000 annually, all of which is sold at Gloucester for use principally in the deep-sea fisheries. The value of the buildings and machinery is about $4,000, and the number of men employed is six. Clam-digging was formerly a profitable industry in this town, the extensive flats bordering the river affording an abundance of these bivalves. Mr. Moses Knowlton states that about 1830 upwards of two hundred men and boys were employed in digging clams, and that from I860 to 1SC4 there were annually shipped from this place 3,000 barrels of shelled clams, most of which were used for bait in the cod fisheries, and sold at $13 per barrel. Since 1865 they have been used more largely for food. During the year 1879 only ten men were constantly employed in clam- digging, though at the height of the season, which lasted from October to May, there were some- times seventy-five men and boys engaged in digging and shucking the clams. The production for the year was 11,500 bushels of clams in the shell, valued at $4,500 to the diggers. Of this quan- tity 9,000 bushels were shipped in the shell to Boston. Salem, and Marblehead; the remainder were shelled and sold in Gloucester, Rockport, and other places. Clams in the shell are worth MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 141 about 40 cents a bushel, while shucked they sell at $4.50 a barrel. If the shelled clams are for use as bait in the fisheries they are corned, using a peck of salt to a barrel of clauis. Some of the fishing vessels built in Essex retain their ownership here, and, although fitting and lauding their catch in Gloucester, are recorded as Essex vessels. In 1879 there were two such vessels; tonnage, 156.91 tons; original cost, $11,000; present value, 69,500; number of crew, 30; gross stock for the year, $2,846. They were both engaged in the Bay of Saint Lawrence mackerel fishery, and brought home 650 barrels of mackerel. ROCKPOET. Rockport is on the eastern extremity of Cape Ann, 36 miles from Boston, and is the terminus of the Gloucester branch of the Eastern Railroad. It is small in area, covering only 3 miles from north to south and li miles from east to west, while the coast line, because of numer- ous indentations, is 8 miles long. It is bounded by Gloucester on the west, and by the ocean on the east, north, and south, and is composed of two villages, situated a mile apart, and known as Sandy Bay and Pigeon Cove. These were a part of the town of Gloucester until 1840, when they were unitedly incorporated into a town under the name of Rockport. A stretch of land extending into the harbor is known as Bear's Neck. Here are located numerous small fish-houses, where hun- dreds of men were formerly employed in handling the catch of the many shore-boats that once sailed from here. Except for a few months in the year, Bear's Neck now appears like a deserted village. In the town are scores of veteran boat-fishermen who in earlier years found abundance of fish off this rocky shore. Most of the fishing is now carried on in large boats or vessels on more distant grounds. Thatcher's Island, upon which are built the twin lights, often called Cape Ann lights, belongs to Rockport, and is well known to navigators. The light-houses are but a short distance apart, and are very tall, so that the lights can be seen for a long distance at sea. The town is built on a rocky headland, and from the summit the ocean view is grand. At Pigeon Cove there is a large number of handsome cottages, and the place is a, favorite seaside resort. In 1879 the fishery industries of Rockport, including vessel, boat, and lobster fisheries, and the manufacture of isinglass, were valued at $182,830, employing four hundred and sixty men and a capital of $160,100. The shore-boat fishery in 1879 employed eighty-nine boats and one hundred and twenty-two men, and the weight of fish taken was about 2,500,000 pounds. The active fishing fleet of vessels comprised twenty-three sail, measuring 737.23 tons, valued, with their gear and outfit, at 870,450, and manned by one hundred and ninety-one men. Of this fleet, three vessels were engaged in the mackerel fishery, seven in the cod and mackerel fisheries, thirteen in the cod fishery, and one in the menhaden fishery. One of the cod vessels was engaged also in the winter haddock fishery. The production of the fleet in 1879 was 6,404 barrels mackerel, 939,600 pounds salt fish, and 1,130,000 pounds fresh fish. In the winter season a considerable share of the catch of cod by the Ipswich Bay fleet is lauded at Rockport and shipped fresh to Boston. This business bids fair to add new enterprise to the fishing industry of the town. Besides the active fleet, there were four fishing vessels idle throughout the year. These meas- ured 113.56 tons and were valued at $3,500. They were all employed in fishing during the year 1880. The lobster fishery gives employment to thirty men, and the number of lobsters taken in 1879 was 48,750, valued at $2,437. The number of dories in the business was nineteen, and the number of lobster pots five hundred. These pots are set along the shore and hauled daily. The bait used is generally fish heads and sculpins. 142 GEOGEAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. At Milk Island, and at other points off the shore, floating traps are set for the capture princi- pally of herring aud mackerel. This is a recent and not extensive fishery in this region, only one trap producing any amount in 1879, the other two that were set proving failures because of hostile opposition to this mode of fishing. The value of the traps was $1,500; number of men employed, eight; and value of the fish taken, $1,800. The town possesses facilities for the quick distribution of fresh fish, being at the terminus of the railroad by which the fish are shipped to Boston and other places. There are five firms engaged in curing and packing fish, about two-thirds of their business consisting of salt fish that are mostly sold to Gloucester firms; the remaining third of their business is in fresh fish, principally cod and haddock. Three vessels, measuring 100.81 tons, and valued at $2,900, are employed iu freighting fish and salt between Eockport, Gloucester, aud other places. Eockport has the honor of first producing isinglass from hake sounds, which is now iu great demand by the brewers all over the country. A small factory was erected here aud this industry started as early as 1821 or 1822, though the business was limited until about 1870, when large factories were erected and the manufacture largely increased. The first method of making the isinglass was to reduce the sounds to a pulp by grinding and then press the mass between large wooden rollers. . The rollers were at first turned by hand, then horse-power was employed, and from time to time other improvements have been introduced. The rollers are now made of iron, being hollow cylinders through which cold water is allowed to pass to prevent the pulp from sticking to them, and are turned by steain. At present the sounds of codfish, weakfish, and various imported species are used in connection with hake sounds. In 1879 there was only one factory in operation in Eockport, Ihough there were several in other parts of the State. Another business related to this is the manufacture of glue from salt fish skins. These two industries in 1879 represented about $50,000 capital and a product valued at $64,000. The number of persons employed was forty. In the fall of 1880 some Boston parties came to Eockport and started a new isinglass factory. From the rocks along the shores a considerable quantity of Irish moss is annually gathered. During 1879 three men from Scituate, Mass., secured here $300 worth of that article. Seaweed is gathered by the farmers for fertilizing purposes. The cotton factory in the town was for many years busily employed in the manufacture of canvas for sails and tents. Since the first settlement of the villages in 1G95, when a grant of land was made to John Babson "to sett np fishing upon," Eockport has depended largely upon the fisheries for the sup- port of the inhabitants. The absence of a suitable harbor for the accommodation of larger craft led the people to engage in shore or boat fishing rather than to send vessels to the offshore banks, and this branch of the fisheries has continued the favorite occupation of the people, though within thirty years the business has greatly decreased. A few Bank schooners and a considerable fleet of small craft being owned here in 1743, a wharf was built for their safety, and in 1740 another one was constructed. As they were made on the outside of logs, filled up with stones, they went to pieces in a few years. In 1810 a corporation was formed, called the Sandy Bay Pier Company, for the purpose of constructing an artificial harbor, which was accomplished at an expense of $30,000. At the Xorth Village or Pigeon Cove a breakwater and pier were built in 1831 which cost $25,000. According to the State census of 1805 the principal industry of the town, like that of Glou- cester, was the fishing business. We find that Eockport, in that year, employed in the cod and mackerel fisheries, thirty-seven vessels, aggregating 1,380 tons, and manned by 343 men. MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 143 GO. GLOUCESTER AND ITS FISHERY INDUSTRIES. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. Gloucester, the chief fishing port of the United States, is situated on Cape Ann, about 30 rniles northeast of Boston. The harbor is one of the largest and safest on the \vhole coast, and is admirably adapted for carrying on an extensive maritime business. By railroad and by steam and sailing vessels, it is connected with all parts of the country, giving facilities for the rapid distribution of the products of the fisheries. Its line of sea-coast, exclusive of Rockport, with its 8 miles of shore, begins at Essex, on the north side of Cape Ann, and extends around to Manchester on the south side, a distance of 30 miles if measured from headland to headland, and if its frontage on the harbor and other indentations is included the entire coast line is over 50 miles in extent. The business portion of the city, commonly called "the harbor," has several outlying settle- ments, among which is Auuisquam, situated on Ipswich Bay, and having a small harbor, once the headquarters of a fleet of some fifty sail of fishing-vessels. Here are the ruins of wharves and buildings that were formerly the scene of a thriving business which is now transferred to the more capacious harbor on the other side of the cape. The Aunisquam River, familiarly known as the 'Squam River, extends from Ipswich Bay to within a short distance of Gloucester Harbor, with which it is connected by a canal not much used except by pleasure boats, though large enough to admit the, passage of good-sized vessels. In the river iii the vicinity of Wheeler's Point and Riverdale are quite extensive clain beds, worked by some ninety men. On the opposite side of the 'Squam River is West Gloucester, known as West Parish. Some clams are dug here, and from the woods are cut many saplings, from which are made scrub-brooms and trawl buoy-staffs used in the fisheries. Adjoining Anuisquam on the north side of the cape are the villages of Bay View, Lauesville, and Folly Cove, having a bold rocky shore, with no natural harbors. These places are the homes of a hardy set of boat fishermen, who find considerable profit in the capture of lobsters and all varieties of shore fish. At both Bay View and Lauesville breakwaters have been built, making small harbors, used principally for the shelter of stone sloops, that are constantly employed in transporting granite from the extensive quarries situated here. A few small-sized fishing-vessels and numerous boats used iu the shore fisheries also find shelter in these artificial basins. At Folly Cove the boats are hauled high up on the rocks on inclined platforms, where they arc safe from the dashing waves. The style of boat mostly used here is a large dory, partly decked and fitted specially for sailing rather than for rowing. The village of Magnolia, well known as a summer resort, and having a small fishery, lies to the westward of Gloucester Harbor. Off this shore is Kettle Island, where two or three floating fish-traps are set during the summer mouths. Returning to the harbor, we mention Norman's Woe, on the western side, at the entrance of the outer harbor. This is the spot made historic by Longfellow's poem, " The Wreck of the Hesperus." On the opposite side of the harbor is East- ern Point, a long and narrow projection, which keeps off much of the force of the winds and waves. A breakwater is greatly needed to protect the coasting and fishing fleets from storms that occa- sionally drive iu here with great fury, and have caused the loss of numerous vessels. The inner harbor around which the wharves are built, is separated from the outer harbor by Ten Pound Island, which partly protects it from storms and makes it a good anchorage for the fleet of several hundred sail of fishing vessels. With the exception of the granite quarries, there is no important industry carried on in Glouces- ter that is not dependent upon the fisheries. The prosperity of the place fluctuates according to 144 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. the scarcity or abundance of fish. There has been a steady growth in population from 7,786 in 1850, to 19,329 in ISSO.(n) The valuation of the place, as shown by the assessors returns, was $1,035,787 in 1850, and $9,615,002 in 1877. In 1879, owing to severe losses by storms and the general depression of the fishing industry, the valuation had decreased to $8,022,623, but since 1879 an increased demand for fish, and a good catch has caused an increase to $8,977,559 valuation in 1881. The general appearance of the city from a distance is quite inviting as it rises from the water's edge to hills of considerable size, upon which are many handsome residences. Were it not for the narrow, unpaved streets, with few sidewalks, the place would be far more attractive. There are many substantial public buildings including a fine city hall, several churches, and commodious school houses, while in the business part of the city are buildings well adapted to the fishing indus- try. The wharves are eighty-nine in number, seventy-four being used iu the fisheries and the rest for coal and other purposes. They are well built, and have at high tide a sufficient depth of water to float large ships, a number of which annually visit the place with cargoes of salt. Close by the wharves and upon them are flake yards, where thousands of quintals of fish are daily spread to dry. Large sheds are seen on every wharf where are stowed hogsheads of fish in pickle or piles (a) Valuation and population of Gloucester from 1845 to 1881. Tear. Tax for $1,000. Number polls. Valunt ion. PcrsoDal property. Real estate. Assessed Popula- tion. 1845 $9 80 1448 $1 15" 32 $11,273 00 1846 10 00 1492 1 300 265 13,002 17 1847 9 00 1480 1 441 215 15, 189 60 1848 9 00 1519 1,541,549 16, 152 44 1849 7 50 1591 1,605 113 14,412 85 1850 11 50 2134 1 635 767 18,811 55 7,786 1851 12 20 2026 1 705 045 20,954 82 1852 9 50 1792 2 373 488 24, 907 26 1853 9 50 1861 2 697 430 28, 008 26 18J4 9 00 1803 3, 272, 593 30, 937 00 1855 . 10 00 1904 3, 304, 324 31, 267 87 8,935 1856 9 60 1987 3, 720, 530 36, 907 CO 1857 . . . . 11 00 1994 3, 727, 214 42, 120 00 1858 9 00 2016 3, 780, 785 37, 359 13 1859 11 50 21D7 4, 051, 265 43, 457 00 1*60 9 50 2040 4, 332, 740 44, 157 10 10, 904 1861 9 50 G35 4,111,364 43,011 20 18G2 12 00 2494 4, 021, 033 53, 239 33 18C3 13 00 2502 4, 053, 397 57, 093 15 1864 17 50 2499 3, 036, 387 73,887 67 18G5 2 00 2464 4, 859, 348 111, 833 C9 11,938 1SG6 15 00 2731 5, 375, 056 6, C96 84 1867 19 00 2774 6,511,751 129,271 32 1868 -0 00 3024 6, 707, 382 140, 346 47 ISG'l 2 00 3030 6, 993, 533 1(11. 170 S3 1870 20 05 3100 7, 187, 407 $3, 110, 493 $1,076,614 153, 535 69 15, 397 1871 20 05 34!)0 7, 4*7, IT.:, 3, 036, 695 4, 450, 560 100, 480 73 1872 .. 19 00 4117 7, 899, 270 2, 942, 834 4, 950, 442 15?, 303 67 1S73 .. .- 20 00 3331 7,711,096 2, 716, 980 4, 994, 110 ici,:.-3 -jij 1874 21 00 3390 f, 472, 329 3, 031, 308 5, 441, 021 184, 699 11 1875 19 00 3907 9, 238, 265 3,443,435 5, 794, 810 183,341 C3 16, 754 1876 IS 00 3967 9, 380, 948 3,421,548 5, 059, 400 176, 791 07 1877 18 00 4106 9, 615, 692 3, 452, 122 6, 1C3, 480 181, 292 84 1878 18 00 4128 9, 077, 744 3, 101, 839 5, 975, 905 171, 655 39 1879 17 00 3078 8, 022, 023 2, 616, 238 5, 406, 385 142, 563 63 1880 22 00 3493 8, 101, 150 2, 624, 380 5, 470, 770 185, 211 30 19, 329 1881 18 00 3664 8, 977, 559 2, 996, 749 5, 980, 810 168, 924 07 MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 145 of the diy fish ready for market. At the head of the wharves are the offices and stores of the outfitters. Along the water front are also many large buildings where boneless fish, mackerel, and all varieties of fish products are made ready for sale. There are in the city numerous buildings used in the manufacture and repair of boats, anchors, nets, sails, rigging, and all kinds of equip- ment for the fleet. Six marine railways afford facilities for hauling up and repairing the vessels. Two factories are constantly active in the preparation of copper paint, which is commonly used on the vessels' bottoms. On the outskirts of the city are buildings devoted to the manufacture of fish glue from the refuse of the boneless-fish factories. Those shore industries which cannot be strictly termed fishing industries, as boat and vessel building, sail-making, rigging, net-making, coopering, painting, and smithing, give employment to five hundred forty one men and have an invested capital of about $400,000. The shore industries which are directly fishing industries, as the curing and packing of fish, handling of fresh fish, manufacture of cod oil, and other fish products, employ about seven hundred men and have an invested capital of about $1,500,000. The fishing year begins with the fitting away of the George's-men in January, when a hundred sail of stout and able craft are thoroughly equipped for a stormy season on those dangerous banks. In March the southern mackerel fleet as also the Western Bank cod fleet start on their voyages and are soon followed by the Grand Bank cod fleet. The fresh halibut vessels continue their arduous work throughout the year, only a few of them lying by for a brief period in the winter months. The fishing for mackerel in the Gulf of Maine begins in June upon the arrival home of the southern fleet, and is continued without interruption until November, when the winter haddock fishing com- mences and continues until the following April. In October the Grand and Western Bank cod fleet have all arrived home, and such of the vessels as are unfit for winter work are hauled up into winter quarters. In December a fleet of staunch vessels are equipped for the frozen-herring trade with Eastport and Newfoundland, those visiting the latter place being well prepared for storms on an icy coast. In this month begins also the shore fishery for cod in Ipswich Bay employing the smaller vessels of the fleet. The same vessel is often, in the course of the year, employed ill several branches of the fisheries, commencing the season's work by fishing for cod, changing later to the mackerel fishery, and closing with the haddock fishery or the frozen-herring trade. VESSEL-FITTERS AND FISHERMEN. Most of the vessels are owned by the fitters, who run fleets of from two to twenty sail. The number of fitting firms is forty-two. These firms are owners or part owners of three hundred and seventeen schooners, which they fit out. The balance of the fleet is owned principally by the masters of the vessels, and have no regular place of fitting. Owners are expected to equip their vessels for fishing and to provision them for a cruise whether it be for a trip of a few days or six mouths. The common method of sharing the receipts is to subtract from the gross receipts the expense for bait, ice, and some other expenses called stock charges. The amount left is the net receipts, one-half of which belongs to the vessel owners and the other half to the crew. From the crew's half there is deducted some expenses charged to them, as for water and medicine. The balance is then divided among the men, either in equal shares or in proportion to each man's catch of fish. The captain receives an equal share with the crew and an additional percentage or commission from the vessel owners. The cook has a share with the crew and an extra amount paid by the crew, beside some perquisites. George's-men share according to the fish * caught, each man cutting out the tongues of the fish as he takes them. The tongues are counted and a record kept by the captain. The best man is "high line," and the poorest or most unlucky fisherman is " low line." In the haddock fishery the fitting out and sharing is on a different basis what is called " quarters" or " fifths." In this case the owners furnish the vessel with all her sailing 10GRF 146 GEOGEAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. equipments and receive one-fourth or one-fifth of the receipts after the charges for wharfage and tonnage have been deducted; the crew pay for fishing- gear, dories, bait, ice, and provisions, and share equally in the balance. In the Grand Bank cod fishery and the Greenland halibut fishery part of the crew are sometimes hired by the month and have no personal share in the catch. In the frozen-herring trade the men are all hired. This cannot be called a fishery on the part of the Gloucester vessels, since the fish are all purchased. The old method of settling with the crews in the cod-fishery vessels was to wait perhaps four or five months until the fish were cured and sold. A certain amount was charged for the expense of curing, and each man received a share in the crew's half of the net receipts. This method is still practiced at Cape Cod and at some other places in New England, but at Gloucester the voyage is at once settled, often on the same day the vessel arrives, or as soon as the fish are weighed off. Salt codfish are bought from the vessel at so much a hundredweight, usually about 60 or 75 per cent, of the value of dry cod. Mackerel are bought at so much per 200 pounds in fishermen's order, called selling "out of pickle," or they are packed and inspected and the crew paid their share after deducting from $1.50 to $2 per barrel for the expense of packing, which includes the cost of the barrel, salt, and labor. The average annual amount realized by each fisherman is not over $300; those who are expert sometimes make double that amount, while many average less than $200 a year. A large proportion of the Gloucester fishermen are foreigners, including many nationalities, British Provincials largely predominating, though there are many Swedes and Portuguese, and some Danes, Frenchmen, Irishmen, Scotchmen, and Englishmen. As a class they cannot be called economical, though many are prudent and save enough in a few years to buy part or the whole of a vessel. It is very gratifying to note that the number of vessels owned by the fishermen themselves is rapidly increasing, and that the deposits of money by fishermen in the savings bank is far in excess of what it was a few years ago. A good many fishermen, especially masters of vessels, own the houses in which they live. A great deal is said about the disorderly conduct of fisheimen while ashore. The city marshal of Gloucester, in a recent report on the public order of the place, says: "In this regard this city will not suffer by comparison with any other of equal size in the com- monwealth. It is certainly a fact of which our citizens may well feel proud, that no city or large town in the State has a better criminal record than the city of Gloucester. In no one of them has there been so few crimes committed, and none where the class of crime has been of a lighter char- acter. When it is considered that during much of the year numbers of our population consist of persons who have no permanent interests here, and come from all quarters of the world, it must be admitted that this is saying much; and no fact could be stated to prove more clearly the gen- eral regard of our people for public order, good morals, and law." The vessels are insured on a mutual plan in an organization styled the Gloucester Mutual Fishing Insurance Company. At the close of each fishing year the shareholders in the company are called together to reorganize and adjust the losses of the year just past. Each vessel owner holds shares enough to cover the value of his vessel or fleet, a regular rate of premium being charged for insurance, depending somewhat on the kind of fishery in which a vessel is engaged and the season of the year. Out of the gross premiums the losses are paid, and if the premiums be not sufficient to pay these losses an assessment is made on each shareholder. THE TRADE IN FISH. The fishing business on shore, at Gloucester, is divided into several branches, including the trade in fresh fish, dry and pickled fish, smoked fish, boneless fish, oil and guano, sounds, and fish glue. The fisheries are divided into the shore boat fishery and various vessel-fisheries for the capture of mackerel, haddock, and fresh halibut, the Grand Bank. Western MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTEICT. 147 Banks, George's, and shore cod fisheries, the Greenland halibut fishery, and the bait-fisheries for herring, squid, and menhaden. THE TRADE IN FBESH FISH. Some fish have always been sold in a fresh condition, though it is only about twenty years since any great quantities have been distributed direct from Gloucester. Vessels belonging to this port generally took their catch to Boston, instead of landing it here. About I860 a few freighters found considerable profit in buying fresh fish from the vessels, as they arrived from the Banks, and taking them to Boston. In this way time was saved to the fishermen and some profit realized by Gloucester dealers. Ice had been in use in the vessels lor some fifteen years prior to that date, but very little had been done in packing fish in ice for transportation over the country until the year 1860. At that time Mr. William H Oakes and Mr. Seth Stockbridge, of Gloucester, were induced by some Boston dealers to try the experiment of shipping fresh fish from Gloucester to Boston and New York, packed with ice in old sugar-boxes. The experiment was entirely successful, and a profitable business soon developed, so that a large part of the shore catch of haddock and the catch of halibut by the George's Bank vessels were sent in this way by rail or steamer to Boston and other places. At the present time almost the entire catch of the fresh halibut fleet, that of the boat-fisheries, and part of the catch of the haddock fleet is distributed direct from Gloucester to all parts of New England, and as far west as Chicago and Omaha. Boston remains the headquarters for the trade in fresh haddock, and most of the Gloucester vessels in that fishery go there for a market. The fresh-fish business is carried on by several companies, who own wharves and sheds with all the conveniences for quickly packing the fish. Part of the capital of the companies is supplied by Boston and New York dealers. The total quantity of fresh fish annually landed at this port and sent away in ice is from 13,000,000 to 16,000,000 pounds, the greater part of which is halibut. In 1879 the quantity of fresh halibut landed was 11,336,000 pounds. It was mostly brought here from the deep waters of the offshore banks by the fleet of some fifty vessels employed in that fishery. Part of the receipts of this fish is from the George's cod vessels, which usually take from a few hundred to some 4,000 or 5,000 pounds of halibut, which are iced and brought home with the salt codfish. Codfish taken by the shore boats are shipped fresh whenever the demand will warrant, though much of the catch of these boats is sold to the splitters and dried. About 2,000,000 pounds of fresh cod and haddock are annually sent in ice from Gloucester. Fresh mackerel are sent from here in considerable quan- tities, though most of the Gloucester vessels in the fresh-mackerel fishery take their catch direct to Boston. There is considerable competition between the several fresh fish companies, whose agents board the vessels as they enter the harbor and make offers for the trip. A very spirited auction often occurs on the vessel's deck before the anchors are dropped. As soon as possible after a purchase has been effected, the vessel is hauled to the company's wharf and the cargo taken out by the crew, assisted by the company's men. The fish are at once weighed, cleaned, and packed in boxes holding from 300 to 450 pounds of fish, with sufficient crushed ice to insure their preservation. In the case of halibut, the heads are taken off and sold to the oil makers, while codfish heads are generally carted back into the country to be used for guano. The boxes of fish are carted to the railway station and loaded in special cars chartered by the companies. It is nothing uncommon for a trip of 75,000 pounds of halibut to be taken from a vessel, weighed, packed, and loaded on the cars within a few hours in one forenoon, and by the next morning to be marketed in New York and Philadelphia. The retail trade in fish is very small, there being only three fish-markets and four or five "fish- 148 GEOGRAPHICAL KB VIEW OP THE FISHERIES. carts" for the sale of fish, lobsters, and clams. The grocery stores keep but a small amount of cured fish on hand. A large amount of fresh and salt fish is consumed without being sold. It is a common practice among the fishermen and men who work at the packing stands to take to their homes a sample of the delicious fish for which they have toiled so faithfully; and these samples amount to a great deal in the aggregate. While on fishing trips, men who have familes to support often cure a lot of fish, which they carry to their homes on their arrival, to be used by the family during the winter. The men cure and use in this way as much as three or four hundred weight each during a year. THE TRADE IN DEY AND PICKLED FISH. This industry is carried on principally by the firms that own the vessels, though there are several "outside" establishments which have a large trade. At the wharves where the fish are landed are flake yards and sheds for curing and packing. Pickled fish, before they are sold outside the State, must be inspected and branded according to law. One of the firm dealing in this article is usually a deputy inspector, who is thus able to inspect and brand his own fish. " Boneless fish " is the trade name for cured cod or other fish divested of skin and bones and cut in pieces from 3 to 8 inches in length for convenience in packing. This business was begun in Gloucester in 18G9, when a limited quantity of the lower grades of cod and hake were packed in soap-boxes and peddled in Boston. The article soon met with a ready sale, and in a few years the packing of fish in this manner began rapidly to increase, so that in 1875 upwards of half a million pounds of boneless fish were prepared in Gloucester alone. From 1875 to 1S79 the business made very rapid strides, nearly doubling itself in two years, so that in 1879 about 14,000,000 pounds were shipped from Gloucester to all parts of the United States. A shipment of boneless fish was made to Alaska in 1879, and this industry has since been started in that territory. There are twenty establishments in Gloucester in this business, employing 224 men and 16 women. When this method of packing fish began, men were paid $1 per hundredweight for its preparation, but competition has since reduced wages to 25 and 40 cents per hundredweight, according to quality, so that the average wages of the "skinner" is now about $1.75 per day, though expert workmen sometimes make $4.50 to $5 per day. One quintal of dried fish will make 89 pounds of boneless, thus leaving 21.9 per cent, waste in skin and bone. The method employed in the preparation of this product is described elsewhere. The fish are packed in boxes containing from 5 to 70 or 100 pounds each, and large quantities are put up in 200 or 400 pound boxes, to be repacked in smaller packages in other cities. The manufacture of boxes for boneless fish has grown into an important industry employing a large number of persons in various parts of New England. In Gloucester there are two factories, with $10,000 capital, engaged in the business of nailing box-shooks together and in printing the ends with various brands. The average-sized box used in Gloucester for boneless fish contains 35 pounds, and upwards of 300,000 such boxes were used here in 1879. The preparation of "desiccated fish," so called, was carried on at Gloucester for about two years prior to 1870, during which time about 500,000 pounds of salt codfish were distributed over the country under this trade name. The article was prepared by stripping the skin and bones from salt cod and then grinding the solid substance into a fibrous mass. As the product absorbed moisture it soon spoiled and proved a failure. During the year 1880, a factory was established at Gloucester by New York parties for the manufacture of "evaporated fresh codfish." Little was done beyond experimenting as to the best methods of production. The process is a simple one and bids fair to prove a success. Fresh codfish are cleared of skin, bones, and all refuse substances and the solid flesh is subjected to heat MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 149 in large tiu pans, when the substance separates into a fine fibrous mass and at the same time gives up all its moisture, so that the dry fish in a flaky state may be packed in paper boxes and shipped to all parts of the world, it being claimed by the inventor that it will keep for any length of time in any climate. Use is made of the refuse skin and bones in the manufacture of fish-glue and guano. Mackerel are packed in barrels, half-barrels, and smaller wooden packages, also in 3 and 5-pound tin cans. As received from the vessel, the fish are not sufficiently salted, neither are they packed carefully enough to insure their preservation. They are therefore emptied from the barrels as they come from the vessel, and after being weighed, are culled into various legal grades and packed in bam Is, with new salt, and the barrel filled with pickle. After being properly branded, they are ready for sale. The principal market for these fish is in the West, though large quantities are sold throughout New England. THE TRADE IN SMOKED HALIBUT. Gloucester is the headquarters for the manufacture and trade in smoked halibut. The usual annual production of the smoke-houses is about 2,000,000 pounds, but in 1879 only 1,250,000 pounds, valued at $100,000, were made. In 18SO, the amount was still less, because of the comparatively small catch of the halibut vessels. There are two firms that own large smoke-houses and do the greater part of the business, while three other firms, with small establishments, have a limited trade. The halibut to be smoked are either received in salt flitches from the bankers and Greenland vessels, or they are bought from the fresh fish com- panies as landed from the fresh halibut vessels. Such fish as are not of suitable quality or fresh- ness to send to market, are sold to the smokers and make about as good smoked fish as the best halibut. At some seasons of the year, when the demand for fresh fish is greatest, very few fresh halibut go to the smokers. Most of the smoking is done in the fall and winter. The history of this business dates back to about 1810, when a small quantity of halibut was smoked in a house on the outskirts of Gloucester. In 1855, the quantity smoked was only 400,000 pounds, and it was not until about 18GO to 1865 that the business assumed any great pro- portions. At that time, some 3,000,000 pounds was the annual product. In 1S7C, the quantity made was 2,750,000 pounds. There are several grades of smoked halibut, the principal kinds being known as George's, Shore, and Greenland. The last named is generally considered the best quality, and could be sold in great quantities if the fishery were more extensive. Some Gloucester smoked halibut were sent to Europe a few years ago, but no trade developed there. A small lot was exhibited at Berlin in 1880, for which the makers were awarded a medal. THE UTILIZATION OF FISH SKINS. Within a few years, there has been produced and invented by Gloucester parties, an article of fish-glue that bids fair to have a very extensive sale. It is made from the skins of dried cusk and codfish, the refuse of the boneless fish factories. Prior to 1876, this refuse, consisting of skins and bones, was considered worthless and was thrown away outside the harbor. The fertilizing properties found in it, and its value for making glue, has created such a demand that instead of throwing it away it was worth about $6 per ton in 1879, and is constantly advancing. Fish-glue is made from the salt skins by desalting and cooking them, when the crude glue is obtained, which is chemically treated and prepared in several qualities. The general process for making this fish-glue is to desalt the skins by soaking in large vats of spring water. They are then steamed or cooked in tanks, when the crude glue is drained off and subjected to a patent process for evaporating the moisture. The thickened glue is then chemically treated, to prevent decomposition and to adapt it to various uses. It has found a ready sale and 150 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. is used as mucilage, as cement for broken crockery or wood work, in the manufacture of furniture, carriages, straw goods, floor oil cloths, and in many other ways. Fish skins have been put to some other uses than the manufacture of glue or guano. The skins of cusk have been made into boots at Gloucester and the article patented, but it is doubt- ful whether the business will ever become profitable. Dogfish skins being rough like sand-paper or emery paper have been used by the fishermen to shine their mackerel jigs. In all parts of the world, experiments have been made with skins of different kinds of fish and they have been put to a variety of uses. Some very good looking gloves were made at Berlin in 1880, from the skins of cusk and codfish sent from Gloucester. THE FISH-OIL INDTJSTBY. Fish oils are prepared at Gloucester from the livers of cod, hake, haddock, pollock, and dogfish, and from the heads of halibut. There are five fish-oil makers here with a capital of $105,300 and employing 50 men. The value of the product of these factories, in the census year, was $129,100. On the cod- vessels fishing on the Grand and Western Banks, it is the common custom to have some large casks called "blubber butts" lashed upon deck just forward of the cabin. In the bilge of each cask is cut a square hole through which the livers are dropped into the cask and allowed to remain, until by the heat of the sun they are putrefied. The oil that exudes and floats upon the surface is skimmed off and stowed in barrels while the mass of refuse blubber is allowed to remain until the vessel arrives home, when it is boiled to extract the oil that may remain. George's-men and shore cod fishermen save the livers in a fresh condition and sell them direct to the oil mer- chants at so much a bucket or gallon. An average quantity of livers for 100,000 pounds of split fish is 450 gallons, valued at from 10 to 15 cents per gallon, according to their freshness. A bucket of cod livers, holding about 2J gallons, yields 1 gallon of medicinal oil, valued, when refined, at about 70 cents a gallon. In manufacturing medicinal oil, the livers are chopped up in small pieces, and then cooked by steam in tanks. The oil thus cooked out is put in 5-gallon cans and, packed in a large trough with ice and salt, is allowed to remain for about twelve hours to chill and granulate. The granulated oil is then quite thick, and is put in bags and sub- mitted to a heavy pressure. Oil produced by this pressing is " bright," and will not congeal at 30 temperature. What is left in the bags is a sort of tallow, and is used by tanners, being sold at about C cents a pound. The oil weighs about 1\ pounds to a gallon, and varies in value according to the demand, ranging from 50 to 75 cents per gallon. After the oil is taken from the cooking tanks, a brownish substance remains, that is used in the manufacture of fertilizers. The principal oil manufacturer in Gloucester annually makes from 1,000 to 1,500 barrels of medicinal or cod-liver oil, which is sent to all parts of the United States. The practice of chopping the livers has been in use but a few years, and it is claimed that more oil can thus be obtained from a quantity of livers than was formerly obtained by cooking them whole. Tanner's oil is made from the crude oil and blubber brought home by the Grand and Western bankers, and from livers that are not fresh enough for making medicinal oil. It is worth from 40 to 50 cents per gallon. The livers of dogfish and sharks are specially rich in quantity of oil, and these fish are some- times taken for the sake of their livers, the bodies being cast aside as of no value. Dogfish are oftentimes very abundant in the spring of the year, when considerable quantities are taken by the shore fishermen, as well as by vessels on George's Banks, though by the fishermen who are in search of cod the dogfish are counted as annoying as thieves, stealing not only bait from their hooks, but the fish as well. George's-men are therefore not at all anxious to meet schools of dogfish, and frequently change their fishing ground at the approach of these scavengers. MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 151 Gloucester fishermen have never made a business of capturing sharks, though when large ones are accidentally taken on the lines the liver is generally saved for the oil, a large specimen of the ground or sleeper shark (Somniosits microcephaliis) yielding many gallons of oil. Besides cod, hake, and dogfish oil, a large amount is annually made from the heads of halibut. This business began in Gloucester about 1870, and is principally in the hands of two concerns, which consume annually about 1,000,000 pounds of halibut heads. A limited number of these heads were formerly salted for food, but the use of them for that purpose is now abandoned. Not only the heads cut from the fresh fish, but also the backbones and other refuse of halibut obtained from the smoking establishments are utilized for the production of oil. The process of manufact- ure is simple. The entire lot' of refuse heads and bones are thrown together in a large tank and there treated with steam until thoroughly boiled. They are next placed in an open cylinder, and by means of an hydraulic press the oil is crushed out and refined for curriers' use or mixed with whale oil for various uses. The quantity of oil obtained from a ton of halibut heads is about forty gallons. From the scrap left after the oil is pressed out, a valuable use is made by manufacturers of fertilizers. Flerring, and also the heads and bones of fresh codfish, are used to a limited extent by the oil-makers. Occasional schools of black-fish are driven ashore on the north side of the cape and their heads and blubber sold to the oil factories. In 1879 about one hundred of these fish were captured at 'Squam and Coffin's beach. In the spring of 1880 several drift whales were towed into Gloucester Harbor and two of them were stripped of their blubber, which was "tried out" for the oil. Very little menhaden oil has been made in Gloucester since 1878. Previous to that date men- haden were abundant north of Cape Cod, and a considerable quantity was brought to Gloucester to be ground up for oil and guano. The principal use made of menhaden by Gloucester fishermen has been for bait, and great quantities were once annually consumed by the mackerel and George's fleets. When mackerel are very plenty inshore, as in the spring of 1880, there is sometimes an over abundance of small fish, which are of no use except to be ground up for guano and oil. A factory has been built in Gloucester for canning fresh mackerel and herring, and many fish that were once thrown away or used only for guano now find a ready sale at this cannery. FISH SOUNDS AND SPAWN. Cod and hake sounds are used in the manufacture of ribbon- isinglass. Several firms buy these sounds of the fishermen, paying so much a pound for them pickled in barrels. The sounds are washed, cleaned, dried, and sold to the isinglass-makers. In 1879 the Gloucester fishermen saved enough of these sounds to weigh 116,500 pounds in the dry condition, and valued at $63,600. Hake sounds are worth more than twice or three times as much as the sounds of cod, the latter being mixed with the former in the production of an inferior quality of isinglass. Hake sounds have been saved for the past fifty or sixty years, though in no great quantities except during the past ten years, while cod sounds were not saved at all prior to about 1870. The practice of saving the spawn of fish as a commercial product, was begun, by the Gloucester fishermen, about the year 1808, and has continued ever since, the demand for the article varying somewhat from year to year. The principal use of the spawn is for sardine bait, for which purpose it is exported to France, where there is an annual consumption of about 50,000 barrels, of which 40,000 barreh are Norwegian cod roe, and 10,000 barrels French and American roe. During the season commencing November, 1879, and ending April, 1880, Gloucester fishing vessels brought 152 GEOGKAPHICAL EEVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. Lome 3,200 barrels of roe, principally cod and pollock, valued at about $11,000. This was salted in barrels, and shipped to New York for exportation to Prance. The quantity of spawn saved by the fishermen is limited only by the demand. Thousands of barrels of cod, haddock, halibut, pollock, and herring spawn might be brought to market if a sufficient price could be received for it. A great part of the spawn is brought to port by the George's-men in the spring of the year. It is salted in barrels on board the vessels, and upon being landed is resalted in butts or hogsheads, then taken out, drained, and packed in ordinary fish barrels. The fishermen received, during 1879, from $1.50 to $2 per barrel for spawn, without the barrel. The dealers sold it to the exporters for $3.75 to $4 per barrel, including the barrel. THE MACKEREL FISHERY. The mackerel fishery is perhaps the most important of any single fishery carried on at Gloucester. It employs from eighty to one hundred and fifty sail of vessels, and the annual catch is from 100,000 to 200,000 barrels. In 1879 the fleet numbered eighty-five sail that lauded at Gloucester and other ports about 120,000 barrels of mackerel, including some 25,000 barrels of fresh fish sold at New York and Boston. It was formerly a hook-and line fishery, but now the entire Gloucester fleet is fitted with purse-seines. The fishing grounds are from the capes of Virginia to the Bay of Fuudy. A few years ago a large part of the fleet fished in the Bay of Saint Lawrence, but that ground has been abandoned and the fishery carried on only off the American coast. In the months of March and April the Southern fleet leave home, and, fishing off the coasts of New Jersey and Delaware, market their catch fresh in New York. As the fish move northward and eastward the fleet follow them and continue their capture as long as they can be found. In the latter part of June the Southern fleet becomes a Northern fleet, fishing in the Gulf of Maine, and is largely increased in numbers. By the last of July the fish have become much fatter and more valuable than earlier in the season. Prom this time until the close of the fishery in November the catch is mostly salted in barrels. The improved methods of capture now in use enable an equal number of men to take many times more mackerel in a given period than were secured under the old methods. A single Gloucester vessel has been known to take over 1,000,000 pounds of fresh mackerel in a season. In 1880 the schooner Edward E. Webster, Capt. Solomon Jacobs, captured and landed 1,300 barrels of fresh mackerel and 2,600 barrels of pickled, which were sold for $19,745. Three or four hundred barrels of these fish are sometimes taken and salted in as many days by a single vessel. So dili- gently do the, crews labor that when a big catch has been made they will often keep at work for forty consecutive hours without sleep. Mackerel as they are landed in barrels from the vessels are called sea packed, and before they can be sent out of the State must be culled into grades, and inspected and branded under the laws of the State. In Gloucester a portion of the catch is sold out of pickle, or by the 200 pounds in fishermen's order. When thus sold the trip can be settled at once and the crew receive their share of the stock. The more general method of settling with the men has been to have the fish packed and inspected and charge each man a certain amount, from $1.50 to ?2 per barrel, for the expense of packing, including cost of barrels, salt, and labor. Owners of vessels supply provisions, salt, gear, and barrels for the trip, but the crew are finally obliged to bear half the cost of the barrels and the salt for packing. Mackerel have always been more or less abundant in Massachusetts Bay. Governor Win- throp saw quantities of them off Cape Ann in 1030. The colonies made regulations concerning the capture of these fish, but the industry was confined principally to towns on the south side of the bay, and little was done at Gloucester in this fishery until after this year 1800. Small fishing boats occasionally took a few fresh mackerel to Boston for a market, and some were salted, though the MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 153 entire quantity inspected in Gloucester prior to 1812 was only 1,171 barrels. An inspector was appointed for this place in 1808, but he Lad little to do until about 1820, when the great abun- dance of mackerel then in Boston Bay induced the fishermen to actively engage in their capture. Most of the vessels packed out their catch in Boston, and Gloucester had but a small share in the inspection until 1828, when 34,203 barrels were inspected here. In 1830 this port had a tonnage of 9,C43 tons employed in the fishery, and caught 51,013 barrels of mackerel entirely off the American shore. In 1831 mackerel were so plenty off Cape Ann that the fishermen, for several days together, are said to have been employed all day in catching tuein and all night in splitting and salting. This was one of the most prosperous years in the history of the fishery, and the catch of the Massachusetts fleet was about 383,000 barrels. Gloucester's share of this catch, with a fleet of vessels measuring about 10,000 tons, was 69,759 barrels, all caught off the American shore. From 1831 to 1839 the mackerel business of Gloucester amounted to about 40,000 barrels annually. In 1840 the catch was only 10,241 barn-Is, and in each of the two following years it was less than 9,000 barrels. From 1842 to 1854 the average tonnage employed by Gloucester in this fishery was 20,000 tons, and the annual catch increased to an average of 40,000 barrels. In 1851 there were 241 vessels, measuring 13,G39 tons, and manned by 2,326 men and boys. In 1830 Gloucester mackerel vessels first began to visit the Bay of Saint Lawrence, and during the years 1854 to 1SC6, the period of reciprocity, a very prosperous fishery was developed in those waters. Several hundred vessels annually fitted out at Gloucester and caught large quantities of mackerel, many thousand barrels of which were shipped home in Provincial vessels, thus enabling the vessels to take two or more fares. The method of fishing was by hook and line, and enormous quantities of bait was thrown overboard to attract the fish alongside the vessel. Each vessel carried as many as 75 barrels of menhaden slivers that were chopped up for bait. From 1854 to 1859, the. first five years of reciprocity, the catch in the Bay of Saint Lawrence was not up to the average of some previous years, but the continual application of American enterprise and the use of large quantities of bait rendered the fishery more productive than it had ever been before. The reciprocity treaty closed in 1866, and American vessels were forbidden the privilege pre- viously granted of fishing inshore, unless they were provided with a license for which 50 cents per ton was charged. This tax was gradually increased to $2 per ton, and the consequence was that American vessels began to abandon the bay and fished in greater numbers oif the coast of the United States. By the same methods used to develop the mackerel fisheries in British waters, Americans now increased the value of the fishery on our own shore, so that in 1870 the catch of the Massachusetts fleet on our coast was about 300,000 barrels, the largest since the year 1831. The share of tbe Gloucester fleet in this catch was 110,000 barrels. For a few years after the abolishment of the license system in the Bay of Saint Lawrence, American vessels were much annoyed in those waters, and several were seized and condemned by the British for alleged illegal fishing. The treaty of Washington, made in 1873, gave to Americans the privilege of again engaging in the Bay of Saint Lawrence fishery without fear of cruising too near the shore. The general adop- tion of the purse seine by the American fleet kept more vessels on our own shore, since the seine could not be used to good advantage in the Bay. The number of vessels visiting the bay conse- quently decreased until in 1879 the Gloucester fleet numbered only about twenty-five sail, and in 1881 only one or two vessels went there, and their voyages were very unprofitable. The number of arrivals of mackerel vessels at Gloucester in 1877 was 86 from the Bay of Saint 154 GEOGEAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHEEIES. Lawrence and 692 from the American shore; in 1878, 113 from the bay and 280 from the shore; in 1879, about 30 from the bay and 250 from the shore. In 1880 the mackerel industry of Gloucester employed 175 vessels and about 2,500 men; the number of fares landed was 724, and the catch was 135,794 barrels. The largest quantity of mackerel inspected in this port in any one year was 164,938 barrels in 1864. In each of the years from 1862 to 1867, in 1870 and 1871, and in 18SO, the amount inspected here was over 100,000 barrels. The year 1879 was a very poor one, the inspection returns crediting Gloucester with only 48,643 barrels. The total quantity of mackerel taken by Gloucester fishermen in that year was about 25,000 of fresh and 95,000 barrels pickled. The fresh and a large part of the pickled fish were sold in Kew York, Boston, Portland, and other places most convenient to the fish- ing grounds. The total quantity of mackerel inspected in Gloucester from 1808 to 1880 was about 3,500,000 barrels, or more than one-fourth of the entire number of barrels about 12,120,000 inspected in the whole State of Massachusetts in the same period. THE GEORGE'S COD FISHERY. The fishery for cod on George's Bank is one of the most impor- tant as well as most dangerous of all the fisheries carried on at Gloucester. The best season for its prosecution is in the spring, when immense schools of very large and fine fish visit this bank. The George's fleet numbers about one hundred sail of staunch schooners rigged specially for this fishery. Each vessel carries a crew numbering usually ten or eleven men. They fish entirely with hand-lines from the vessel's deck, the rail being marked off in spaces, and each man is assigned a space separated from his neighbor by wooden pegs some six or eight inches high, called " soldiers," which serve as guides in hauling in the lines that are drawn out away from the vessel's side by the current, which is at times very strong. The bait used is frozen herring, as long as they can be bought; then, as the season advances, alewives, herring, menhaden, or mackerel are taken, being purchased of trap or net fishermen along the coast. Much time is lost to the fleet in searching for bait. The vessels start out from Gloucester early in February, and make their trips of from two to three weeks' duration. They keep at this work throughout the spring and summer, meeting with less success during the warm months, and late in the fall they usually haul up for two or three months before beginning another season. Some of the fleet make as many as thirteen or fourteen trips during the year, while others follow this fishery but a short time and then join the mackerel fleet. During the summer the George's-men find better fishing in the South Channel, on Brown's Bank, off Cape Negro, or in the Bay of Fundy, than on George's. The catch of this fleet is principally cod of superior quality that have a national reputation, and bring the highest price of any cod in the market. They are usually split and salted on the vessel, though occasional cargoes are brought home round, to be split on shore. In earlier years more fish were brought home round than at present, and it is claimed by the fishermen that the present method of splitting nearly all the catch on the fishing grounds and throwing the gurry overboard has a tendency to drive the fish away. Each man receives a share in the profits of a trip according to the number of fish he catches, the tongues being cut out of the fish as they are caught, and saved to be counted each night by the captain, who keeps the record of each man's catch. Any halibut that may be taken are marked by the fortunate catcher. A greater or less quantity of halibut is taken on each trip, ranging from a few hundred weight to four or five thou- sand pounds. Besides cod and halibut, which comprise most of the catch on George's, a quan- tity of pollock, haddock, and cusk are taken, which, when weighed off, are counted as scale-fish, and bring only about half as much as the large cod. A distinction is made between large and small MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 155 cod, those measuring not less than 27 inches from tip of nose to fork of tail being called large and others small. Nearly all the George's cod are pickle-cured, being resalted in butts as soon as landed. After remaining in pickle until needed for sale, they are slightly dried, and are then ready to be cut up into boneless or for shipment whole. As recorded by the Capo Ann Advertiser, the catch of George's cod by Gloucester vessels was 186,758 quintals in 1875, 26,975,000 pounds in 1876, 23,755,000 pounds in 1877, 24,158,000 pounds in 1878, and 23,144,000 pounds in 1879. The records of the United States Fish Commis- sion give the receipts as 30,249,580 pounds in 1880. The number of arrivals in 1880 was 1,393. In the first five of the above years the catch of George's cod was more than one-half of the entire catch of cod by Gloucester vessels on all the fishing banks, but in 1880 the catch of the Western and Grand Banks fleet reached larger proportions than in previous years, and thus reduced the relative importance of the George's fishery. The largest recorded codfish fare ever received from George's was 123,115 pounds round, with 8G2 pounds of halibut, by schooner S. E. Lane, Capt. Solomon Jacobs, in 1875. The vessel stocked on this trip $2,554, and the crew shared $90.81. The schooner Triton on one trip took 54,000 pounds of split and 30,000 pounds of round codfish, equal to about 111,000 pounds round, and 3,000 pounds of halibut. Several othtr vessels have brought home fares of over a hundred thousand pounds round. On five George's trips in a recent year the schooner Proctor Brothers took 21,544 codfish iu number, weighing 171,000 pounds. Of her crew of eleven men, Mr. George Williamson was high line, taking 2,417 fish, while the low line caught 1,431. As early as the middle of the last century Marblehead fishing vessels were accustomed to visit George's Bank for cod, making one or two trips there in the summer or early fall. They did not anchor on the fishing grounds at that date, but drifted about. It does not appear that Gloucester vessels visited that bank until 1821, when the schooners Three Sisters, Eight Brothers, and Two Friends went there, but staid on the bank only one or two days, being afraid to anchor on account of the strong current. In 1830 the schooner Nautilus anchored on the bank and secured some halibut, and may be said to have inaugurated Gloucester's share in the George's fishery. The fishing for cod on this bank was of little importance until after the introduction of frozen herring from Newfoundland in 1856. These frozen herring arrived early in the winter and were found to be an excellent bait for the great schools of cod that visit George's at this season of the year. A very successful season was made on George's by Capt. Peter Sinclair in the winter and spring of 1859, and it was not long before large fleets of Gloucester vessels were engaged in this fishery. The George's fishing vessels were generally from 80 to 90 tons burden, and were manned by the bravest of the Cape Ann fishermen. The fleet fitted out immediately after the arrival of frozen herring from Newfoundland, early in January, and continued throughout the spring, as long as fish could be found. About 1867 the George's fleet became still larger because of the greater abundance of frozen herring at this time brought from New Brunswick as well as from Newfoundland. Among the most successful trips at this period was that of the schooner Montana which took 100,162 pounds on a fouiteen days' voyage, and iu two trips the same year landed 183,362 pounds, making a gross stock of $3,417.32. Other large fares were those of 99,338 pounds, by schooner Madame Roland, in 18C6; 100,575 pounds, by schooner William J. Dale, in 1868; and 102,075 pounds, by schooner Everett Steele, in 1869. One of the most valuable George's codfish trips ever made was that of schooner Madame Roland in 1865, when $2,833.29 was stocked. THE COD FISHERY ON GRAND AND WESTERN BANKS. The Grand and Western Banks fishery 156 GEOGEAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHEEIES. was for many years almost abandoned by Gloucester fishermen, but about I860 it was begun anew, and now a fleet of from fifty to seventy or eighty sail of vessels visit those banks for the capture of cod, bringing home from 12,000,000 to 20,000,000 pounds annually. The vessels that fish mostly on the Western Bank start out the earliest in the year, some of them in the month of March, and fish until about October, fishing part of the time on Banquereau and bringing home several fares. Those of the fleet that go to the Grand Bank usually make one or two Western Bank trips first and then start on a long trip to the Grand Bank. These vessels all fish with trawls and carry crews of fourteen men. The bait used is mostly fresh herring or alewivcs, though in the case of the Grand Bankers some squid are used. While on the Banks sea-gulls are sometimes used for bait, being called "shack bait". The men on these vessels share alike according to the catch of each dory. Two men mate in each dory and count the fish as they are thrown aboard the vessel. The fish are sold at so much a hundred-weight as they come from the vessel, and after being landed are usually washed and then either pickle-cured or keuch-cured, most of them being prepared in the former way. A few vessels are accustomed to fish on Banquereau with hand lines from dories, using salt clams for bait. The number of Gloucester vessels that fished in this way was formerly quite large; this method was abandoned a number of years ago, but in 1880 it was begun anew. Many vessels belonging to other ports catch very fair trips with salt clams, but Gloucester fishermen much prefer fresh bait. The fishery for cod on the Grrnd Bank was one of the most important in the early history of New England. For many years it was not extensively carried on from Gloucester, but was engaged in principally from Marblehead and other fishing ports. Just after the Revolutionary war about sixty Gloucester vessels made Grand Bank trips, but the number of these fishing vessels at this port rapidly declined, until in 1804 there were only about ten over 30 tons burden, most of the fleet having found more profitable employment in the foreign trade. In 1819 a company with $50.000 capital was organized for the purpose of reviving this fishery, and seven schooners were fitted out, but after operating for three years the enterprise proved unsuccessful and was abandoned. The act of Congress passed in 1819, granting bounty to vessels engaged in the cod fisheries, gave a stimulus to the fisheries, so that by 1828 the fishing fleet of Gloucester numbered 154 schooners and 08 boats. A notable fare in the Bank fishery was that of the British schooner Keclso which arrived from the Grand Bank in October, 1S80, with about 320,000 pounds codfish and 1,COO pounds of Hitched halibut. In one season, from March 8 to October 15, the Gloucester schooner Josie M. Calderwood made five trips to the Western and Grand Banks, and landed 4(;0,000 pounds of codfish and 55,000 pounds of halibut, making a stock of $10,475. In a single week in September, 1880, fifteen fares, aggregating 2,057,000 pounds of Bank codfish, were landed at Gloucester. From a fourteen weeks' trip in 1872 the schooner Ben Perley Poore landed 180,695 pounds cod and 10,597 pounds of halibut. The quantities of codfish taken by this fleet in several years past has been as follows: in 1870, 18,6:17,000 pounds; in 1877, 1G,SG5,000 pounds; in 1878, 12,202,500 pounds; in 1879, 13,'-'47,000 pounds; in 1SSO, 262 fares, 16,790,000 pounds. The receipts from this fishery in 1880, including the catch of Provincial vessels landed at Gloucester, were 18,922,000 pounds. THE FRESH HALIBUT FISHERY. The fresh halibut fishery is almost entirely confined to Gloucester, and has been found very profitable, some vessels catching over $20,000 worth in a single year. In 1879 some sixty sail of vessels were at some time of the year engaged in this fishery, and about forty vessels pursued the business all the year ; but in 1880 the number was MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 157 much smaller. The principal fishing grounds are on the edges of the offshore banks, in water from 100 to 400 fathoms deep. Occasional trips are made to the southward of the Newfoundland coast, in the vicinity of Eamea Islands, and one or two vessels have taken fares in the neighborhood of Anticosti Island, in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, but most of the fresh halibut brought to Gloucester in recent years has come from Grand, Saint Peter's, and Quereau Banks. The ves- sels all market their catch in Gloucester, two or three companies making a specialty of buying these fish and shipping them, boxed in ice, to New York, Chicago, and other points. In former years, halibut were very plenty on all the inshore and offshore banks, but were considered of little value until about 1845, when ice began to be used on the vessels. George's Banks were formerly visited by a large fleet of vessels that made a specialty of this fishery. The halibut vessels all use trawls, and for bait for the first set of the trawls they purchase herring or alewives of the net fishermen along the coast of Maine or at the Provinces. After the first set, sufficient waste fish are caught for bait. This fishery, especially in winter, is extremely dangerous, and many lives and vessels are annually lost. The largest fare of fresh halibut ever landed by a Gloucester vessel was 140,000 pounds, by the schooner G. P. Whitman, Capt. Jerome McDonald, in 1877. Several fares of over 100,000 pounds have been landed by other vessels, among them one in 1875, of 126,566 pounds, by the schooner Chester R. Lawrence, Capt. Thomas Hodgdon. The greatest amount of money realized from a single trip was $5,361, by the schooner N. H. Phillips, Capt. William McDonald, in 1871. The quantity of fish taken was 47,650 pounds of halibut and 9,390 pounds of codfish, on a trip lasting five weeks. The usual length of a trip is from three to six weeks, though some have been made to the banks in about fourteen days. The first trip of a Gloucester halibut vessel to George's Bank was in the year 1830, by the schooner Nautilus, Capt. J. F. Wonson. This vessel sailed from Gloucester on March 5, and returned soon after with about 20 halibut. One of the next vessels to visit the bank was the Romeo, Capt. Henry Pew, which brought home some 3,000 pounds of halibut, and sold at 3 cents a pound. In a few years the fleet was considerably increased in numbers, and George's halibut- fishing became a regular branch of industry that has been pursued with greater or less success ever since. In 1847 this fishery was of such importance that more than 3,000,000 pounds of halibut, worth over $70,000, were taken. This was about two years after they began to use ice on the ves- sels to preserve the fish. Some of the fleet had been fitted with wells, in which the halibut were brought home alive and peddled out one at a time. Prior to 1848 nearly all the fresh halibut had been marketed in Boston, but in that year a com- pany was organized in Gloucester for the purpose of diverting the trade here. The opening of railroad communication with Gloucester in 1846, afforded facilities for sending the fish to the New England markets, and it was hoped that Gloucester rather than Boston could control the trade. The enterprise proved unsuccessful, for the catch was far in excess of the demand. A stipulated price had been agreed upon between the company and the fishermen, which proved more than could be realized in the market, and after paying out some $45,000 the company was dissolved. The George's fishery for halibut continued to be successful as a separate fishery until these fish were found more abundant on other banks. Since 1876 halibut have been brought from George's in no great amount except by the vessels fitted for cod fishing, but the aggregate amount yearly landed by these vessels has been considerable, rangiug from 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 pounds per year, against 7,000.000 to 14,000,000 pounds from the other banks. In the spring of 1876 the fleet began fishing in the deep water on the edge of George's Bank, and from that time the greater part of the catch has been from the deep water on the edge of 158 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. that and other banks. The relative quantities of fresh halibut taken by Gloucester vessels on George's in distinction from that caught on the Grand, Western, and other fishing banks, since 1875, is recorded as follows by the Cape Ann Advertiser: Year. George's Bank. Other banks. Total. 1875 Pounds. 2 462 364 Pounds. 7 248 413 Pounds. 9 710 777 1876 3 005 ]00 11 453 000 14 458 100 1877 1 814,000 14, 319, 000 18, 133, 000 1878 524 100 10, 914, 500 11, 438, 600 1879 995 500 11 717 400 12, 712, 900 1880 1 125 450 7 940 000 9, 065, 450 In addition to the above quantities landed fresh, a large amount of salt or flitched halibut has been brought home and sold to the smoking establishments. THE GREENLAND HALIBUT FISHERY. Since about 1870 a few Gloucester vessels have been accustomed to visit the west coast of Greenland in pursuit of halibut which are brought homo salted in flitches to be smoked. This fleet has never numbered over six or eight sail, and in 1879 there were only three vessels the schooners Bunker Hill, Herman Babson, and Mary E. The last-named vessel fished for a few weeks on the Flemish Cap, whence she sailed for Greenland. The fishing grounds have been off the village of Holsteinberg. In 1870 the schooner Caleb Eaton, Capt. John S. McQuinn, landed 177,300 pounds of flitches taken at Greenland, and slocked $20,000. THE WINTER HADDOCK FISHERY. Gloucester is largely interested in the winter haddock fishery, supplying the Boston market annually with nearly 12,000/'00 pounds of haddock that are sold fresh throughout New England and New York. This enormous catch of fish, which is about seven-eighths of the total quantity of haddock brought to Boston, is taken between November and April by a fleet of some fifty sail of first class craft, averaging CO tons burden, manned by nearly 600 men. During a recent season the fleet was unusually successful, for although numbering only thirty-eight sail, the average stock of the vessels was $6,000, and the total catch was 14,000,000 pounds of fish. The high line of the fleet landed nearly 600,000 pounds of fish, valued at $11,232, and captured 90,000 pounds in thirteen hours' fishing, on a single trip. Haddock vessels are of the best class, such as are employed in the mackerel and bank fisheries the balance of the year. They are equipped with dories and trawls, and provisioned for trips of from two or three days to a fortnight's duration. The catch is iced in the hold, and marketed as soon as a fair amount is secured. The fishing grounds are principally offshore, from 75 to 200 or 300 miles from port, on Cashe's, La Have, and George's Banks. Fifteen years ago, haddock were abundant inshore, so that smaller vessels could engage in the business, but now the fishery has become essentially an offshore one, requiring large and able craft to carry it on. Fishermen share differently in this fishery from any other, going on what is called "fourths" or "fifths." The vessel, with anchors and sails, is furnished by the owners who receive one fourth or one-fifth of the net stock after the stock charges for wharfage and towage are deducted. The remaining three-fourths of the net stock is shared equally by the crew, who provide dories, fishing- gear, bait, ice, and provisions. The captain receives a commission or percentage from the owners in addition to an equal share with the crew. Prior to 1864 this fishery was confined chiefly to boats from the shore or to the smaller vessels. In that year, a schooner of 66 tons was fitted out for haddocking under Capt. Daniel Douglass, MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTEICT. 159 which created quite a talk, and people laughed at the idea of sending so large a vessel after haddock. Notwithstanding the derision of his neighbors, Captain Douglass was very successful, securing some excellent fares which he sold at 75 cents per hundred fish. Other vessels from time to time entered this fishery, and as the demand for fresh haddock, and their value as a table fish have been constantly increasing, a greater number of large vessels have engaged in their capture until now the haddock fleet includes many of the best vessels of Gloucester. THE MENHADEN BAIT-FISHERY. Gloucester vessels were formerly engaged in the menhaden fishery, and sold most of their catch to cod and mackerel vessels, to be used for bait. In 1873 some forty vessels owned here procured 60,000 barrels of menhaden, that made 20,000 barrels of slivers, worth $80,000. In 1879 one vessel followed the fishery with no success, and in 1880 none attempted it. The failure of the menhaden to make their appearance on the coast of Maine and Massachu- setts since 1878 has proved a serious loss to the large oil factories on the coast of Maine, as well as to the fleet of fishing vessels that formerly obtained an ample supply of bait near home, but that are now compelled to spend several days and sometimes a week or more in search of bait along the coast. During the year 1879 it is estimated that each vessel engaged in the George's cod fishery lost two months' time in searching for bait. They sometimes cruised as far south as Greenport, Long Island, and as far east as Cape Sable, before bait could be procured. The menhaden vessels were known in Gloucester as the "seining" or "baiting" fleet. They sometimes anchored in the rivers and bought the menhaden whole of the net or weir fishermen, and slivered them on the vessel, salting the slivers in barrels. The method of slivering was very simple. With the head of the fish in his left hand and a knife in his right hand, the workman cut a slice from each side of the body, leaving the head, backbone, and tail to be thrown away. When not obtained by purchase, the menhaden were taken with purse-seines, in about the same manner as mackerel. THE SQUID BAIT-FISHERY. The common squid (Loligo Pealii Les.), found along the south side of Cape Cod and in Vineyard Sound, has been used to some extent as bait by the Gloucester fisher- men. In 1877 Gloucester vessels began visiting these localities, and after procuring cargoes of squid took them to Saint Pierre, Newfoundland, where they were sold for bait to the French fishermen. The first vessel to engage in this business was the schooner Pescadore, Capt. Charles Dagle, in the spring of 1877. About 120 barrels of squid were obtained from the traps along the coast, and after being salted were taken to Saint Pierre. The venture proved a profitable one, and in 1878 the same vessel made another voyage, securing about 150 barrels. In 1879 a fleet of eight Gloucester vessels embarked in this new enterprise. The season proved an unprofitable one, squid being so scarce that the entire fleet procured only about 300 barrels. The most fortunate vessels, the schooner Crest of the Wave, Capt. James Melanson, and schooner Joseph Story, Capt. Charles Dagle, obtained each 75 barrels of squid, while the remaining six vessels, schooners Cadet, Capt. James Anderson ; Piscataqua, Capt. Benjamin Cook; Lizzie J. Jones, Capt. Peter Thebadau; Massena, Capt. Daniel Norwood ; Bay State, Capt. Thomas Goodwin ; and Carrie F. Butler, Capt. Theodore Parsons, secured only about 20 barrels apiece, and made losing voyages. Most of this fleet proceeded to Saint Pierre, where they sold their small cargoes and obtained small fares of squid by purchase at ports in New- foundland. Several of the vessels were fitted for netting the squid in Provincial waters, but were prevented by mobs from using the seines. The schooner Bay State encountered a mob at Saint Ann's and the Cadet at Aspee Bay. Both of these vessels, as also others of the fleet, afterwards purchased squid of the natives and sold them to French fishermen, thus in a measure preventing the total failure of their voyage. In 1880 two vessels, the schooners J. J. Clark and Joseph Story, went to Vineyard Sound, secured 447 barrels of squid, took them to Saint Pierre, and made profitable trips, afterwards buying squid at Cape Breton and selling them to the French. Two or three other 160 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. Gloucester vessels proceeded direct to Cape Breton and Newfoundland, where they purchased squid and sold tbeir trips at Saint Pierre. All these vessels were desirous of seining instead of purchasing their squid in the Provinces, but the bitter opposition of the previous year deterred them from this method of getting cargoes. The season of squidding in Vineyard Sound is during the month of May and early in June, when the squid enter the traps and pounds with other fish, and are thus secured. The vessels purchase them of the trap fishermen and salt them, either in bulk or in barrels, in the vessel's hold. In this condition they will keep good for a number of weeks, and, although not equal to the fresh squid of Newfoundland, they are considered a good bait by the French fishermen. Occasionally Gloucester vessels have taken cargoes of squid from Cape Breton direct to the Banks and peddled them out to the Frenchmen, but the more general custom has been to sell them at Saint Pierre. Great quantities of fresh squid are purchased at Newfoundland by American Grand Bank cod fishermen, and numerous outrages have been committed by the natives of that island upon our fishermen who have attempted to catch rather than purchase this bait. In the summer of 1880 the schooners Moro Castle and Victor of Gloucester were thus interfered with, and serious trouble avoided by the yielding of the American captains, who feared to stand for their rights in the face of so much opposition. Captain Naus, of the schooner Moro Castle, stated to the agent of the United States Fish Commission at Gloucester that his vessel had been on the Grand Bank cod fishing, and having exhausted the bait went to Newfoundland to procure a supply of squid. He anchored in Conception Bay, in Job or Devil Cove, on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 4, about a mile from the shore. That afternoon Captain Naus purchased of the natives 18,000 squid, at CO cents per hundred, paying them $108. The next morning Captain Naus left the vessel in a dory to go in search of more bait, having learned that some could be procured at a neighboring cove. While absent he saw the mainsail of the schooner start, and knowing that something must be wrong, hurried back, and found his vessel surrounded by boats, and that some two or three hun- dred Newfoundlanders had boarded and taken possession of her. He ordered the intruders to leave the vessel, but they took no notice of him, and, being all alone, his crew, mostly Nova Scotians, having been frightened and taken refuge in the cabin and forecastle, he was without means of enforcing his orders. The natives were very threatening, and the captain feared for his life if he attempted unaided to regain control of the schooner. These men had come on board because some of the crew had been seen jigging for squid, although they had taken only ten or a dozen. The squid were plenty, and it would have been easy to have secured a sufficient supply for bait if the crew had been allowed their rights to free fishing without intimidation. The invaders had broken the anchor from bottom and put the schooner under mainsail and jib, and she was fast drifting towards the rocks. Seeing that there was danger of the vessel being wrecked, the invaders became frightened and hurriedly took their departure, and she was rescued from shipwreck with consider- able difficulty. Mr. Augustus Dower, one of the crew of the schooner Victor, reports that his vessel left Por- tugal Cove, Newfoundland, at seven o'clock on the morning of August 4, in search of bait. Having secured ice in Northern Bay, the vessel got under way and came to anchor at five o'clock in the afternoon about three-quarters of a mile from the shore in Job's Cove, Conception Bay. Squid were schooling around the vessel in large numbers, and the crew commenced fishing, all hands being busily employed in hauling them in as fast as possible. The natives, perceiving the situa- tion, got out their boats and soon surrounded the vessel, ordering them to take in their lines and desist from fishing. Captain Bowie remonstrated, claiming the right to fish without molestation, but it availed nothing, and the rioters threatened to cut the cable and allow the vessel to go MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 161 adrift unless their demand was complied with, using the most violent and threatening language. Yielding to the force of superior numbers, fishing was abandoned, after which one of the natives who had seemed reluctant in joining the mob was brutally beaten by his companions. One of the crew of the Victor reminded the mob of the fisheries articles of the Washington treaty, and of the award of $0,500,000, but they replied that they knew nothing about treaty or money. The scene was a very exciting one, most of the hostile Newfoundlanders roaring at the top of their voices and gesticulating wildly. The mob consisted of about two hundred and fifty men in boats roughly made, averaging about 1C feet in length, a few being provided with one mast and sail, though the greater part were propelled by oars. The next morning the crew of the Victor resumed fishing, when they were again attacked, the natives brandishing their oars and striking at the captain and crew. Two of the crew were struck and slightly injured. Afterwards the mob boarded the vessel and ordered the crew to heave up the anchor. The wind being from the northwest, blowing on a lee shore, the anchor was hove up and the Victor went to Northern Bay, a distance of about G miles. The schooner Mattie, Captain Foster, of Beverly, was at the same place for bait, but got under way and left before an attack could be made upon her. Job's Cove, where this assault occurred, is surrounded by high laud, shaped like a quadrant, and as the wind was blowing on shore at the time, the cove affording no shelter, the vessels were in imminent danger of being wrecked if the mob carried out their threat of cutting the cables. Capt. Charles Martin, of schooner Martha C., reports that while fishing for squid at Low Point, Conception Bay, on Monday and Tuesday, August 2 and 3, having caught a considerable quantity with jigs, a party of Newfoundlanders came on board and endeavored to prevent their fishing. Captain Martin claimed the right to fish under the treaty, and the party departed without molesting him, leaving the crew engaged in fishing. On Sunday, August 29, while engaged in catching a few squid with jigs at Ophall Cove, Trinity Bay, at daylight, a party came off in a boat and ordered them to stop, threatening to drive the vessel out of the harbor if the crew persisted in fishing. The captain told them to try it if they dared, and kept on fishing, but was not further molested. Along the shores of Cape Ann a small quantity of squid are taken in the floating traps, but little use is made of them, the number secured not being sufficient to render them specially valua- ble for bait. During the spring of 1881 squid were very abundant in Vineyard Sound. The two Gloucester squid vessels that visited the region secured 350,000 that were taken to Saint Pierre^ and several George's-meu also procured some for bait. THE TRADE IN FROZEN HERRING. A large business has been done during the winter season: for the past twenty-five years in the Newfoundland and New Brunswick frozen-herring trade. The Newfoundland branch of this business was inaugurated in the winter of 1854-'55 by a Gloucester fishing vessel that purchased at Newfoundland a partial cargo of frozen herring and sold them for bait to George's cod-fishermen. This new kind of bait was found to be just the thing needed by the fishermen, and a large demand was at once created for frozen herring. Its introduction among the George's-men gave new impetus to the winter cod fishery, and from that day to the present time frozen herring has been almost the only bait used at Gloucester in the winter fisheries. In 1SG5 a similar business was begun on the coast of New Brunswick, in the vicinity of Saint Andrews and Grand Manan. As trading at New Brunswick was attended with much less expense than in making the longer trips to Newfoundland, that region became the principal trading place ot the frozen-herring fleet. The vessels bound for Newfoundland generally leave Gloucester in November, and take out an assorted cargo suited for trade with the native fishermen from whom the herring are purchased. 11 G R F 1 62 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. In some cases the crews have taken semes for the purpose of themselves capturing the herring. Sometimes the natives have been hired to take the fish with the American seines rather than with their own rude gear. About the middle of January these vessels arrive at Gloucester, and sell the herring for bait, or else proceed to New York or Boston, where there is a demand for these fish as food. The New Brunswick trade now has its headquarters at Eastport, Me., near the herring grounds. Instead of taking out general cargoes for trade, vessels in this business go from Gloucester to East- port, in ballast or empty, and purchase the herring from the catchers either directly or through an agent who is sent out from Gloucester for this purpose. The business can be carried on only during cold weather, and must be abandoned in March or the early part of April. The cargoes are stowed in bulk in the vessel's hold, and sometimes the cabin is also filled full, large vessels bringing home from 300,000 to 500,000 herring at a time. The crews on the vessels are small, numbering from three to seven men, or just enough to navigate the vessel and care for the cargo. All the men are hired by the mouth, and have no special share in the venture. In the chapter on the fish- cries the frozen-herring business is fully discussed in all its phases, and need not be further men- tioned here. It was in this trade at Newfoundland that the, Fortune Bay outrages occurred a few "winters ago. The business gives employment to from thirty to fifty sail of vessels that might otherwise be unemployed during the winter, and has proved very profitable to those engaged in it. As it is a trade rather than a fishery, the statistics of product and capital are not included in the census report. During the year 1880 there arrived at Gloucester 19,587,000 frozen herring, valued at about $100,000. Nearly all of these came from the vicinity of Grand Mauan, New Brunswick, and East- iport, Me. Of this great number of herring, 11,742,000 were sold at Gloucester to the fishing vessels for bait, and the balance, 7,845,000, were sent to New York, Boston, and Philadelphia to be sold .for food. THE SHORE BOAT FISHERIES. The shore fishery includes the capture of cod, hake, haddock, mackerel, and herring. The, boats are all under five tons burden, most of them simply dories, carrying two or three men each. The number of shore boats in 1S79 was 256, the number of men 356, and the catch, 5,076,000 pounds of fish. Abou 125 of these men are engaged in this shore fishery the year round, while the remainder fish only during the winter season, when great schools of cod usually visit the shores of Cape Ann. From November until May the principal catch of the boats is codfish. During May and until July haddock become more abundant, and from July till the middle of September hake are chiefly takeu. By the latter part of September all the shore fishermen are active in preparation for the expected school of herring that come in to spawn. For about a week at the beginning of October there is great bustle in the capture of these herring, but after they have left the coast there is little for the small boats to do but to wait for the coming of the winter cod. The larger boats tluring this interval go offshore a few miles for pollock that are usually abundant in the latter part of October and first of November. Boats that have good gill-nets, especially those on the north side of the cape, find considerable profit during the summer mouths in taking mackerel in Ipswich Bay. At Lauesville and Folly Cove haking is a favorite pursuit of the fishermen. In favorable seasons they take from 3,000 to 4,000 quintals of these fish, and make, besides a profit from the fish themselves, an equal profit on the sounds and livers. Hake frequently sell for 60 cents per hundred-weight as they conic from the water, while the sounds and livers are alone worth that amount, so that fishermen who have the facilities cure their own fish and make nearly MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 163 double wages, as they sell the dried hake for about $1.50 per quintal, and the dried sounds for CO to 75 cents per pound, the livers being tried out for their oil. In seasons of the year when alewives, mackerel, or herring are along the shore, the boats supply themselves with bait from their nets, each boat, having usually four nets set in the harbors. They visit these about daylight and then start out on their day's fishing, to return in the after- noon in season to market their fish in Gloucester, or to send them to Boston for the next morning's trade. In the winter months the chief bait of the boats is Sperling or small herring taken in the rivers, and frozen herring from Grand Mauan and Eastport. The grounds visited by the boats are mostly within a short distance of land, and have received various peculiar names, such as Old Man's Pasture, Honey Pink, Saturday Night, and Eleven Fathom Ground. Both hand- lines and trawls are used; most of the dory fishermen prefer the former, although during the haking season all use trawls. The shore fisheries from Gloucester were of considerable importance about 1832, when 799 men were employed in it. The catch, G3,112 quintals of cod, was valued at $157,780, and a Government bounty of $25,172 was received. In 1804, when the bank fisheries were almost abandoned, the shore fisheries employed two hundred sail. Most of this boat-fishing was carried on at Sandy Bay or Kockport, which was then a part of Gloucester, and that place has continued until the present day to be more or less engaged in these fisheries. The boats in use at the beginning of the century were mostly the Chebacco boats of some 15 tons burden, and carrying four or five men. They had two masts, but no bowsprit. A small cuddy forward afforded sleeping room for the men on their trips, lasting usually four or five days. These boat-fishermen seldom ventured more than 20 or 30 miles from shore. Dory-fishing began about 1S25, and is still carried on off Cape Ann more or less throughout the year. In early years fish were very abundant in the harbor and all about Gloucester, so that in the haddock season in the spring there was no difficulty in securing a boat-load in a short time. Since 1800 haddock have been more abundant offshore, and their capture has been by large vessels. Codfish, hake, and pollock have been the principal catch of the shore boats, and some good day's work have been made. Two men at Folly Cove took 3,900 pounds of codfish in one day in the winter of 1877-'78. The method of fishing since 1855 has been mostly by trawls, though hand- lines are used at some seasons of the year. THE BOAT-FISHERY FOR HEEEiNG. There is no extensive fishery with gill-nets in the vicinity of Gloucester except for a few weeks in the fall of the year, when the herring visit these shores to spawn. Many of the shore-boats are supplied with nets for the capture of bait, setting them in various parts of (he outer harbor, and taking each day enough alewives or herring for the day's fishing. Occasionally schools of mackerel visit the harbor, when the bait-nets capture a consid- erable n umber. On the north side of the cape the shore-boats take more mackerel in this way than the harbor-boats, but in neither case is it an important fishery. The nets in nse are about lour hundred in number, and are generally 20 fathoms long by 3 fathoms deep, with 13 to 2f inch mesh, the average mesh being 2 inches. During the latter part of September and the early part of October herring are usually very plenty along the shores of Cape Ann, and about 10,000 barrels are annually captured by a fleet of about one hundred and fifty boats and vessels equipped with gill nets. In the season of 1879 the herring made their appearance on the 20th of September. Through the succeeding week few were taken, but on Sunday, the 28th, they were very abundant, and consid- erable numbers were captured in the nets. During Wednesday and Thursday of this week the fish- ermen were busy enough. The weather was mild, water smooth, and everything favorablc*for a 164 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. good catch. All the available boats in Gloucester Harbor were made use of to gather in the harvest that lay at the fishermen's door. Xets were set at night and in the early morning they were found loaded down with fish, being, in many cases, sunk by the weight of the fish, and many nets were lost in this way. Fishermen who were not provided with nets visited the spot aud from the, frag- ments got good boat loads. The nets used were the ordinary gill-nets of 2J and 2jf inch mesh, 25 fathoms long, anchored at each end. They were sunk about 2 fathoms below the surface of 1,he water. The principal fishing ground was in the vicinity of Norman's Woe, on the western side of the harbor, and extending nearly a mile off from the rocky shore. The nets were set for about three-quarters of a mile in a southeast direction from the shore, and then in a northeast and south- west direction for a half mile. Within this small compass upwards of 20 miles of gill-nets were set during the two principal days of the fishery. On Friday, October 3d, the school of herring had disappeared from Norman's Woe, having moved westward toward Marblehead, where consid- erable numbers were taken, aud within a few days they had left the coast. There were landed in Gloucester during that season, about 10,000 barrels of herring, for which the fishermen were paid from 75 cents to $1.50 per barrel, or an average of $1 a barrel. TIIE SHORE VESSEL FISHERIES. During the winter of 1878-'79 the United States Fish Com- mission made some successful experiments off Gloucester Harbor with gill-nets for the capture of cod. The nets were from 8 to 10 inch mesh and were found eminently adapted for the winter shore cod fishery. The fishermen were at first not disposed to provide themselves with these nets, but they were afterwards generally used by the Gloucester fleet fishing in Ipswich Bay, aud very successful seasons have resulted. A shore fishery for cod is quite extensively carried on during the winter months in Ipswich Bay, in vessels of from 20 to 40 tons burthen. During some winters large schools of very fine cod visit this bay, especially on the northern side toward Xewburyport and Portsmouth, and a large, part of the catch is marketed at those ports. The vessels are fitted either with trawls or gill-nets. The principal trawl bait used is frozen herring. Most of the catch is sold fresh, though when more can be realized by drying the fish they are sold to the splitters. A fleet of some sixty sail of Gloucester vessels was engaged in this fishery in the winter of 1879-'SO. After the close of the winter fishing some of these vessels cruise further to the eastward, fish- ing on Cashc's Banks, nil' Matiuicus, and other eastern grounds, capturing all varieties of ground fish. A part of the fleet fish on Middle Bank for haddock, or cruise off the south of Cape Cod, and off Block Island. In the summer season those vessels that are large enough engage in seining mackerel, while the rest cruise on the baking grounds off the eastern coast. In the early fall pol- lock become abundant in Boston Bay off Gloucester, aud .are taken in large quantities. THE FISHERY WITH FLOATING TRAPS. Until the year 1874 no attempt had been made in the vicinity of Gloucester to capture fish by the use of traps, pounds, or weirs. In that year Mr. Henry Webb, of Eockport, set a floating trap at Milk Island, on the outside of Cape Ann. The venture proved profitable, so that each year since a trap has been set at that island. This con- tinued to be the only trap in the vicinity until 1870, when four more were set at various points, aud a crude stake-weir was built in Gloucester Harbor. The weir and most of the traps met with poor success, the total value of the catch of all the traps being only $3,550. The number of men employed from June to September was twelve, and the value of the traps was about $1,000. In the season of 1880 fourteen traps were set along the shores of Cape Ann from Manchester to Auuisquam, employing forty-three men. The value of the traps and boats used in connection with them was $G,500, and the value of the products was 818,000. The floating trap in use along the shore is square or rectangular in shape, and is made entirely MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 165 of netting. It is open at one end, where it is furnished with two stationary guides that lead obliquely into it from the euds of its sides and up from the bottom. These guides are made of netting, and have an opening between their inner ends. The trap is also furnished with movable wings made of netting that extend outwardly from the trap as leaders. Floats are attached to the upper edge of the trap, the guides, and the wings, so as to buoy the trap when in the sea, and to keep the sides in a vertical position and the bottom of the trap on that of the sea. The wings are not fixed to the bottom at their lower edges, but one of them is bent around or turned inward, and, by a line, is connected with the middle of another line that extends across the mouth of the trap. The other wing serves to direct the fish into the trap, and the bent wing intercepts and turns back any that might escape from it. The guides not only guide fish into the trap, but prevent the escape of those already in it. The trap is held in place in the sea by ropes leading from the upper edge of the trap to anchors. Fixed to the anchors and to the bottom of the trap are elastic stay-lines or connections that allow the bottom of the trap to conform to the surface of the bottom of the sea and hold it down thereon. In front of the trap is a purse or pocket of netting, open at the top, where it is provided with a series of floats. The pocket communicates with the trap by an opening leading from one to the other at the upper part of the front end of the trap. To haul the trap, its bottom, at its rear end, is lifted off the bottom of the sea high enough to cause the fish to pass into the intercepting pocket. The dimensions of the traps vary; one of the most successful ones set off Gloucester is rectangular in shape, and is 25 fathoms long, 30 fathoms wide, and 5i fathoms deep, and has a leader 40 fathoms long, reaching to the shore. The peculiar, though simple, construction of the trap, by which it is supported by anchors and brace lines, makes it specially suited for deep water or places where it would be difficult, if not impossible, to employ piles or merely a single line to each anchor. The kinds of fish taken include all the species commonly found on this coast, the most important being mackerel and herring. In the spring of 1880, when mackerel were very abundant inshore, many thousand barrels were taken in the traps near Gloucester. Most of them were tinkers, and too small for salting, so that but a small part of the catch was saved. THE CLAM INDUSTRY. The business of digging clams for bait and for food is carried on in the 'Squain River. The flats in this river are daily covered by the tide and afford good feeding ground for the clams. Ninety-two men are engaged in this business from October to May, and twenty men the balance of the year. The grounds are visited by men in their dories who wait for low tide, secure loads of the bivalves and return to shore, when the clams are sent in shell to market or "shucked" and sold for bait after being salted in barrels. Small houses arc built upon the shore for the shelter of the diggers while engaged in " shucking." The diggers pay one of their number a certain percentage to act as agent for the sale of the clams. During the year 1879 the yield of clams amounted to 13,978 bushels, valued at 85,1:00, and the capital invested in dories, outfits, and buildings, was $J,000. LOBSTER FISHERY. This business is not extensively prosecuted at Gloucester. In and about the harbor and at Auuisquam and Bay View during the year 1879, fifty-three men were engaged in taking lobsters, using for their capture the ordinary lobster pot, in form a half cylinder. The bait used was fish heads, sculpins, and sometimes haddock. The pots were set offshore at various depths varying from 1 to 12 fathoms. The catch was lauded by the fishermen and at once sold to buyers who transported most of the lobsters by rail or boat to Boston. The principal season is from April to November. Forty-eight dories, valued at $9CO, and 1,324 pots, worth $1 each, were used to capture 133,340 lobsters, making 1,778 barrels, of a total value to the fishermen of 60,667. DISTRIBUTION OF FISHERY PRODUCTS. There has been for several years a growing tendency 166 GEOGKAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. among Gloucester merchants to distribute their products directly to large dealers throughout the country. Prior to 1860 the work of distributing fish taken by Gloucester vessels was very largely done at Boston, but to-day, although Boston handles in transshipment a vast amount of fish, yet but a small part of the Gloucester catch is sent there for distribution. Dealers are directly interested in the capture and cure of the fish, so that it is for their interest to prepare them in good shape and send them to market in the best condition. The curing and packing is done on the wharves where the fish are landed, and as soon as they are ready for shipment they are teamed to the cars or the steamboat landing or carried to the latter place ou lighters built specially for this purpose. Gloucester has good facilities for a wide distribution of the products of the fisheries, being ou the line of the Gloucester branch of the Eastern Railroad, which connects with roads to all parts of the country. Besides the railroad communication there is a fleet of nineteen sailing vessels, 1,101 tons burthen, and a steamboat line constantly plying between here and the leading markets. The Cape Ann Advertiser states that the first steamer to sail regularly between Boston and Gloucester was the Mystic, run by the Gloucester Steamboat Company during the years 1860 and 1861, when she was chartered to the Government. At the beginning of the business most of the trade freight was billed to Boston only, and was confined mostly to barrels, halves, quarters, and kits of fish, and fish in 450-pound boxes and bundles. This trade from 1870 to 1873 warranted the running of a daily steamer carrying freight and passengers until late in the fall, when three trips were made per week during the winter. Business in 1875-'76 warranted building a new steamer making daily trips throughout the year. The steamers touch at East Boston and land their west-bound freight, connecting with all the fast freight lines over the Boston and Albany road, and then proceed to their berth at Central Wharf, where a connection is made with the Metropolitan Steamship Company with freight for New York and other points, and with the Philadelphia and Baltimore lines and all the inside lines to the South. Bills of lading are signed in Gloucester by all routes, rail or steamer, through to any point in the United States, and rates given, so that the business of transportation is now ou such a footing that the Gloucester merchants have no trouble in doing business with connecting lines out of Boston. The trade has changed somewhat of late years, and fish is now packed for the market in all kinds of ways and size of packages, a large portion of the goods going West. Fresh fish intended for market either in New York or the West are sent by rail rather than by steamboat. The halibut companies have for a number of years chartered cars for their sole use; these are loaded with fish and taken to Boston in season to connect with night trains for the New York and other great markets. For the handling aud transporting of fish in Gloucester there are employed sixty horses and a large number of low wagons called jiggers. In 1845, before the introduction of the railroad or steamboat lines, fish were shipped in sailing vessels. There was then little need for hauling fish, only two horses being thus employed. In 1850 there were not over half a dozen used for this pur- pose, but in 1880 the number had increased to sixty, valued, with wagons, at about $15,000. FISH BOXES AND BARRELS. Fish are shipped from Gloucester to all parts of the United States, to the West Indies, aud to various parts of Europe. Brine-salted fish are packed in barrels, the size aud material of which are regulated by the laws of the State. Dry fish are generally packed in boxes containing 400 to 450 pounds each, though a large part of this product is now made into prepared or boneless fish, and shipped in smaller boxes containing from 5 to 200 pounds. Fresh fish packed in boxes with ice are sent to all parts of the country, even as far west as Califor- nia; such boxes usually containing 450 pounds of fish. These barrels and boxes are brought to Gloucester by rail and vessel from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, various towns in Massachu- MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 167 setts, and from the British Provinces. It is estimated that iu the year 1880 there were consumed by Gloucester packers 150,000 barrels aucl -100,000 boxes, of a total value of $175,000. Most of the barrels are made iii Maiue and shipped to Gloucester in a condition ready for use. The boxes are brought here in the form of shocks and are nailed together by the packers, or at two factories io Gloucester, where some score of men are constantly employed in putting the pieces together and printing brands on the box-ends by the use of printing presses. Most of the boxes are made of spruce wood, which is stronger than pine and free from any unpleasant taste. IP the early history of the business fish were roughly handled, the dried fish beiug tied up in bundles of 1 or 2 quintals each, for shipment to Boston, where most of the distributing was done. Few fish are at present sent from Gloucester without being packed iu boxes, and these few are preserved from damage by a wrapping of tea-matting. Dried fish intended for exportation to the West Indies are closely packed in what are called drums. These are barrels made usually of soft- spruce wood, and are of five sizes, containing from 2 to 8 quintals of fish. The staves and heads are made in Maine, and put together iu Gloucester. FOREIGN TRADE. Gloucester, next to Boston, has the largest amount of foreign commerce of any sea-port iu Massachusetts. Its salt trade and exports of fish bid fair to increase from year to year. During the year 1S79, 70 American and 31 foreign vessels arrived from foreign port* with cargoes of salt, fish, lumber, wood, potatoes, and other merchandise. Eighteen vessels were cleared with cargoes of fish, namely, 8 for Guadalonpe, 5 for Martinique, 2 for Barbadoes, and 1 each for Porto Rico, Surinam, and Trinidad. Twenty-two hundred vessels, not including fishing- vessels, were boarded and inspected during the year by the customs officers of the port. Prior to I860 there were in Gloucester several mercantile houses running fleets of barks, brigs,, and schooners to the East Indies, South America, West Indies, and other countries. The commer- cial interests of the place from 1790 to I860 were mainly directed to Surinam, in Dutch Guinea. The imports were principally sugar, molasses, and cocoa, and aggregated in some years about 8400.000, while the exports amounted to about $200,000. This business has been transferred to Boston, and now but a comparatively small quantity of the products destined for foreign markets are shipped direct from this port. In 1878 an effort was made to re-establish the export trade of fish from Gloucester to the West Indies, and from March, 1878, to the close of 1879, 24 vessels took out cargoes. Seven of these sailed in 1878, and 19 iu 1879, 15 of them clearing at tire Gloucester custom-house and 11 at other ports. The cargoes taken by these vessels in 1878 included 1,234 casks, 867 boxes, and 625 drums, containing 2,821 quintals of cod, 1,702 quintals of haddock, 1,210 quintals of hake, 88 quintals of cusk. and 207 quintals of pollock; 514 barrels of mackerel, and 918 barrels of herring; making a total of 6,021 quintals of dried fish, and 1,432 barrels of pickled fish. Besides dry and pickled fish they took 275 pounds of butter, 8,000 feet of lumber, 155 bags of guano, 44 kits of cod tongues and sounds, 5 barrels of dried apples, 9,197 pounds of smoked halibut, and 2 cases of copper paint. In 1879 the cargoes of the 19 vessels were 3,853 casks, 1,551 boxes, and 709 drums, containing 15,847 quintals of cod, 2,203 quintals of haddock, 1,174 quintals of hake, and 25 quintals of pollock - T 1,130 barrels of mackerel, and 282 barrels of herring; making a total of 19,249 quintals of dried fish, and 1,412 barrels of pickled fish ; also 5,080 boxes of smoked herring, 80 barrels of salmon, 100 barrels of bread, 180 barrels of potatoes, 1,750 pounds of butter, 84,724 feet of lumber, 15 casks, 48 bags of guano, 183 barrels of apples, 11 barrels of turnips, 40,000 shingles, 10 barrels of onions, 7 cords of wood, 640 bricks, 1 hogshead of tinware, and 1 chamber set. The whole amount of dried and pickled fish shipped iu the above vessels from March 28, 1878, 168 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. to November 18, 1879, was 25,270 quintals of the former and 2,934 barrels of the latter, Laving a total value of about $100,000. The amount of cash, exclusive of that paid for freights, charters, and commissions, brought into Gloucester from abroad by these vessels during the above period was $95,112, which, with freights of $8,000 more, makes a total of $103,912. Of this amount nearly $12,000 was paid out in Gloucester for labor and other incidental expenses. For the preparation of the fish teu men were constantly employed, and a building was specially fitted for the artificial drying of the cured fish and the manufacture of drums and casks. In 1876 there sprung up a foreign trade in pickled herring. The first cargo of these fish ever shipped to a foreign port from Gloucester was sent to Gottenburg in the spring of 1876, and within about twelve mouths was followed by ten other cargoes. The business has been continued with some success. Vessels have sailed during the past four or five years with cargoes of herring on Gloucester account from Newfoundland, bound for Sweden and other European countries. ICE FOR PRESERVING FISH. In the Gloucester fisheries there are annually consumed 25,000 tons of ice, valued in 1880 at $100,000. The greater part of this ice is used on board the vessels to preserve the fish fresh for market. George's-men take on ail average 6 tons of ice per trip, using it for the preservation of bait and for fresh halibut. The fresh halibut fleet average 16 tons per trip, though in the summer season as high as 40 tons are often taken from Gloucester and consumed on a single trip, lasting three or four weeks. During the year 1879, Gloucester vessels made 1,132 trips to George's and 375 fresh-halibut trips, consuming about 14,000 tons of ice, while fresh- anackerel, haddock, and shore vessels used a large amount. A great quantity was also used iu the shipment of about 15,000,000 pounds of fresh fish by rail to all parts of the country, going as far west as the Pacific coast. Gloucester vessels began to carry ice about the year 1842, prior to which time halibut wen- brought to market largely in well-smacks. About 1845, ice-houses were built in the holds of the vessels, and the fish, as soon as caught, were dressed and preserved fresh for some days, or even weeks. Since about 1859 the fish have been shipped largely from Gloucester packed in boxes with ice, each box holding from 400 to 500 pounds of fish. The ice is usually cut from the ponds about Gloucester and stored in large houses erected for the purpose. During unfavorable seasons, as that of 1880, the supply is brought from distant places. The price varies from year to year, in 1879 the fishermen paid $2.50, while in 1880, owing to the warm winter, they were obliged to pay $4 per ton. There are two ice companies, in one of which the fishing firms are largely interested. Until 1878 one company controlled the entire business, but the demand for ice has so increased that two companies, with an invested capital of $50,000 in buildings, fixtures, horses, aud wagons, find abundant profit. Forty men and about fifty horses are constantly employed in hauling ice in wagons to the wharves, where it is received by the crews of the vessels aud stowed in ice-pens constructed in the vessel's hold. SALT FOR FISH-CURING. The fisheries of Gloucester consume an enormous quantity of salt. During the year ended December 31, 1879,43,102,164 pounds, valued to the fishermen at $125,450, were withdrawn from the custom-house in this district for the curing of fish. In the early period of the fisheries much of the salt needed was brought from Spain and the West Indies by the fishing vessels that took their catch direct from the banks to those countries and exchanged it for salt. At the present day numerous ships, barks, aud large schooners bring cargoes direct to Gloucester from Liverpool, Cadiz, and Trapaui. It is imported by two firms which have extensive warehouses in Gloucester, and who sold it to the fishermen at an average of $1.63 per hogshead in 1879. The average price in Gloucester for the past eighteen years has been about $2.75 a hogs- MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 169 head. Cadiz salt is more extensively used than either of the other varieties. Trapaui salt is generally used by cod fishermen bound on long trips, while Liverpool salt is used in pickling mackerel and herring. The quantity of salt taken by fishing vessels varies very much, and is determined by the kind of fishery and the length of the intended trips. Grand Bank cod fishermen absent from home from two to four mouths or more average 210 hogsheads, though some of the largest vessels take as high as 300 hogsheads, or about 80 tons, of salt on a single voyage, while the shore cod fishermen may take either a few bushels or none at all, their fish being cured on the wharves. Cod fisher- men carry their salt in bulk, but the mackerel catchers take it in barrels which are afterwards used for packing the fish. The quantity of salt required for curing A'arious kinds of fi.-h is discussed in the chapter on methods of curing. Salt withdrawn from warehouses to be used in the curing of fish is free of duty, this draw- back in a measure taking the place of the bounty formerly allowed to fishing vessels. Reference to the chapter on marine salt will show the amount consumed by the various fishing ports and the amount of duty saved during a period of years. Two concerns and twenty-six men are constantly employed in handling salt in Gloucester. The invested capital in buildings for storage is 810,000, and the cash capital for carrying on the business is $25,000. For many years prior to 1801 there were very few direct importations of salt into Gloucester, but since that date many ship-loads have arrived from foreign ports. In IbTO, 45,000 hogsheads of salt were imported in 7 brigs and 10 barks. In 1875 the importations were 108,480 hogsheads iu 2 ships, 12 barks, 12 brigs, and 10 three-masted schooners. Of these 42 vessels, 34 were under the American, 5 under the English, and 3 under the Austrian flag. The amount used in curing fish in the year 1875 was 100,245 hogsheads. The wholesale price of salt in Gloucester each year since 1800 has been an average of about $2.75 per hogshead of 500 pounds. The prices, per hogshead each year, were as follows: Tear. Price. Tear. Price. Tear. Price. Year. Price. Tear. Price. Tear. Price. Tear. Price. 18CO $2 00 1863 $ "5 1866 $4 "5 1869 $2 87 187 $2 5 1875 2 00 1878 1861 2 00 1864 3 62 1867 4 00 1870 2 87 1873 2 12 1876 1 75 1879 186'' 2 00 1865 6 50 1868 3 12 i Ig7i 2 37 1874 o 05 1877 1 6 1 Up to 1873 salt withdrawn for curing fish on board of vessels licensed for the fisheries was free of duty, but that used on shore for curing fish was subject to a duty of 8 cents per 100 pounds. Since 1873 all salt withdrawn for curing fish has been duty free. The amount used yearly in Gloucester for this purpose during the past eight years, and the wholesale value of the same has been as follows: Tear ended June 30 Pounds. Value. Tear ended June 30 Pounds. Value. 1873 38 874 776 $147 300 1377 58 544 96' 1 $170 400 1874 48 944 78 190 650 1878 44 504 477 138 750 1875 50, 558, 751 ISO, 560 1879 38 098 434 110 864 1876 56 7U7 47 177 ">10 1880 43 567 9 01) 135 000 PROVISIONS USED BY THE FLEET. The annual consumption of agricultural products by the Gloucester fishing fleet is very large and includes a great variety of articles, as may well be supposed wheu we consider that nearly 4,500 men must be fed during the greater part of the year. The value of provisions consumed on the vessels during the year 1879 is estimated at $310,000, 170 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. and included the following items: Rice, 25.920 pounds; flour, 6,912 barrels; sugar, 128,640 pounds; molasses, 29,376 gallons; beef, 4,104 barrels; pork, 864 barrels; pork shoulders, 1,512 barrels; lard, 13,072 pounds; butter, 210,248 pounds; beans, 1,720 bushels; peas. 864 bushels; dried apples, 64,800 pounds; potatoes, 35,826 bushels; ouious, 2,592 bushels; beets, 1,296 bushels; turnips, 1,728 bushels; cabbages, &c., $12,960 worth; vinegar, 2,592 gallons; fresh beef, 86,400 pounds. It is estimated that 1,262,888 pounds of cotton were used in sails and fishing-lines on the Gloucester fleet in 1879. THE GLOUCESTER FISHERIES, 1870 AND 1871. The United States census report gave the following items concerning the Gloucester fisheries for the year ending June 30, 1870: The whole number of industrial pursuits was.160, of which number 48 were engaged in the fishing business; capital invested, $2,357,700; number of men employed, 4,029 ; amount of wages paid, $1,410,923; number hogsheads of salt used, 54,890; value of salt used, $158,246; number of barrels, 109,032; value of barrels, $110,004; value of bait, $236,011; number of quintals codfish, 189,033; value of codfish, $1,243,776; number of barrels mackerel, 85,834; value of mackerel, $1,186,009 ; number of barrels oil, 3,113 ; value of oil, $78,457 ; value of other fish, $330,128 ; total value of fish products, $2,838,370. The report of the town clerk gives the following concerning the fishing business of Gloucester for the year ending December 31, 1870 : The whole number of schooners and boats fitted for fishing was 471. The value of the products of the fisheries was $3,613,105, estimated as follows, from custom-house returns and fish inspector's report: 210,000 quintals codfish, valued at $1,260,000; 129,595^ barrels mackerel, $1,814,330; 12,000 barrels herring, $72,000; 6,560,000 pounds fresh fish, $262,400; 26,000 quintals other fish, $78,000; 120,000 gallons oil, $90,000; 18,000 barrels shell fish, $18,000; miscellaneous, $18,375; total, $3,613,105." For the year ending December 31, 1871, the town clerk gives the following statistics: "The whole number of schooners and boats fitted for fishing was 465. The value of the pro- ducts of the fisheries was $2,918,022, estimated as follows, as compiled from the custom-house returns, fish inspector's reports, and other sources: 303,055 quintals codfish, valued at $1,363,747; 33,250 quintals other fish, at $66,500; 7,836,500 pounds fresh fish, $225,095 ; 160,000 gallons oil, $96,000; 107,008 barrels mackerel, $1,070,080; 15,000 barrels herring, $52,000; 18,000 barrels shell fish, $18,000; miscellaneous, $26,600; total, $2,918,022." THE FISHERIES IN 1872. The Gloucester Telegraph gives the following figures of the fishing industry of the town for the year ended November 15, 1872: " In the herring fishery 18 vessels made trips to Newfoundland, 24 to Grand Menan (5 making two and 5 making three trips each) and 2 to Bay of Islands. One man was lost over- board. During the previous year 59 vessels made herring trips, and 2 vessels were lost. "The winter haddock fishery was but partially successful, owing to unfavorable weather in February and March. One vessel was lost. "The Bank fishery (exclusis'e of George's) employed 101 vessels (against 81 the previous year) ami 339 fares were landed, an increase of one-third over the previous year. Four vessels and 49 lives were lost. Last year the loss was 4 vessels and 24 lives. "The George's fishery employed 182 vessels, and the receipts were 800 fares, an increase of 48 over the previous year. One vessel and 11 lives were lost against 10 vessels and 97 lives in 1871. "The Bank and George's fisheries were uniformly successful. "The Greenland fishery employed 6 vessels (two more than the previous year) all of which were successful and free from disaster. MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 171 " The mackerel tisbery employed some 40 or 50 vessels in the spriug fishery at the South, about 100 vessels in the ofl'shore summer fishery, and GO vessels (an unusually small fleet), in the Bay Saint Lawrence. "Seven vessels were lost in the pohageu and other offshore fisheries in the summer and fall mouths." THE FISHERIES IN 1873. The Gloucester Telegraph of November 19, 1873, gives the fishing record for that year as follows: "The fishing season will be brought to a close with the arrival of the Bay Saint Lawrence fleet, of which but 12 vessels remain to arrive. The season has been a disastrous one in losses of life and property, though but for the unusual losses it would have been a moderately profit- able one. So far as the fishermen themselves are concerned, whose lives have been spared, the business has yielded good returns, the catch having been large and the prices fair, and the loss has fallen on the capital invested in the business, most of the establishments coming out with a small range of profits, if not with absolute loss. "The Newfoundland fresh herring fishery last winter employed 18 Gloucester vessels, nearly all of which marketed their catch abroad, some 1,500 barrels only being disposed of here in bait- ing the Bank fleets. The schooner Thorwaldsen, with a crew of 7 men, was lost in this business. "The Grand Manan fresh herring business gave employment to 38 vessels, 5 of which made two trips each, and 1 making three trips, during the season. The schooner Franklin A. was lost on the return trip from New York, after having disposed of her herring fare in that market. "Six Gloucester vessels engaged in the Bay of Islands salt-herring fishery. The shore fishery for cod was actively pursued during the winter months with average success, a portion of the Gloucester fleet, however, rendezvousing at Portsmouth, N. H., where they found a ready market for their catch. "The Grand and Western Bank fishery employed one hundred and fifty Gloucester vessels during the year ending November 15, 1873, and six vessels belonging elsewhere landed fares here. Quite a number of the Gloucester fleet continued in this branch of the fisheries throughout the year. The fleet was at its minimum during the quarter embracing the months of November, Decem- ber, and January, when the whole number of fares received was 62 in the three months; and at its maximum at the close of spriug, during the summer, and opening of fall, the number of fares received being 74 in May, 41 in June, G2 in July, 61 in August, and 46 in September. The fleet was success- ful throughout the season, the Western Bank yielding good fares of halibut, which commanded high prices, and the catch of codfish on Grand Bank being unusually large and the fish of superior quality. The number of bank fares landed during the year was 463 against 339 the previous year. "The George's fishery was followed during the year to a greater or less extent by one hundred and seventy-five vessels, being at its height in May, in which mouth 169 fares were received. The total fares received for the year ending November 15, were 779 against about 800 the previous year. The catch was good, and prices ruled well. "In the mackerel fishery, the southern fleet iu the spring was of usual size, embracing fifty- four vessels, and fairly successful, marketing their earlier catch in New York at good prices. The summer fishery off the shores of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts was of respectable size, and mostly engaged iu the seiuiug of mackerel, with a very good average success, although a few vessels did not pay expenses. Eighty-six vessels engaged in this business. 172 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. "The Bay Saiut Lawrence fleet was unusually large, consisting of one hundred and eighty-five vessels, against sixty last year. The catch was good, and the business would have proved quite successful but for the disastrous gale in August, by which so mauy vessels were wrecked or tem- porarily disabled in the height of the fishing season, materially reducing the receipts. Of the one hundred and eighty-five Gloucester vessels engaged in this fishery, ten were wrecked and are total losses, and three remain ashore at the Magdalen Islands, but are not abandoned. Twenty-six vessels made two bay trips each during the season, and the whole number of fares received at Gloucester this season will be 198 against Go last year. "The Greenland fishery employed four vessels, meeting with only moderate success. The Ice- land fishery employed one vessel, which failed to secure a fare." THE PRODUCTS OF GLOUCESTER FISHERIES IN 1875. Prepared from actual returns obtained by Mr. George H. Proctor, of the Cape Ann Advertiser : Products. Amount. Value. Products. Amount. Value. Bank codfish quintals .. do 177, 473 185, 758 2, 462, 3C4 7, 248, 413 4,257 2,349 9,417 38, 292 $998, 628 1, 021, 669 172.365 507, 389 12,771 7,047 32, 961 153, 168 89, 7?8 135, 697 8,945 327, 112 184, 780 j Mackerel Continued. Xo 3 21,763 4, 039j 3,175 103 40j 410 75| 213 205 $174, 104 24, 205 13, 494 1, 097 4,042 10, 000 8,000 100, 000 George's halibut pounds., do No 4 do .. do Hi.ke do ... Cask do do Pollock do Trout do Herring Shore-fish : Fresh barrels.. do... do do ... Shell- neb. Oil Oilier fish Mackerel: No.l barrels. . 18, 172| 7, 065J 3, 9S9, 500 No 2 . do The items of shore, fresh, .and cured fish and oil in the above statement include the following : Products | j Amount. Value. Products. Amount. Value. Fresh fish : Codfish pounds-- do 1, 476, 755 816, 348 "8(1 9S3 Cured fish Continued. Hake . .... 8,434 7,372 :::::: : Pollock do.... Pollock do Haddock do.... 1,512 724 143 5, 276 345 273 11,010 3,640 1,240 Hake do in." 2 SB , do.... do 40, 048 14, 581 246, 607 16, 646 1,675 15 do ... Tongues and sounds . . barrels . . do Flounders do.... Oil: Dogfish nil do $9, 875 do ... Cured fish: Codfish quintals. . 12, 712 do ... Hake, oil . . do ... 720 THE FISHERIES IN 1877. From the Cape Ann Advertiser, of January 4, 1878. vre have the following review of the fisheries for the year 1877: The number of fishing arrivals in the herring, cod, halibut, and mackerel fisheries, exclusive of the boat and shore fishermen, have averaged over 50 per week, the aggregate for the year being 2,080, as follows: Newfoundland, 28; Grand Mauan, 37; Grand, Western, and La Have Banks, 556; George's, 1,281; shore mackerel trips, 092; MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 173 Bay Saint Lawrence, SO. The herring- fleet met with their usual success, and the cod and halibut fisheries have been fairly profitable. The Bank and George's fleets have landed over 28,000 tons of green fish, or enough to load a train of cars 50 miles in length. Prices have been well main- tained throughout the year, ami most of the stock has been closed out." The products for 1S77, as given in the Fisherman's Own Book, exclusive of shore-fish and oil, were 23,755,000 pounds George's codfish, 10,865,000 pounds Bank codfish, 14,319,000 pounds Bank halibut, 1,814,000 pounds George's halibut, 850,000 pounds flitched Bank halibut, 100,000 pounds Greenland halibut, 49,044 barrels mackerel, 28,500 barrels herring. Eighty-six Gloucester vessels fished for mackerel in the Bay of Saint Lawrence this year. THE FISHERIES IN 1878. The Advertiser of January 3, 1879, says: "There were 2,180 arrivals during the year, averaging half a dozen a day, from the more impor- tant fishing grounds. The arrivals do not include the boat and dory fishermen, the short trips off shore in the winter cod and haddock fisheries, while only a part of the shore mackerel arrivals in summer are reported. The number of Bank trips was 503, George's 1,234, Grand Manau, Bay of Fuudy, and Eastport (herring), 30; Newfoundland and Magdalen Islands, IS; Greenland halibut fishery, 2; Southern and Eastern mackerel trips, 280; Bay of Saint Lawrence mackerel trips, 113." The products for 1878, as given in the Fisherman's Own Book, exclusive of shore-fish and oil, were 24,158,000 pounds George's codfish, 12,202,500 pounds Bank codfish, 10,914,500 pounds Bank halibut, 524,100 pounds George's halibut, 120,000 pounds Greenland flitched halibut, 55,742 barrels mackerel, 27,000 barrels herring. This was the year when the herring fleet was driven away from the shores of Newfoundland. One hundred and twenty-five fares, about 30,000 barrels, sea-packed mackerel, were received from the Bay of Saint Lawrence. THE FISHERIES IN 1879. The Advertiser of December 24, 1879, gives the following review for that year: "The fishing-fleet of Gloucester the present year has numbered 429 vessels, of which 338 are owned here, and 91 belong in other places, but have made this their headquarters for the whole or a part of the active fishing season. We have had during the year a fleet of 104 Gloucester schooners constantly employed in the George's fishery, many of them making over a dozen trips each, and 48 other vessels have followed the branch a part of the season, making one or more trips, the 152 vessels making over 1,000 trips, and landing at this port 23,144,000 pounds of codfish and 995,500 pounds of fresh halibut. Eighty-two Gloucester vessels have been employed all the year in the Bank fishery, some making one or two trips cod fishing and quite a number following the halibut fishery and making five or ten trips each during the season. Thirty-two other Gloucester vessels and 11 belonging elsewhere have made one or more bank trips during the season, giving us a total Bank fleet of 125 schooners, making over 500 trips, and lauding at the Gloucester wharves 13,247,000 pounds of codfish and 11,717,400 pounds of halibut. The shore cod fishery was active for a part of the season, and employed 47 Gloucester vessels and 47 belonging elsewhere, making a total fleet of 94 vessels, which made nearly 200 trips, and landed here 3,742,000 pounds of codfish. Concerning the rest of the fishing fleet, it is difficult to give accurate statistics. Most of the southern mackerel fleet and a portion of the offshore fleet followed the market fishery, selling their catch fresh in New York and Boston. Many of the vessels salting their catch sold them from the pickle, without inspection, so that they go to the credit of other fish markets. The mackerel inspec- tion of Glocester is estimated at 47,085 barrels of shores and 7,125 barrels of bays, making a total of 54,210 barrels. The Bay of Saint Lawrence fleet numbered about 25 vessels. About 100 Gloucester vessels and 30 belonging elsewhere made this their headquarters in the shore mackerel fishery for 174 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. a greater or less part of the season. The number of arrivals reported at this port in the shore mackerel industry for the season was about 250. Three vessels engaged in the Greenland fishery, bringing home about half a million pounds of flitched halibut. Eight vessels followed the squid fishery, making two trips each, one off the Southern coast and one to Newfoundland, meeting with indifferent success. Over a score of vessels were employed in the Eastport, Grand Mauau, and Bay of Fundy herring fishery, and half a score made herring trips to Newfoundland. Leaving out of account the receipts of mackerel and herring, and the item of fish-oil, we cannot be far out of the way in estimating that, including the catch of boat and dory fishermen, the average weekly receipts offish at this port for the current year has been fully 1,000,000 pounds. " This is a large showing for a single fishing port, because, as a rule, the business is only carried on elsewhere as one element of a varied industry. Gloucester gives her sole energy to this pro- ductive enterprise, practically speaking, and would be unfortunate indeed if she did not reap commensurate results, placing her at the head of the list of fish -producing communities. The returns are not excessive for the amount of capital and talent and labor and risk involved; and while in some cases vessels have been fortunate in securing large fares, moderate success from constant and patient delving has been the rule, and it is only through extensive operations that large results have been secured. The catch has found a ready sale all through the year, and, with an almost bare market, the outlook for the fishing industry in 1880 is a most encouraging one." THE FISHERIES IN 1880. The following review for the year 1S80 appears in the Advertiser of January 14, 1881 : " The Gloucester fishing fleet for 18SO numbered 441 vessels, of which 334 belonged to this port, 11 in Rockport, 81 to other New England ports, and 15 to the British provinces. Some of the outside vessels visited Gloucester only once or twice, to avail themselves of the advantages of our market in disposing of their Bank, herring, or shore catch, but a very respectable portion of the number made Gloucester their headquarters during the greater part of the fishing season, or throughout the year. " We find by reference to our files that 163 vessels from this port were engaged in the George's fishery at some time during the year, a part of which made a few George's trips during the height of the season, engaging in other branches of the fisheries subsequently. One hundred and seven vessels, however, followed the George's fishery exclusively, many of them making 14 trips or more during the year. Twenty made trips to George's and the bay ; 20 made George's and mackereling trips ; 5 were in the George's and Grand Manan fisheries ; 4 engaged in the George's and shore cod-fisheries ; 3 went to George's, the Banks and mackereling ; 2 to George's, mackereling and Grand Manan ; 1 to George's and squiddiug ; and 1 to George's, the Banks, and shore fishing. " The 163 vessels engaged at different times in this branch of the fisheries employed about 1,800 men. and made during the year 1,430 trips, landing 27,000,511 pounds of codfish, and 1,125,450 pounds of halibut, an increase over the previous year of lOi per cent. " The number of vessels engaged in the Bank cod and halibut fisheries during the year was 133, of which number 90. employing about 1,200 men, followed the Bank fisheries throughout the year. Twelve were engaged in Bank fishing and inackereliug ; 4 in the Bank and herring fisheries; 1 in the Bank herring and mackerel fisheries; 1 in the Bank and shore cod-fisheries; 1 went to the Banks and Greenland, and 24 to the Banks, George's, &c., as above stated. But few of these vessels made the long trip, occupying all the season, as was formerly the practice, finding better returns in shorter trips and quicker handling of fares. The halibut fleet made from ten to a dozen trips each, and being considerably smaller than for the previous year made good stocks on a much smaller aggregate catch. The total Bank fleet included in our figures made 249 trips for codfish, MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. 175 and 261 for halibut, making a total catch of 20,000,217 pounds of the former, and 7,000,940 pounds of the latter. This shows an increase over the previous year of about 7,000,000 pounds iu the Bank codfish catch, and a decrease of about 4,000,000 pounds in the catch of Bank halibut. " The mackereling industry employed 175 vessels, and about 2,500 men ; the number of vessels engaging in no other fishing branch for the year, was 90. Fifteen were employed in mackereliug and the, shore fishery ; 27 in mackereling and the herring fishery ; 5 iu mackereliug, the herring, and shore fisheries; and 33 in the mackerel, George's, and Bank fisheries, &c., as indicated above. The Block Island mackereliug fleet comprized 15 vessels, the Southern fleet 34, and the Bay Saint Lawrence fleet 15, all of which were also successfully engaged in the offshore mackerel fishery. Most of the Southern fleet disposed of their catch, in large proportion fresh, in the Philadelphia, New York, and Boston markets ; the Bay Saint Lawrence trips were failures ; the Block Island catch was smaller than in 1879; but the shore catch was larger than for many years, and proved profitable. The total catch is estimated at 129,020 barrels. " The shore cod fishery was less profitable than iu previous years, the schools of fish failing to appear in their inshore haunts. The fleet numbered 50 vessels, of which about one-half were also engaged during a part of the year in other branches of the fisheries. The number of fares lauded was 90, aggregating 1,000,720 pounds, or about one-half the quantity reported in 1879. " The herring fisheries employed 50 vessels, most of which were also engaged in other fisheries, as already indicated. The number of trips made was 79, and the catch about 30,000 barrels, or twice the quantity received iu 1879. "There were also half a dozen vessels engaged in squidiug, a winter fleet of large vessels in the fresh cod and haddock fishery, and a respectable fleet of small craft following the market cod nud haddock fishery all the season, whose catch, together with that of the dory fishermen, if we were able to present the figures, would swell the Gloucester product to very considerable figures, and substantiate her claim to the first rank in the list of food-producing communities on this side of the Atlantic." THE GLOUCESTER FISHERIES IN 1881. The following review for 1881, though not properly belonging to the census report, is given here to show the increase in the industry since 1879. It appeared iu the Cape Ann Advertiser of January C, 1882: "The Gloucester fishing fleet for 1881 numbered 437 vessels, or 4 less than for the previous year. The Gloucester vessels numbered 313; 17 belonging elsewhere fished from Gloucester the greater part of the season, and 77 others made one or more trips here during the year. The George's fleet, pursuing that fishery all the season, was considerably smaller than in 1880 G2 against 107 but 163 vessels, the precise number as for the previous year, -were engaged at some time during the year in the George's fishery. Twenty-six vessels confined their operations to the Western Bank fishery, 10 were engaged exclusively iu the Grand Bank cod fishery, 25 made Bank halibuting trips only, and 29 were employed only on shore and Bay of Fuudy cod fishing trips. One hundred and eight vessels, however, made more or less Western Bank trips during the year, 24 Grand Bank cod fishing trips, 32 Bank halibuting trips, 40 were engaged iu the shore cod fishery, and 48 visited the Bay of Fundy. The summer mackerel fleet numbered 149 vessels, 81 of which confined their operations for the year to this department. The Grand Manan fleet numbered 45 vessels. The other fishing grounds visited by the Gloucester fleet were Brown's Bank, Cape Shore, Greenland, Newfoundland, La Have Bank, Cape North, Banquereau, Seal Island grounds, Cape Sable, &c. " The table below shows the fish receipts at this port in the leading departments of the industry tor the past three years, the La Have and Brown's Bank catch being credited to the George's 176 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. fishery, the Bay of Fuudy catch to the shore fishery, and the figures in the Bank fishery including Grand arid Western Banks, Banquereau, the Cape Shore, and other distant fisheries: Products. 1881. 1880. 1879. Bank codfish pounds.. 20, 955, 280 22, 510, 000 20. 247, 000 27,511,000 13, 247, 000 23, 144, 000 3 245 300 1,7J1, OCO 3, 742, OUO Total codfish . do.. 40,710,580 49, 479, 000 40, 133, 000 7 178 800 7, 940, 000 11,717,400 1 (187 400 1,125,450 905, 500 5 OCO 48 "90 500, 000 8 719 490 9, 065, 450 13, 212, 900 Total cod and balilmt do 55, 430, 070 58, 544, 4.: 53, 245, 900 *103, 851 -129, 620 t48, C43 Frozen herring number.. 13,318,000 9, 000, 000 0, 000, 000 * Sea-packed. t Inspected. "For the closing five months of 1881, the shore tleet lauded at this port 983,500 pounds hake, 580,000 pounds pollock, 324,000 pounds haddock, and 40,000 pounds rusk ; total shore fish other- wise than cod, 1,933,000 pounds; shore herring catch, 8,032 barrels. "The fish receipts at this port from Maine and the Provinces during the last four mouths of the year were as follows : 9,370 quintals hake, 8,030 quintals codfish, 2,905 quintals haddock, 25 barrels herring ; 32 barrels fish-oil; 5,500 boxes smoked herring." LOSSES OF LIFE AND PROPERTY. The Gloucester fisheries have been prosecuted only at the risk of life and property. Each year has its dark record of disasters, and many are the sad hearts in Gloucester who mourn husband, father, or brother lost on the fishing banks. The George's fishery has been the most disastrous of any single fishery. In a single gale in February, 1879, 13 vessels were lost with 143 men, leaving 50 widows and 115 children to watch in vain for their return. The years 1SG2, 1871, 1S73, 1875, 187G, and 1879 have very dark records. The help'e?s ones left behind are assisted by the generous contributions of warm hearts all over the land. A charitable organization exists in Gloucester known as the Fishermen's Widows and Orphans Aid Society, which annually distributes moneys contributed by the fishermen, who give J of 1 per cent, of their gross earnings for this purpose. The total losses in the Gloucester fisheries during the period from 1830 to 1881, as recorded in the Fishermen's Own Book, published at Gloucester, has been 2,249 lives and 419 vessels. These vessels were valued at $1,810,710, and were insured for $1,355,418. The yearly record of losses is as follows: Tear. Vessels. Tonnage. Value. Insurance. Lives. Tear. Vessels. Tonnage. Value. Insurance. Lives. 1S30 3 $5 600 $3 100 _ 1841 n *i o!j $150 S 1S31 1842 3 2,000 150 1S32 1 1 000 1843 3 6,000 2,000 10 ]8G3 1844 .. . 3 4 800 1,500 1834 1 1 500 4 1845 4 4,500 2,350 8 1835 1846 3 4,900 3,600 15 1S3C 1 000 1847 3 6,200 4,450 !So7 5 10 100 4 300 21 1848 1838 4 7 100 3 000 4 1849 2 3,500 2,200 10 IS19 2 3 800 3 150 4 1850 4 12, 500 10, 300 31 1.S10 .. 2 3,800 3,400 6 1851... 9 25, 300 21, 800 32 MASSACHUSETTS: GLOUCESTER DISTRICT. Yearly record of losses Continued. 177 Tear. Teasels. Tonnage. Value. Insurance. Lives. Tear. Vessels. Tonnage. Value. Insurance. Lives. 1852 13 3 4 7 6 5 7 6 7 15 19 10 13 8 15 11 $41, 200 10, 000 14, 600 20, 900 14,400 11,500 18, 700 21, 900 26, 350 54,250 66, 500 40, 700 98, 900 40, 300 114, 250 82, 675 $37, 100 8,800 12, 650 16, 100 11,475 7,750 8,537 16, 475 20,494 43, 900 53, 225 8,300 59, 625 32, 400 82, 095 59, 069 40 26 21 2 9 42 36 74 44 162 6 84 11 26 66 1868 4 16 13 20 12 31 10 16 27 8 13 29 7 8 282.27 858. 81 788. 15 1, 035. 93 576. 68 1, 624. 65 633. 17 - 1, 050. 91 1, 075. 46 722. 33 907. 57 1, 893. 36 300.44 511.51 $35, 000 83, 450 75, 200 90, 560 55, 400 118,700 49, 100 96, 000 150, 000 45, 000 64,794 111, 056 21, 000 31, 000 $28, 150 54,887 59, 907 78, 253 49, 121 100, 918 44, 975 81, 326 116,222 22, 000 49, 967 90, 582 15, 972 20, 493 39 65 97 140 63 174 68 123 212 39 56 249 52 56 1853 1869 1870 1854 1855 1871 1856 1872 1857 1873 1858 1874 1S59 1875 I860 1876. 1801 . . . 1877. 1862 1878. 1863 1879 .. 1804 1880 1865 504. 93 1, 055. 00 844.57 1881 . Total 1807 419 1, 810, 710 1, 355, 418 2,249 61. THE FISHERIES OP MANCHESTER. MANCHESTER. This town joins Gloucester ou the east and Beverly on the west. It is 23 miles northeast from Boston, on the line of the Eastern Railroad. It has a good and safe harbor for vessels not over 120 tons burden. The population of the town in 1840 was 1,355, at which date the place was engaged in the cod and mackerel fisheries, having a fleet of eleven sail, measuring about 650 tons. In 1880 the number of inhabitants was 1,640. The fisheries have steadily declined; in 1879 not a single fishing vessel belonged here. While the fishing industry has decreased, the place has grown in wealth as a favorite sea-side resort, and many beautiful cottages and hotels dot the shores. At the entrance of the harbor there are set during the summer months several floating traps for the capture of mackerel and other fish. These are owned and worked by Gloucester fishermen. The number of these traps in 1880 was five, valued at $2,000, and the number of men employed was sixteen. The production amounted to $2,300 worth of fish, some of which was sold to fishing vessels for bait. There has been much opposition to the use of these traps, the summer boarders claiming that they are a nuisance because of refuse fish wash-:d ashore. The result of this oppo- sition has provoked considerable discussion in the State legislature; but as nothing could be proved against the traps, they continue to be used. The only branch of fishery engaged in by Manchester fishermen is for the capture of lob- sters, and this only to a very limited extent. The number of men employed is 12; number of dories 11, valued at $220; number of lobster-pots, 425, valued at $425; and the number of lobsters taken, 8,250, or 110 barrels, valued at $412. The lobsters are peddled around town, being sold mostly to summer boarders. Seaweed that is driven upon the beaches is sold by the town authorities to farmers, who use it for fertilizing purposes. 12 a E p 178 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. D.THE DISTRICT OF SALEM AND BEVERLY. 62. REVIEW OF THE DISTRICT. PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES. In the customs district of Salem are included the fisheries of Beverly and Salem. The former place at one time had a large fleet of vessels in the Bank cod fishery, but the fleet is now much reduced in numbers. Salem was in former years an important fishing station, but it has now become an important manufacturing and commercial city. The number of vessels belonging in this district is thirty-six, valued, with their outfit and appa- ratus, at $105,139. The total capital invested in the fisheries is $209,784, and the value of the products is $117,444. The number of persons employed in fishing or preparing fishery products is three hundred and twenty. 1 STATISTICAL SUMMATION FOR 1579. The following statement gives in detail the extent of the fishing interests of Salem district: Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. Number of vessel fishermen 208 $106, 300 49 3,484 . 63 alOO, 000 Total 320 Total 209, 784 a Cash capital, $20,000; wharves, shorehouscs, and fixtures, $80,000. Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, loots, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, exclu- siveofboats and nets. Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Tetielt. In food-fish fishery: 20 1, 090. 63 $41, 125 $7, 075 $25, 815 $74, 015 Nets. Gill-nets : In vessel fisheries . . . 7 $84 Idle 14 650 68 20 700 20 700 1 130 00 5 000 100 5 100 3 1,500 j.n oj sier Dpuery ....... In squid fishery 1 32.25 1,000 100 400 1,500 Total 10 1,584 Total 36 1, 903. 56 67, 825 7,175 26,315 101,315 Traps. Soatt. 2 600 91 2 240 2,240 Lobster and eel pots 1,300 1,300 In shore fisheries 29 80S 690 1,250 2,745 Total 1,302 1,900 Total 120 3,045 690 1,250 4,985 Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value, prepared. Grand total _ $117, 444 Frahfish. 491 500 7,373 6,000 30 Cusk 800 6 Eels 1 000 50 3 000 45 148 700 1,978 Hake 26 000 156 Mackerel . . 20, 000 266 MASSACHUSETTS: SALEM AND BEVERLY DISTRICT. Detailed statement of the quantities and rallies of tlte products Continued. 179 Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Valne, prepared. Freeh fish Continned. Pollock 3 000 Smelts 500 Mixed fish 130 000 Total 830 500 Dryfsh. Cod 4 144 000 1 450 400 fickUdflsh. Mackerel 433 800 289 200 Swordfish 3 500 2 000 65 Misedfish 6 000 4 000 100 Total 443 300 295 200 Shenjith. Lobsters 422 250 15 482 Oysters .. . a6 000 Total 422 250 41 842 JCuwBotMoufc Squid 325 bairels 1 950 Fish oil 2 590 Seaweed 150 Total 4 690 a Enhancement on southern oysters. 63. THE FISHERIES OF BEVERLY AND SALEM. BEVERLY. Beverly, situated 18 miles east from Boston, has a fine rock-bound harbor with 15 feet of water at low tide. In the early history of the State it was known as the home port of a large portion of the New England Grand Bank fleet of cod-fishermen. At one time ship-building was carried on to a considerable extent at this place, large, square-rigged vessels, as well as fish- ing schooners, being launched from this port. With the exception of a few small yachts no vessels have been built here for many years, and only one of 20 tons during the year 1879. Concerning the reduction in the number of mackerel vessels and bankers sent from this port of late, Mr. Crit- tendeu writes: "Beverly sends no mackerel catchers this year, 1879; she sends ten bankers, each of which makes but one trip a year. It is not long since there were seventy bankers sailing from here, each one of which made two trips a year. There is some small boat fishing carried on." The crews of the fishing vessels at one time fished on shares, receiving five eighths of the proceeds and the vessel three-eighths, the expenses of the vessel being first paid. Of late years, however, and at the present time, there is no uniform rule as to how the crew shall be paid. The hand-line and trawl are both in use. In the case of hand-line fishing salt clams are used for bait. For a 1,200 quintal fare of codfish 45 barrels of clams are taken, costing from $5 to $5.50 per barrel. 1'or use in trawl-fishing, only a few barrels of clam bait are taken and a few tons of ice in which to preserve the fresh bait. When a vessel is provided in this manner she proceeds to Newfoundland, where a supply of fresh herring is procured at a cost of $1.50 to $2 per barrel. A full supply of ice is also laid in at this time, costing $2 a ton. Squid, which, between July 10 and August l,sell for 20 to 75 cents a hundred or $5 a barrel, are also bought for bait. Cod roe, worth only $2 to $2.50 a barrel, is never saved. Tongues and sounds were formerly saved, when 180 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. the men fislied on shares, they then being naturally willing and anxious to save them, but as the men are not at present so much personally interested in the voyage, some receiving stated wages, not many are saved. The livers are preserved in large vats until the vessel is within a short dis- tance of home, when, the oil having been drawn off, they are thrown overboard. If the livers are fresh and but lately caught, they are brought into port and subjected to a steaming process. The average yield of oil is one-half gallon to a quintal of fish. When the fishing is carried on by means of trawls, each boat is provided with trawls armed with from 1,000 to 2,000 hooks, the average being about 1,200. The present price of cod varies but little from that of forty years ago, when it was $2.75 to $3.50 per quintal. Curing 1879 the price was $3.25 to $3.50 per quintal. Forty years ago the business was profitable, while at present, with higher prices, it hardly pays expenses, and the trips often result in a loss on account of the present rate of wages and the cost of outfit, which are proportionately larger than is the advanced price of cod. The record for 1879 shows that the active fishing fleet consisted of fifteen sail, aggregating 897.12 tons register, engaged in the cod fishery, ten of which went to the Grand Banks. One of the Bankers made two trips and another was lost on her second trip. No lives were lost during the year. One of the fleet made a trip to Banquereau. On account of the poor encouragement which the fishermen have received in late years, five fish- ing vessels remained idle throughout the year 1879, while five others, with an aggregate tonnage of 001.97, were engaged for a part of the year only in coasting. These make up a total of twenty- five vessels of 1,499.09 tons. The schooner D. A. Wilson made only one trip in 1879 to the Grand Banks, during which she took 1,700 quintals of fish and thereby cleared $1,000. For the past forty years or more, during which time trawl-fishing has come into general use, there has been no marked change either one way or the other in the abundance of cod. In trawling, five or six dories, with two men to a dory, are used. In hand-lining only one man goes in a dory, and eight to fourteen dories are used by a single vessel. Cod are usually taken in from 30 to 40 fathoms of water; in 5 to 20 fathoms only, on the Virgin Rocks. SALEM. Twenty years ago this port had a fleet of vessels engaged in fishing, and twenty-five sail went to George's and Grand Banks for cod. From 1SCO to 1868 ten vessels engaged in the mackerel catch, besides numerous vessels which were engaged in the near-home shore fishing. A number of vessels were yearly built for fishing, and quite a large foreign demand was supplied from this port. The custom-house records of the early fishery business of this place are very imper- fect and broken. Our principal information comes from the old dealers, but from them we can get no reliable statistics. At the present time the fishing industry is almost abandoned. The wharves along Derby street, once crowded with business connected with the fisheries, are now covered with lumber and coal, or else lie idle, wearing a deserted appearance. One wholesale firm alone remains. Only ten vessels have been built here in the past ten years, and none during the past two, in which time no fish have been exported. During 1879 ten fishing licenses were granted to four vessels over and six under 20 tons each, the aggregate tonnage being 274.47. Of this number four were used only for fishing parties; one was engaged in the squid fishery off Newfoundland, supplying the fishermen with fresh bait; two went to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence for mackerel, one of which caught only 9G barrels throughout the entire season, the trip resulting in a loss ; and three vessels fished near home. The lobster fishery is followed by thirty men, using fifteen boats. They use 1,000 lobster pots and fish all the year from boats, weather permitting, The pots are all set single in and about the MASSACHUSETTS: SALEM AND BEVEELY DISTRICT. 181 ledges of the harbor and from 5 to 10 miles outside. Most of the catch is secured in April, May, September, and October; only a few are taken in warm weather. The catch of late years shows a general decrease, especially in the size of the lobsters. Small lobsters are reported plentiful, and are taken regardless of the State law referring to their length. Each boat, on an average, fishes with sixty pots, and makes a daily average catch of 150 lobsters during the season. The winter fishing averages 75 lobsters a day for each boat. The total catch in 1879 was 250,000. Most of the early catch is sold in Boston, while later in the season it is boiled in the old-fashioned kettle, and the greater part of it sold in the neighboring towns. Concerning the oyster trade of Salem and vicinity, Mr. Ingersoll, in his census report on that industry, says: "The oyster business here, the next place north of Boston where there is any original trade, seems quite out of proportion to the importance of the town. The reason is found in the fact that a large surrounding region derives its supplies from this point, as well as the town itself, which appears to be highly educated in the eating of all kinds of shellfish. Two schooners, the T. A. Newcorub, 130 tons, and the Lizzie Smith, 118 tons, are engaged in the trade. They cost $22.000, but now are worth only about $5,000 each. In the summer they go on mackereliug voyages, but in the winter devote their whole time to bringing oysters from Virginia. Ten years ago 25,000 bushels sufficed for the demand, and a portion of these came from New York Bay; in 1875 three vessels were employed, and Salem called for 45,000 bushels, all from the Chesapeake. At present, however, the total annual importation by sailing craft does not exceed -10,000 bushels, with about 5,000 bushels by steamer from Norfolk, in winter, added. About 500 bushels of fancy stock from New York are also sold. A large portion of these oysters are sold at the wharf; another large portion goes into the storehouse; a third part are opened; and the remainder (8,000 to 9,000 bushels) are laid down in Collin's Bay, near Beverly Bar, where they are dry at each ebb-tide. No opened oysters are taken from Norfolk or Baltimore. The result is as follows: Amount. Price. Total cost. Bushels. 40 000 $0 36 $14 400 5 000 57 2 850 500 1 00 500 Totals 45, 500 17, 750 "Selling price of Virginia oysters, imported at wbarf, 40 cents; selling price of bedded oysters, in summer, 90 cents (common), $1.20 (selected); selling price of opened oysters (common), $1 per gallon ; selling price of opened oysters (selected), $1.20 per gallon ; selling price of opened oysters (in winter), 75 cents per gallon; annual amouut of business, $40,000. "The firms engaged employ forty-three men from November 1 to May 1; the rest of the year about twenty men. This represents about one hundred persons supported by the business, since many of the men are unmarried. The weekly salaries will average $12, and shuckers are paid 20 cents for each solid gallon. "The old shells are disposed of to the gas company of the city at one-half cent a bushel, the purchaser paying for the carting. This does not take all of the 1,500 or so bushels a week accumu- lating, which are used by the proprietors to fill in water-lots, which they buy for the purpose of thus converting into land. To sell their shells is more profitable, however. "The leading firm in Salem, Messrs. D. B. & J. Newcomb, boasts an economic method of trans- ferring the cargo from the vessel to the shuckers' broad tables, ranged around the interior walls of their shucking-house down on the wharf. This building is two-storied, and is flush with the side of the wharf, so that the vessel moors alongside. A door in the end of the loft opens upon a rail- 182 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. less platform or balcony 6 feet square. Here two men stand to receive the loaded tubs of oysters as fast as they are hoisted (by horse-power) out of the vessel's hold. "When a tub comes withiu reach they seize it, overturn it into a wheelbarrow, made of one-third of a strong cask, mounted ou a wheelbarrow frame, and one man sends it down while the other goes and empties the barrow, returning in time to help when the tub come s up again. The ordinary method is for two men to receive the tub upon the first floor, carry it away, lift it up, and overturn it upon the table, while two others hand back an empty tub and repeat the operation. This requires four men and much lifting. The Newcombs, however, dispense with two men and all the laborious lifting, by receiving their oysters on the upper floor and dumping them from a wheelbarrow down shutes that lead to different portions of the shucking-table, or to the 'cool room,' where they can store 8,000 bushels at a time, if desired." Statistical recapitulation of the oyster business of Salem and vicinity. Number of wholesale dealers 3 Number of schooners engaged 2 Value of same $10,000 Number of men hired by dealers 25 Semi-annual earnings of same $2,500 Number of restaurant servants 20 Annual earnings of same $12,000 Total number of families supported 25 Annual sales of II. Chesapeake "plants" bushels.. 40,000 Southern, by steamer bushels.. 5,000 Value of same $40,000 III. Fancy stock bushels.. 500 Value of same $750 Total value of oysters sold annnally $40,750 E. THE DISTRICT OF MARBLEHEAD. 64. REVIEW OF THE DISTRICT. PRESENT CONDITION OP THE FISHERIES. Marblehead is well known as one of the most important fishing ports in the early history of Massachusetts. Its inhabitants are now chiefly dependent on manufactures. In this district are included the fisheries of Marblehead, Swamp- scott, Nahant, and Lynn. The fish industry of these places now employs five hundred and thirty- seven persons; the capital invested is $207,706, and the value of the product is $230,942. STATISTICAL SUMMATION FOR 1879. The following statement gives in detail the extent of the fishing interests of Marblehead district: Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persona employed. Number. Capital invested. Amonnt. 314 $150, 390 Number of boat fishermen 193 12, 316 Number of carers, packers, fitters, &c 30 Other fixed and circulating capital 45, 000 Total 537 Total 0207, 706 a Cash capital, $15,000 ; -wharves, shorehouses, and fixtures, $30,000. MASSACHUSETTS: MAEBLEHEAD DISTRICT. 183 Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. Ho. Tonnage. Value. Valne of soar, exclu- sive ot'hoata and nets. Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Veiieli. lu food-fish fisheries : 39 1 057 5 $61 85 $t 060 39 560 $113 44"! Neti. Gill-nets: Idle 13 470. 68 15 300 15 300 100 1 14 12 1 000 10 ' Total 53 1,542.32 78, 125 12, 070 39, 720 129, 915 In vessel fisheries 15 8,400 Soatt. Total 153 10, 056 166 5 770 5 770 Traps. 153 5 980 3 300 5 45 I ijOustcr aim eel pots Total 319 11 750 3 300 5 4' J 5 20 475 Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Valne, prepared. Grand total $230 942 Freeh fish. 30 000 1GO Cod 5 048 946 15 000 75 Cusk 1 000 7 Eels 6 000 300 1 000 15 Haddock 673 279 8 955 Hake 3 000 19 Herring 35 000 175 Mackerel 2,381 400 31 673 Pollock 25 000 100 Swordfish 17 000 510 Tautog 300 10 Mixed fish 226, 000 1,130 Total : 8,491,925 119 036 Dry fish. Cod . .. 5 930 235 2 372 094 85 395 Cusfc 26, 350 13 178 356 Haddock 173 400 65 891 1 318 Hake 293, 400 132 062 2,113 192, 800 79 069 1,344 Total 6 616 191 2 662 294 90 526 Pickled fish. 40 000 32 000 480 81 000 54 000 1,552 Swordfish 7 000 4 000 130 Mixed fish 7,500 5 000 125 Total 135, 500 95, 000 2, 287 Shellfish. Lobsters 325, 500 11, 935 Miicellaneoiit. Fish oil 4 283 325 2 500 2,250 300 Total . 2,500 7,168 184 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 65. THE FISHERIES OF MARBLEHEAD, SWAMPSCOTT, NAHANT, AND LYNN. MAEBLEHEAD. From 184C to the present time the fishery industry of Marblchead shows a steady decline. The system of giving bounties to fishing vessels, continued until 1867, failed to revive the interest formerly taken in this industry. This may be seen by an examination of the following table, giving the number of vessels and amount of bounty paid during the last few years of the existence of the bounty system : Year Number of vessels. Amount paid. 1362 01 $14 378 20 1863 52 11 595 95 1864 43 10, 129 26 1805 43 9 336 06 1866 5 457 39 1867 20 4 927 37 Total 55 824 23 The bounty was at the rate of $4 a ton on the measurement of the vessel up to 90 tons, ceasing in 1866, since -which time rio bounty has been paid, the amount paid in 18G7 being for fish caught in 1866. In 1879 only one vessel was sent to the Grand Banks from this port. Seventeen vessels of small tonnage engaged in the home-shore fishery with ten sail idle, or occasionally engaged for sailing parties. A total of twenty-eight sail of 807.36 aggregate tonnage represents the fishing fleet of this once celebrated port. The fishing business of Murblchead has always been mostly cod, but few have engaged in the mackerel catch, and none to make a special business of it during the past twenty years. The old-established custom of the Grand Bankers was fishing on shares; the vessel receiving three-eighths, the captain, mate, and crew five eighths; all bills for bait, stores, provisions, &c., being first paid. By the oldest living masters we are told that Marblehead vessels never fished in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, nor for the past twenty years in any waters of the Provinces. In the prosperous days of the past a large number of vessels were built here, but, with the exception of a few yachts, none have been built for several years. The appended statements show the extremely reduced condition of the fleet of vessels fishing on the Banks. Mr. Critteuden writes : " Marblehead sends but one Banker this year (1879), fitted by George Knight. Less than forty years ago Marblehead sent seventy-five Bankers. There is considerable small-boat fishing. There are no large vessels engaged in the mackerel fishery." Mr. Martin, of Marblehead, wrote to Professor Baird in 1879 : "Our fleet of vessels which several years since numbered from eighty to one hundred sail (engaged in the fisheries at the Grand Banks of Newfoundland) has been reduced to one vessel of about 80 tons burden." It is sufficient to say of the fishery industry from 1877 to 1879 that there was nothing done, except by the shore boatmen. The larger vessels were tied to the wharf and the owners offered the use of them to the Gloucester men on condition that the latter pay the insurance, preferring that their vessels should be in use and taken care of than that they should lie idle at the wharf, depreciating in value every day. The eighteen vessels which were engaged in fishing in the year 1879 were, with one exception, schooners ranging from 5 to 70 tons burden, with an average of 20 tons. They were all owned in Marblehead. The largest, the Oceana, 70.94 tons burden, was the only one engaged in the cod MASSACHUSETTS: MAEBLEHEAD DISTEICT. 185 fisbcry; tbe remainder were all shore fishing vessels, three of them, the Alabama, E. G. Williams, and Eliza, combining the mackerel fishery with shore fishing, and another, the Zeppic, the lobster fishery. The total capital dependent on the fisheries of Marblehead in 1879 was not more than $50,000, and the number of persons employed was one hundred and fifty. The product was valued at about $48,000. Under date of February 20, 1882, Mr. Simeon Dodge, collector of customs at Marblehead. writes: "The fishing business in this place increased from the year 1800 to 184G, and then gradually decreased until the present time. The loss of so many lives and vessels, the introduction of the shoe business, and, finally, the repeal of the bounty act, has reduced our fishing fleet to its present proportions. We now have in this district forty three vessels engaged in the Bank and inshore fisheries, aggregating 1,164 tons." Marblehead is one of the quaintest as well as one of the oldest towns in New England. It was once extensively engaged in the fisheries, but the people have of late years turned their attention to manufactures, and have allowed the fisheries to decline, until now there are but a very few ves- sels where formerly there was a fleet of a hundred or more sail. The people have become known as a sterling race, full of patriotism, and have always contributed their quota in time of national peril. About 1,000 Marbleheaders took active part in the Eevolution, more than half of whom perished and left behind COO widows and 1,000 fatherless children, in a population numbering less than 4,000. The famous frigate Constitution was chiefly manned during the war of 1S12 by men from this town, and many privateers were sent out from here. At the close of that war nearly five hundred Marblehead men were held in England as prisoners of war. SWAMPSCOTT. This beautiful seaside town, situated 13 miles northeast of Boston, from its nearness to the fishing grounds and market, has long been and continues to be the home of a large number of fishermen. It has not, however, such a desirable harbor as have many neighboring ports in which the fishing industry is now almost entirely abandoned. The harbor, being open to the sea on the southeast, is quite exposed. The vessels do not anchor, but lie at moorings which are very heavy, weighing about 10 tons, and supplied with heavy chains. The risks in this sort of a harbor are so great that the vessels are never insured. No vessels, however, have been lost in ten years, except four, which were blown ashore in 1870. Bordering the harbor are four sandy beaches, named Phillips, Whale, Blarney's, and King's. These are separated by ledges of rocks, the outcropping of the rocky bluffs, and are covered with fine residences. The fishermen own and occupy many of these houses, and for years may have been seen starting out morning after morning to engage in their daily labor, and they often, fishing within sight of home, return the same evening with from 8,000 to 12,000 pounds of fish. The two last-named beaches are the ones mostly used by the fishermen, who upon their arriv.il home make their vessels fast to heavy moorings from a quarter to a half mile from shore, and land their fish in dories, from which they are weighed off, loaded in wagons, and carried to Boston. This is done more or less at all seasons, but chiefly during the winter. At other times vessels go direct to Boston or other ports and sell their fish. From 1830 to 1840 most of the fishing was carried on from the dories belonging to eight or ten small pinkey vessels. As the business prospered, larger and better vessels were built, until there was a fleet of 40 to 50 sail of handsome yacht-built schooners. Of late years, the fishing fleet has somewhat decreased. At present it numbers twenty-one sail of C82.48 aggregate tonnage, manned by one hundred and eighty-six American-born fishermen. During 1878, fish were very plenty off this shore. Some vessels report taking as high as 16,000 186 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. pounds a day, codfish forming the largest part of the catch. For the past two seasons fish have been scarce on the old grounds. Vessels have been compelled on that account to go to the cast- ward and southward, and are away generally from four to six days on a trip. These trips have not been attended with the success of form^f years. During the summer season most of the ves- sels engage in the mackerel catch off the New England shore, supplying the Boston market with fresh fish. The small boat or dory fishermen, on account of being obliged to go out further, are introducing the lapstreak boat; this is usually schooner-rigged. Most of the vessels are built at Salisbury, Mass., and measure from 50 to 00 tons, and often cost $10,000. They carry a crew of ten men, all, without exception, of American birth. The crew, including the captain, have an equal share in the proceeds. All expenses are charged to the gross stock, and one fifth of the proceeds goes to the owners. The captain and some of the crew usually own a share in the vessel. The running expenses of a vessel are estimated by Capt. King Harding to be about $1,000 a year. To pay the crew for their time the vessel should stock $10,000. This is a fair stock. In 1877 and 1878 the average stock was below this amount. In 187G and the ten previous years it exceeded it, in some years the "high-line" reaching $20,000. The cod fishery is prosecuted from the middle of October until May, the mackerel fishery the remainder of the time. On an average, reckoning for twenty years past, the proceeds of the two have been about equal. For ten years previous to 187G, the mackerel interest predominated. In 1877 prices were poor. " The Nova Scotia imports have a ruinous effect." But few lobsters are caught; thirteen men fishing with five hundred and twenty traps through part of the season. Their catch is consumed at and near home, a few being sent to Boston. At one time fishing vessels were built at this port, but none have been built here for the past fifteen years. ^ The fisheries of this place, in 1879, employed 320 men. The capital invested was about $50,000. The value of the product was about $140,000, and included 10,807 barrels of mackerel, over 5,000,000 pounds of cod, haddock, and cusk, 40,000 lobsters, and about 5,500 gallons of fish oil. Beside the 21 vessels, aggregating 682.48 tons, there were 21 lapstreak sail boats and SO dories used in the fisheries in that year. LYNN. The city of Lynn is largely interested in the manufacture of boots and shoes and other articles, and pays little attention to the fisheries. Four small vessels took out fishing licenses in 1879, but none of them followed the business. One was sold and the three others remained idle, except when engaged by pleasure parties for fishing. The only fishing done from Lynn during 1879 was by ten men fishing from dories near shore during part of the year and supplying the summer houses of Chelsea Beach with cunners, eels, and ground fish. At Flax Pond Brook in West Lynn about 100 barrels of alewives were taken during the year with dip-nets. About 50 barrels of alewives were caught by Lynn fishermen in the river in the adjacent town of Saugus. F. THE DISTRICT OF BOSTON. 66. REVIEW OF THE FISHING INTEREST OF BOSTON DISTRICT. PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES. The fisheries in the district of Boston, which includes towns as far as Cohasset on the south shore of Massachusetts Bay, employ 92 sail of vessels and 472 boats, besides a large number of nets and other apparatus. Of the vessels, 73 are engaged in the capture of food-fish, one fishes exclusively for lobsters, four follow the menhaden MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 187 fishery, three the oyster fishery or carrying trade, and six the whale fishery. The tonnage of the fleet is 5,422.25 tons. In the shore fisheries for cod, haddock, herring, and other fish there are employed 188 boats and 42G men. Boston, the principal place in the district, has dl^ery large trade in fish, being one of the most important markets in Kew England and the center of the trade in imported fish. A large capital is invested here in buildings and wharves used in the fishery industry, and great quantities of fresh and cured fish are annually distributed from here, as will be seen from the paragraphs on Boston. The capital invested in the district is $3,218,949, and the value of the products, the catch of fishermen of this district, is $1,020,360. The number of persons employed is 2,653. STATISTICAL SUMMATION FOR 1879. The following statements show in detail' the extent of the fishing interests of Boston district: Summary statement of persona employed and capital inrested. Persons employed. Number of vessel fishermen Number of boat-fishermen Number of curora, packers, ^fitters, &o - Number of factory hands Total . . Number. Capital invested. Amount. 997 $376 805 426 38 944 1 024 a 2, 803 200 2116 Total 3, 218, 949 2, 653 aCah capital, $1, 190,000 ; wharves, shorehouses, and fixtures, $1,388,200 ; factory buildings and apparatus, $225,000. Detailed statement of capital inrvtled in rcsseU, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats No. Tonnage. Value. Value of pear, ex elu- sive of boats and nets. Value of outfit Total Value. Nets and traps. No. Valu. ^ Vessels. In food -fish fishery: 73 3, 430. 94 $114,950 $14,015 $80 175 $209 140 Nets. Gill-nets: 72 $954 Idle 5 462 30 14 500 14 500 00 2 400 1 5.77 50 10 160 220 In menhaden fishery 4 292. 75 31, 500 300 1,200 33, 000 In vessel fisheries . -. 49 26, 800 In oyster fishery 3 303 85 9,000 300 9,300 1 *' y 92 5 4"2 25 204 000 14 :!"."> 117 835 336 160 Boats. Lobster and eel pots 8,290 8,290 284 15, 140 15, 140 188 16, 575 3,430 5,500 25 505 Total 472 31 715 3 430 5 500 40 645 a Includes gear. Detailed statement of the. quantities and rallies of tlie products. Products specified. * Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bnlk. Value, prepared. $1, 026, 360 Fresh fish. 192 800 1,328 Cod 5 482 825 82,242 100 000 500 Cask 313 304 2,193 EeU ... 5.000 250 188 GEOGBAPHLCAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products Continued. Prodncta specified. Pounds, fresh. Ponnds, prepared. Bulk. Value, prepared. Fresh fish Continued. 45, 000 $675 H 11 k 8 459 217 112,508 783 260 4,700 260, 000 9,100 1, 163, 150 5,816 Mackcf 1 2, 200, 421 29,345 , 221 400 332 Pollock - - 6"6 Oil 2,506 Shad 128 6 6,000 150 15, 750 472 Mixed fish - - 829 000 4,145 Total 20, 700, 866 256, 268 Dry Jish, Cod 1 462 500 585 000 21, 060 CllSk 6,500 3,250 88 4 ' 700 1G, 250 325 Hake 280 000 126 000 2,016 47 500 19 500 332 Total 1 839 200 750 000 J a 104. 000 Pickled fah. 31 50 25 000 500 5 362 3 300 82 Cod 61,000 30 500 762 877 656 70'' 125 10, 532 Mickerel 6 5611 7i 10 4 379 800 125, 919 38 500 22 000 715 15 UOO 10 000 250 7,875 6 300 252 50 000 40 000 1,500 Total 7, 656, 343 5,219,025 140, 512 Canned fish, b 36 000 7,500 Fish balls 264 000 38, 500 36 000 7,500 38, 400 38 400 c.'ius 4,800 Total 374, 400 374, 400 cans 58, 3UO Shell fish. 1 390 800 50,996 15 400 bushels ( C325, 625 34 940 buhhelfl 17, 470 Total 409, 091 Miscellaneous. Fish oil 8,000 lOOOtous 6,000 g 975 Fish nuds (dried) 2 00 1,980 45 000 1,575 400 tons 400 10 270 gallons 15, 438 Total 34,368 a Enhancement on dried fish prepared as " honelesb" in Boston, but accounted for elsewhere. b Exclusive of salt mackerel canned in Boston, o Enhancement on southern oysters. MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 189 67. BOSTON AND ITS FISHERY INDUSTRIES. GENERAX, DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY AND ITS FISHING BUSINESS. Boston is the largest city iu New England in regard to commerce as well as in population. It also has the finest harbor of New England, and its shipping business, together with its foreign and domestic trade, is very extensive. It is a great railroad center, being the terminus of all the principal lines in New England. It has several historical landmarks, as the Old State House, Old South Church, Faneuil Hall, Bunker Hill, and Dorchester Heights. It was settled in 1631, and was called Shawmut by the Indians. The settlers called it Trimouutain, because of its three hills. It received its present name as a token of respect to the Rev. John Cotton, a minister of Boston in England, and afterwards minister of the first church here. The population in 1790 was 18,038; in 1870, 250,526; and in 1SSO it had increased to 362,839, making it the fifth city iu the country iu respect to population. From the early colonial days to the present time, Boston, although never having a large fishing fleet in comparison with Gloucester, Marblehead, and other New England ports, has been recog- nized in the fish trade as a central receiving and distributing port for all points, both domestic and foreign. Many vessels from the other New England fishing ports, as well as from the Provinces, bring their catch direct from the fishing grounds to this port for a market, or, returning to their home port to land and cure, their cargoes are finally brought here. According to Sabine (Report on American Fisheries, 1852), Boston had vessels fishing on the Newfoundland Banks as early as 1645. The first exportation of fish from Boston was in 1633. The adventure was to one of the southern colonies, and Governor Wiuthrop appears to have been interested in it. The vessel, which was laden with furs as well as the products of the sea, was wrecked on the outward passage when near the capes of Virginia. The fishing business, which has undergone many changes within the past generation, may at present be divided into two distinct classes, the fresh and the salt or cured fish trades, of nearly equal capital. The latter branch is no larger than it was ten or twenty years ago, and has not advanced with the country and other industries. The fresh-fish trade has steadily increased, the total business showing that as much fish are caught and consumed at the present time as in the past, when the foreign and domestic shipments of salt fish were much greater. The fishing fleet belonging to Boston in 1879 numbered 76 vessels, aggregating 4,467.87 tons, and valued at $165,300, exclusive of their gear and outfit. The total value of the fleet, including the value of gear and outfit, such as boats, nets, seines, salt, ice, and provisions, was $312,974, and the total number of men iu the crews was 868. Of the total fleet, 5 vessels, measuring 462.30 tons and valued at $14,500, were idle throughout the year; 60 vessels, measuring 2,780.41 tons, were employed in the food-fish fisheries; 1 small vessel, of 5.77 tons burden, engaged exclusively in the lobster fishery; 4 steamers, measuring 292.75 tons, followed the menhaden fishery; and 6 vessels, of 926.64 tons burden, were employed in the sperm-whale fishery. The sixty vessels engaged in catching food-fish made trips lasting only a few days, fishing near home, and usually returning with fares of fresh fish. About one-third of these vessels followed the mackerel fishery from April till November, bringing their fares in fresh or curing them on board. No Boston vessels are engaged in the George's or Grand and Western Banks salt-cod fisheries, but the supply of fish from these banks for the Boston market comes from other New England ports and from the Provinces. The whaling vessels iu 1879 lauded 18,270 gallons of sperm oil, valued at $15,438. In addition to the fleet of fishing vessels, there were one hundred and nineteen sail-boats and row-boats, valued, with their outfits, at about $20,000, that fished in and about Boston Harbor. These boats gave employment to three hundred and thirty-five men. Their catch included all 190 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. the food species of sliore fish, lobsters, and clams. During the latter part of September and the first of October they take large numbers of shore-herring, and in the winter, quantities of haddock. In 1879 forty five of the larger size boats took 1,990.002 herring in number, and 3,250,000 pounds of other fish. Comparing Boston as a fish market with its importance as a fish producing center, we find that the aggregate value offish and fish products annually received and distributed by the fish dealers is over $5,000,000, exclusive of $700,000 worth of oysters, while the value of the catch by the fishermen and fishing vessels of Boston is about $1,000,000. The total capital invested in the various branches of the fishing industry in Boston and the neighboring towns included in the same customs district is $3,218,949. This amount includes $1,388,200, the value of wharves, storehouses, and fixtures; $225,000, the value of factories for the preparation of canned and boneless fish; and $1,190,000 additional cash capital. If to the total capital as above be added the investment in related industries, such as the net business, the oil-clothing business, and isinglass factories, the aggregate capital dependent on the fishing industry would reach a much larger figure. The total number of men directly emplojed in the fishing industries is about 2,500, to which number may be added several hundred who are engaged in the manufacture of nets, barrels, boxes, and other articles used in the fisheries. THE TRADE IN DKT AND PICKLED FISH. Previous to the year 1815 not a single firm in Boston was engaged exclusively in the sale of dry and pickled fish, this business all being carried on by the wholesale grocers, who bought the cured fish direct from the vessels and disposed of them mostly to the New England trade. The first wholesale fish store in Boston for the purchase and sale of dry and pickled fish was opened on Long wharf in 1815 by Mr. Ebenezer Nickerson, and for fifteen years he was the only exclusive salt-fish dealer. In 1830, two other firms engaged in this branch of the fishing industry, and as it steadily grew in importance other firms started, until at the present time there are sixteen wholesale dealers in dry and pickled fish. Of the extent of the business in those early days we have no record, except the custom-house record of exports and the meager report of the State inspector. The fishermen themselves, with very few exceptions, to the present day, keep no account of their business, even from one trip to another. An exceptional good year's business is remembered and handed down as a tradition from year to year. Through the enterprise of the late Mr. Franklin Snow (a dealer for over twenty- five years), the Boston Fish Bureau was organized in 1875. It is an association of the salt-fish dealers for a bureau of information and statistics. Since its organization the records are more complete than ever before. We are indebted to it for tables of the receipts from foreign and domestic ports for the past few years. In the early history of the business it was not only confined mainly to New England trade, but to the crude article. The dry fish were tied up in bundles, with or without mats or other covering, and pickled fish were packed in barrels and smaller cooperage packages. At the present time fish are taken from the vessels into the large packing and manufacturing establishments, where they are sorted and rapidly transformed into packages of "boneless," "minced fish," "fish-balls," and various other specialties. They are put up in boxes of all sizes from 1 to 500 pounds, or are packed in tin case? of different sizes, neatly labeled and boxed, and, with the larger packages of whole, half, quarter barrels and kits, are loaded into cars at the door to be shipped to all parts of the country. This improvement over the old manner of doing business has resulted in a much wider field and increased trade, and Boston-packed preparations of fish are now found in nearly all the grocery stores from the Atlantic to the Pacific. New England caught fish arc noticed in the daily market reports of San Francisco and Oregon as much as at home, and command a/ MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 191 higher price than the catch of the Pacific. Not the least among the desirable results secured by the improved methods of packing is the clean and attractive appearance of the packages as com- pared with the former loose mode of shipping. Boneless fish is dry cod, hake, cusk, or haddock, from which the skin and bones have been removed. The stripped fish is then cut up into small or large pieces, and packed in various-sized boxes. Simple as this process is, and always in use since fish have been used for food, it has been protected by patents issued in 18C8 and 1869, causing an endless amount of trouble among the manufacturers, a royalty fee being charged. / During the past five years this mode of placing fish on the market shows a large annual increase. Boneless fish is packed mostly in small wooden boxes of convenient sizes, holding from 5 to 40 pounds, though a small amount is put up in paper boxes of 3 to 5 pounds each. This excellent article has become very popular with all classes. Codfish commands the highest price, while cusk, haddock, and hake follow as to value. During the year 1879 the aggregate amount of fish of all kinds cut up as boneless amounted to 6,502,050 pounds. The loss or shrinkage in weight is from 20 to 28 per cent, on cod and cusk, and about .".0 per cent, on ha.ke, which leaves the aggre- gate net amount of prepared fish 5,201,640 pounds. The industry gives employment to one hun- dred and fifty men during the active season, or an average of eighty men during the entire year. In the infancy of the business the waste was more than a dead loss, being an iucumbrance and additional expense for removal, and was gladly given away to any one who would remove it. As soon as its fertilizing qualities became known a demand sprang up, and from 50 cents to $1 a ton was paid for it. The price advanced from time to time, as the demand increased, until, in 1879, $6 a ton was paid for fish skins and bones for the manufacture of guano and fish-glue. The sixteen firms at present engaged in handling dry and pickled fish and oil occupy the whole or part of nineteen wharves in East Boston and the city proper. The amount of capital invested in this branch of the fishing business, including the value of the wharves, is about $1,500,000, and the number of hands employed is three hundred and seventy-nine. During 1879 the amount of dry fish received in Boston was 201,963 quintals of cod, haddock, hake, pollock, and cusk, about one- sixth of which came from the Provinces, and the balance from fishing ports in Maine and Massa- chusetts. The receipts in 1880 were 221,103 quintals of the same varieties of fish, and in 1881 the amount was increased to 244,967 quintals. The same firms that deal in dry and pickled fish also sell smoked herring and bloaters, that arc received from Eastport and other parts of Maine and the Provinces. The total receipts of these fish in 1879 were 460,349 boxes of herring and 23,077 boxes of bloaters. In 1880 the amount was 443,597 boxes of herring and 20,603 boxes of bloaters. The receipts in 1881 reached 612,412 boxes of herring and 30,429 boxes of bloaters. The trade in pickled fish is extensive, and includes mackerel, herring, alewives, salmon, salmon- trout, and shad, received from New England fishing ports and from the Provinces. About half of the total receipts of mackerel are from the Provinces, as is also the case with the receipts of herring, while alewives, salmon, salmon-trout, and shad come chiefly from the Provinces. The total amount of pickled fish received by Boston dealers in 1879 included 167,444 barrels of mackerel, 56,844 bar- rels of herring, 6,522 barrels of alewives, 6,013 barrels of salmon, 1,437 barrels of salmon-trout, and 3,042 barrels of shad. In 1880 the .amount received included 196,493 barrels of mackerel, 55,802 barrels of herring, 7,033 barrels of alewives, 2,892 barrels of salmon, 698 barrels of salmon-trout, and 1,975 barrels of shad. Of the total receipts of mackerel in 1879, 15,275 barrels were taken by Boston vessels, 34,138 barrels were landed in Boston by mackerel vessels belonging to other New 192 GEOGRAPHICAL BE VIEW OF THE FISHERIES. England ports, 33,818 barrels came by freight to Boston from domestic ports, and 84,213 barrels from the Provinces. The total quantities of dry, pickled, and smoked fish received by the Boston fish dealers during the years 1876 to 1881 is shown in the following table, compiled from the annual reports of the Boston Fish Bureau. None of these fish, witlrthe exception of part of the mackerel, are taken by Boston vessels, but are received from other fishing ports of New England, or from the Provinces, by steamer, rail, or coasting vessels, and are sold in Boston or distributed over the country, either in the same condition as received, or otherwise prepared for use. The total value of these fish received in 1879 is estimated at $3,842,043. The Boston mackerel fleet includes vessels owned in Boston, and also several belonging to Cape Cod and other places, but that pack their catch in Boston. The following table shows the receipts of pickled, smoked, and dry fish, by Boston fish dealers, from 1876 to 1881: 1S76. 1877. 1878. Kinds. Domestic receipts. Foreign receipts. Total. Domestic receipts. Foreign receipts. Total. Domestic receipts. Foreign receipts. Total. Pickled fah. Mackerel barrels . . 82, 935 36 $84 43, 612 ] 1C2, 931 r 35,529 ( 20,459 86, 356 ] 142, 344 , 31,881 * 32,458 78, 689 | 143,028 17, 609 76, 251 93, KliO 19, 851 58, 097 77, 948 22, 810 42, 300 65, 110 910 6,203 7,173 2,026 1 , 2.~>2 3,878 4,014 3,117 7,131 2,720 2,720 5,686 5,686 3, 906 3,906 Trout do 1D9 159 834 834 203 203 sjuiii do 11 541 552 893 893 1, 192 1,192 Smokfd fish. HerriD" 1 boxes.. 266, 906 65, 180 332, 086 282, 062 180, 931 462, 993 214,715 171, 508 386, 223 10, 824 10 824 18 495 18, 495 17, 629 17, 629 Dryfah. 111,690 7,818 119,508 1211, 140 20, 509 146, 649 174, 624 9,034 183, 658 Hake do 10, 504 1,118 17,622 30. 149 14,723 44, 872 45. 700 10, 973 50, 673 3, 021 1.240 1,261 4,916 6,309 11,22:. 9,683 1,680 11,363 Pollock do 1 2S 2,207 3,555 4,241 3,363 7,604 2,601 2, 247 4,848 2, 471 2,471 2,291 330 2,621 2,917 2,917 7 09 7 029 7 138 7 138 3 015 3,015 1S79. 1S80. 1881. Kinds. Domestic, receipts. Foreign receipts. Totil. DmrH'.stic receipts. Finviu'ii rri'eijits. Total. Domestic receipts. Foreign receipts. Total. Pickled fish. 33, 818 84, 213 ( 36,761 105, 730 , 73,653 61,850 49 413 J 167, 444 ) ( 51 00" 1 196, 493 i 69 669 | 204,929 26 140 30 698 5'i 844 26, 492 29. 310 55, 802 12, 420 44,906 56, 998 79.) 5 727 6 522 l, :::>! 5, 682 7,033 2,184 8,104 10,288 143 5,868 6,013 5GO 2,332 2,892 980 1,997 2,977 Trout do ... 1,437 1, 437 698 608 1,147 1,147 3 042 3 in" 1,975 1,975 1, 152 1,152 Smoked Jish, 291,473 168, 876 460, .149 2C2, 482 118, 115 443, 597 337, 830 274, 592 612, 412 23 077 23 077 20 603 20, 603 29, 619 810 30, 429 Dryfixh. 128,912 21, 989 100, 901 r.'4, :t:;x 30, 151 163, 489 125,450 56, 852 182, 302 27, 069 6,610 33, 679 32, 222 8,810 41,032 41, 021 7,901 48, 922 9,155 goo 10, 077 9,172 976 10, 148 5,792 1,631 7,423 Pollock . do ... 1,598 3,437 5,035 1,523 2,762 4,285 1,773 3,020 4,793 Cask . do ... 2,059 212 2,271 1,362 187 1,549 1,469 38 1,507 5 915 5 915 9,646 54 9,700 14, 293 316 14, 606 MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 193 THE FHESH-FISH BUSINESS. From the first settlement of Boston until tbc year 1S35 tbe fresh-fish business was carried on only as a retail trade. Ice was not then used, so that in the summer season but limited quantities of fish could be sold, and then only to the near towns. During the winter, fresh fish were teamed inland as far as Albany and Montreal. The catch came from Massachusetts Bay and was supplied by the small fishing vessels from this and neighboring ports. During cold weather it was brought in a frozen condition by teams from Cape Ann and other ports. The oyster business was of small importance, and was carried on from two hulks covered in and used for storage below and stores above. The oysters came mostly from Cape Cod, never from south of New York, and were not sold during the months of July and August. As the demand for fresh fish increased, better facilities were needed to handle the catch. The first wholesale fresh-fish store was opeued on Long Wharf in 1835, by Holbrook, Smith & Co. Their business iu fresh fish was mostly during the winter and spring months, and through the warm weather their trade was confined to pickled, dry, or smoked fish. In 1838 this firm removed to Commercial Wharf, being the first fresh-fish firm on that wharf, which, at the present time, is the headquarters of the trade. There are now thirty-five firms on and near Commercial Wharf engaged iu the wholesale fresh-fish business, and five retail dealers holding stalls in Fauueil Hall Market, receive large quantities of fish, especially fresh-water and rare species, from first hands. The capital employed in this trade, including the value of wharves and buildiugs, is about 81,000,000, and the number of hands employed is two hurAlred and seventy-five. The total value of fresh fish received in Boston from all sources during the year 1879 was valued at $1,761,259, and iucluded the following species: Species. Quantities. Species. Quantities. Ale-wives pounds. . do 1, 308, 234 1,616,735 6,900 11,013,913 3?, 000 950, 747 258, 6G4 289, 105 17, 447, 962 1, 058, 176 3, 659, 285 11, 799, 968 6,250 11, 724, 943 144, 075 26, 712 1, 300, 115 12, 200 1, 351, 995 7, 500 17,500 257, 097 4,850 696, 101 15, 865 118,951 4,000 863, 154 38, 887 25, 004 10,500 5,000 2,000 200 2,000 do do do Cod do Shad dinners Cusk dozen.. Smelts do Eels do do do do do do Hak- do do Halibut do.... Tautog Whitefish do.... ...do .. Lake pike pounds.. do Crabs, soft Scallops Shrimp dozen.. gallons.. do.... Pickerel Plaice Pollock pounds.. do.... do do About one hundred Boston vessels and large boats, and an equal number belonging to other New England ports, landed fares of fresh fish iu Boston during 1879. The Boston vessels landed 1,599 fares or 15,558,000 pouuds of cod, haddock, hake, cusk, flounders, and swordfish; 30 fares or 1,749,093 fresh mackerel iu number, and 120 fares or 1,998,062 herring in number. The fleet belonging elsewhere landed 1,171 fares or 17,531,174 pounds of cod, haddock, swordtish. and other ground fish; 220 fares or 9,975,250 fresh mackerel iu number; 18 fares or 548,892 pounds of fresh halibut, and 30 fares or 1,935,270 shore herring in number. Besides the above quantities of fresh fish lauded by fishiug vessels, there was a large amount received by rail, steamers, aud sailing vessels, including 500,000 pounds cod, haddock, and other ground fish, 3,110,393 pouuds of halibut, 13 GRF 194 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 1,351,995 pounds of salmon, and 232,229 pounds of fresh-water fish; also 7,866,636 frozen herring in number received from the Provinces. The Boston vessels are manned by men of all nationalities, but those of Irish birth or descent appear to be the largest element in the market fishery. The men generally fish on shares, the owners of the vessel being entitled to one-fifth of the gross receipts, and the men dividing equally, after the cost of stores, tackle, bait, ice, and some other incidentals is deducted. The cook has an equal share with the fishermen. The vessel owners find boats and dories. Codfish and nearly all species of ground fish are taken on trawls armed with from 500 to 1,500 hooks each, according to the depth at which they are to be used. The main line or ground line of the trawl averages about an inch in circumference, and is coiled in a tub or half-barrel, with the hooks arranged around the edge. From one to four tubs of trawl are carried by each dory, which may be manned by one or two fishermen. Having previously baited their hooks, the men row away from the vessel and set their trawls around her at a convenient distance, usually within hail. In shallow water the trawls are constantly uuderrun ; the fisherman hauls in the fish caught and rebaits the hooks; but in deep water the trawls are generally visited and run only two or three times a day, owing to the great depth of water and tue hard labor required to take care of so great a number of hooks and length of line. Codfish are taken in the spring by the market-boats in Ipswich Bay and on the Middle Bank, and by the Gloucester vessels on La Have and Brown's Banks, and after February 1 on George's Banks. During the summer and early fall the larger part of the supply comes from the South Channel and Middle Bank and all along the back of Cape Cod, and from November 1 to January 1 all the way from Swampscott to Ipswich Bay, wherever a ledge fit for the spawning fish presents itself. The total amount of fresh codfish received during 1879 was 11,013,915 pounds. The amount of fresh haddock received during 1879 was 17,447,902 pounds, by far the largest amount of any single species. It is a favorite fish and is preferred by many to cod or other species of ground fish. It seems hardly possible that not many years ago this fish was thought of little or no value; none were cured, and only occasionally would a person use them fresh. Tbe fisherman on George's Banks or elsewhere, fishing for cod, on being so unfortunate as to find only a haddock on his line, with a growl and a kick would send it back into the sea. Now these fish are sought after on George's Banks as well as on other cod-fishing grounds. They are taken in the same manner as cod on trawl or hand lines, and usually bring about the same price as cod. Hake and cusk are found in deep water on muddy bottom, around the ledges and banks frequented by cod, and are taken by the same gear, bait, and equipments. Halibut stands third in the aggregate number of pounds of fresh fish received, but leading all other single species in the value of the catch. They are taken for the fresh fish market on the borders of nearly all the banks. Many were formerly taken in shallow water, and some were gafifed as they followed those hooked to the surface, but the larger portion are now caught in from 100 to 250 and even 300 fathoms, on the edges of the banks! It is still related that when the first schooners fished on George's they did not anchor, but drifted across the shallows, taking several with the gaff for every one hooked, and a similar experience was met by the first vessel sent to Greenland, her crew having gaS'ed nearly 500 halibut in one day. Swordfish are taken oft' the New England coast in considerable quantities, and during tue year 1879 there were 803,154 pounds marketed in Boston. They are brought to market mostly by New Bedford and eastern vessels, and are captured with spears or lances. Salmon are sent to this market from April to August, the earliest coming from the Keunebee and Penobscot, and the latest from the Labrador coast via Quebec and Montreal or the Inter- MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 195 colonial Bailway. They are packed in large wooden boxes holding from 200 to 300 pounds, and during the last part of the season are frozen in large numbers for preservation until the next season's catch is obtained. Nearly all are taken by gill-nets, as the Canadian law forbids the cap- ture of salmon in weirs and pounds, although the law is far from being strictly complied with. The amount usually received here is large, often in excess of the demand, at prices that are not remunerative to the shippers. Blueflsh, once almost unknown in this market, are sent here in large numbers. Their first appearance in Boston Bay in this century was in the year 1837, when the fishermen, finding them- selves forced to fish in dories among the rocks for mackerel, " scow-banking" as it was called, dis- covered that the blue-fish invasion had drawn the mackerel to the shelter of the rocks and ledges. This fish is taken by hand-lines from Ipswich Bay to Sandy Hook, but principally in weirs on both sides of Cape Cod and along the coast of Ehode Island and Connecticut. Like the salmon it is preserved by being frozen, and can be procured the year round. Bass are not a plentiful fish ill this region, but some are shipped here from New Market, N". H., from either shore of Cape Cod, and from points south. They were formerly taken in great abundance along the shores of the old Plymouth colony and Cape Cod, principally by means of small seines, thrown from boats and hauled ashore. Shad are supplied to the Boston market from almost every river and shore from the Potomac to the Saint Lawrence, some of the finest coming from the Bay of Fundy and Saint John Eiver. Flounders are caught by the smallest boats of the market-fishermen. They are little valued, and are chiefly sold to the poorer and foreign class ; but the aggregate catch is quite large. Eels are mainly supplied from various parts of Boston Harbor, and are chiefly taken in pots baited with broken clams, or chopped-up fish heads. When ascending the rivers and small streams in the fall, or leaving them in the early spring, large quantities are sometimes taken by obstructing the flow of water, and placing in the center of the stream a strong barrel pierced with auger holes, into which the eels creep, but out of which, curiously enough, they seem unwilling to stir. The barrels have been so filled at times as to suffocate a large part of the catch before morning. Very large and fat eels are sent here in winter from certain towns in Maine, as well as from various other points, but the eel is not valued as in Europe, and the market is easily overstocked. Smelts are brought from Maine, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, where, during the winter months, they are seined under the ice in large quantities. The Massachusetts law forbids the seining of them, and but a small part of the market supply is of home catch. Over half a million pounds of eastern smelts come to this market yearly, and retail from 3 to G cents a pound. They often sell, in quantities, from 1 to li cents per pound, and afford a cheap food-fish to the poorer classes, though these frozen smelts seldom retain the peculiar and delicate flavor of the recently caught fish. During the past winter, for the first time, quite a large amount were canned, being cooked in butter. They met with a ready sale, and a large business will probably be done in that line hereafter. Previous to 1817 mackerel were caught with hook and line when under sail, or, as it was called, "drafting." Vessels usually carried twelve men, six being stationed on each side, and each man tended a pole from which three lines with hooks were suspended. The pole was made fast to the side of the vessel. This way of fishing always required a good breeze, and if the breeze died away no fish could be caught, although the vessel might be surrounded with them. In 1817, accord- ing to Eev. Elisha Kellogg, of Harpswell, Me., Captain Pote, of Freeport, Me., observed that the hake fishermen, by throwing the refuse overboard, called the mackerel around. From this hint he began chopping up mackerel with a hatchet and throwing it over to attract the fish to the side of the 196 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. vessel. The watch 011 deck at night chopped the bait, but only the captain threw it, ami with so much economy that an iron spoon was used for that purpose. Captain Pote was very successful, and, keeping his method a secret for a long time, other fishermen said he had made a bargain with the evil one. From that time it is claimed that the practice of throwing bait and using the hand- line began. Mackerel are now taken by the market fishermen and American fleet almost exclu- sively with the purse-seine in deep water, and many are brought fresh to market from as far south as Cape Henry in the spring, and later in the season from off the New England coast, and as far north and east as Halifax in July and August. They are caught in \veirs and gill-nets ofl' Cape Cod early in the spring and late in the fall, and by the hand-line of the shore-fisherman among the ledges all along the Massachusetts coast. During the past, season they have varied in size, and ranged in value from 25 cents to 825 per hundred. During the year 1879 there were received in Boston 11,724,943 fresh mackerel in number. Herring are principally sold fresh in winter, when the supply comes from the shores and islands of Eastern Maine and New Brunswick, where vessels fish all winter. The fall catch oft' the home coast in October and November freely supplies the market at that season, but the herring is not then highly valued as a fresh-fish food. Alewives are sent here to a small extent in spring from the small rivers and inlets of this State, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, but most of them go to the smoke-house or are pickled for the West India trade. Turtle and terrapin are not largely sold in this market. The former comes from the West Indies and South America, and the latter from Virginia, both of them chiefly via New York. Tautog are caught in weirs and also with the hand-line, and are chiefly taken around Cape Cod. They are highly esteemed, but seem to be much less numerous than a generation ago. Plaice are mostly caught off Cape Cod with the hand-line, with small but stout hooks. Spanish mackerel are taken from the south shore of Cape Cod to New Jersey, but are counted a southern fish, and most of the 1G,000 pounds annually received in Boston are taken along the southern coast. Sturgeon, so largely handled in the Philadelphia and New York markets, are not much sought after here; but a few thousand pounds have been sold here for the past three years. Red snappers are ordered by a few dealers from New York. More are seen in this market now than formerly, from 5,000 to 10,000 pounds a year being sold. Shee.pshead are even less called for than the red snapper, and are only occasionally received from the New York dealers. Scup are taken principally along the south coast of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Con- necticut. They are no longer as plentiful or as large as formerly, and during the past season have been smaller and scarcer than for many years. Striped bass is another excellent fish. Once large and plenty, they are now small and scarce in the rivers of New England, and thus far the Canadian fish are seldom sent to the Boston market. Less than the amount once annually taken at a single one of the many estuaries frequented by these fish, appeared in the Boston market last year. Salmon trout are received from Maine and the Dominion, and are sold here annually to the amount of 4 or 5 tons. The trout, business is crippled by the harshness of protection laws, which refuse the dealers the privilege of importation during our close season, at which time the trout of more northern waters are in their best condition. Sea perch, or dinners, were taken in much larger quantities a few years ago than at present; 38,000 dozen were sold in Boston during 1879. The market could dispose of many times this MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 197 amount it' they were takeu, but for some unexplained cause the supply has largely decreased during the past few years. A few pom paii o, bonito, shrimps, soft-shell crabs, English prawns, and other species prized by epicures, are found in this market, but the aggregate quantity is small. The bulk of the fresh- fish business is in ground fish, salmon, halibut, lobsters, and clams. Salmon, shad, bluefish, mackerel, and any species that are taken only at certain seasons of the year, can be had at any time in the frozen state. During the season when they are plenty they are spread out in huge refrigerators, charged with ice and salt, and frozen solid. They are then piled like billets of wood in other large refrigerators, where a temperature of about 10 above zero is maintained. They are taken from the refrigerators as wanted, being found frozen solid even during the warmest weather. The demand for frozen fish is not large, and only one firm pays much attention to freezing them. Dealers claim that the demand for fish that are out of season is too small to justify a great expend- iture of time or money in freezing them. Soon after being landed, fresh fish are packed in boxes holding an average weight of 425 pounds, with from 40 to 50 pounds of crushed ice packed with them. They are also packed in old flour barrels, holding from 200 to 225 pounds offish, with 20 to 25 pounds of ice, the barrels being covered with tea-chest matting or sacking. They are then shipped to any part of the country, Chicago and Saint Louis being the practical western limit of destination. Dealers state that one- half of the total amount is consumed in New England, one-fifth in New York City and State, while Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, with the Middle and Western States, consume the remaining three-tenths. New England orders are mostly shipped in barrels, while the large boxes are sent to the leading cities. ' THE TRADE IN CANNED FISH. During the past few years an extensive business has grown up in canned fish. Fish-balls, chowders, and uncooked mackerel packed in tin have found a ready market, and large quantities have been packed in Boston. No lobsters or clams are canned in Massachusetts, but that industry is centered on the coast of Maine, especially in the vicinity of Penobscot Bay. It is estimated that some 2,112,000 1-pound cans of lobsters were packed on that coast in 1879. Large as this amount appears, it is a fact that in years past an equal quantity has been packed at individual ports, but owing to the present scarcity of lobsters several of the large companies controlled by Boston and Portland capital are now obliged to open establishments in Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, and other parts of the Provinces. During the year 1879, Boston firms packed in their factories in Boston and elsewhere, and distributed from Boston, 9,649 cases or 463,152 cans of lobsters, valued at $57,894; 8,400 cases or 403,200 cans of salt mackerel, valued at $33,600; 20,000 cases or 240,000 cans of fresh mackerel, valued at $90,000; 800 cases or 38,400 cans of smelts, valued at $4,800; 1,500 cases or 36,000 cans of fish-chowder, valued at $7,500 ; 11,000 cases or 264,000 cans of fish-balls, valued at $38,500 ; and 1,500 cases or 36,000 cans of clam-chowder, valued at $7,500. A large proportion of the products of the canneries controlled by Boston capital is distributed direct from the Eastern factories and does not appear in this report. The duty on tin cans from the Provincial factories is so heavy as to practically shut them out of this market. A large part of the product of these factories passes through the United States in bond to the European markets. The products of the canneries are distributed all over the country, but principally west and south. There is also a large European trade in canned lobsters and a moderate demand for other fish productions in tin. Of the various specialties, fish-balls is the only one that is protected by a patent, a Boston fish packer and dealer having obtained a patent for that article in March, 187S. They are com- 108 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. posed of nearly equal parts of choice codfish aud potatoes. The fish are uncooked or parboiled, and the potatoes are washed, boiled, and pared, with the greatest attention to quality, cleanliness, and perfect cookery. The ingredients are then chopped as fine as possible by machinery, and at the same time are intimately mixed. The mixture is then put up in cans of 1, 2, or 3 pounds each, aud subjected to a steam bath. They are then hermetically sealed, and are warranted to keep in any climate. Canned salt mackerel is an old article iu a new dress, being ordinary uncooked pickled mack- erel with the heads aud tails cut off and packed iu 5-pound tin cans, one dozen cans iu a case. They were introduced in 1879, and the packages being of convenient size for family use and handsomely labeled, have been quite favorably received. In 1S79 there were 20,000 dozen cans, of 5 pounds each, packed iu the Boston canneries. The canning of smelts was begun late in the fall of 1879. They are thoroughly cooked in butter aud packed in 1 -pound cans, five dozen cans in a case. It is probable that large quantities of smelts will hereafter be preserved in tin. A large export demand is promised for the various fish preparations in tin, aud some large orders have already been filled for Europe, Australia, and the West Indies. Much improvement is constantly being made in the methods and styles of packing aud labeling, and good satisfaction has been given, so that a constantly increasing demand is created, especially throughout the mining regions of this country and on the Pacific slope. The canning industry in Boston employs seventy men, fifty-six women, and a capital of $40,000. The value of the products distributed from Boston in 1879, including those brought here from eastern canneries, was valued at $239,794. THE LOBSTER AND CLAM INDUSTRIES. The lobster industry of Boston is important, though not as extensive as when lobsters were more abundant. Over-fishing is said to have largely diminished the number annually taken, and stringent laws are needed to save this fish from extermination. They are received from Maine and from ports along the northern and southern shores of Massachusetts. In 1881), 2,425,125 lobsters were received in Boston, of which number 798,571 came from Maine, 300,000 from Cape Ann and vicinity, 360,954 from the south shore and Cape Cod, 50,000 from Nahant, 319,200 from Hull, aud the remainder from Boston Harbor and its immediate vicinity. They are taken with the ordinary lobster pot. and are sold to the boiling establishments, where they are boiled in sea-water in large zinc-liued wooden tanks. They are then peddled in wheelbarrows throughout the city or shipped iu barrels covered with tea-matting to various parts of the country, Chicago being the practical limit of distribution. Upwards of $60,000 is invested in this industry in Boston, and about one hundred men are employed. Ninety men in and about Boston Harbor, with from forty to sixty dories, are employed during the greater part of the year iu taking the soft or sand-clam, aud as many more men follow the busi- ness occasionally. These clams are abundant on nearly all the flats and bottom-lands of Boston Bay. Large quantities are also received from Cape Cod, the south shore towns, Saugus River, aud other points east. In all, some 75,000 bushels or 24,000 barrels of clams, costing on an average, including freight, $2 a barrel, arc annually received in Boston. The outfit for a clam digger con- sists of a dory, clam-rake, oars, rubber boots, and buckets, and costs about $15 for the boat and $7.50 for the other articles. Two men generally use a single boat, so that the individual invest- ment is about $15 each. The towns about Boston usually charge a license fee of $2 a year for the privilege of taking clams. The clams are in some cases bought up by small operators, who team them into the city, MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 1U9 though the diggers sometimes bring them to the city and sell them to the dealers from their boats at the wharves. Quahangs are not generally taken, and but few sea-clams, razor-fish, or mussels. The supply of these bivalves and of scallops comes in small quantities from Cape Cod, no great amount being required to meet the demand. THE TRADE IN OYSTERS. The following extracts are from Mr. Ingersoll's census report on the oyster industry : " 1. HISTORY OF THE BUSINESS. When the natural beds in the Charles and Mystic Rivers gave out, Boston derived its oysters from the natural beds at WelltLeet and in Buzzard's Bay, but mainly from the first named. When, in turn, these became exterminated, toward the close of the last century, Boston dealers began to bring ship-loads of oysters from the shores of Buzzard's and Narragansett Bays, directly to the city in winter, and in the spring bedded at Wellfleet supplies for the ensuing summer a: id. autumn. This has been explained in the account of Cape Cod, preceding this. These cargoes were taken up in the early fall, and sent in sloops and schooners to Boston. There the schooners were dismantled and tied up, or else the cargoes were transferred to hulks (old mastless vessels) and covered with so thick a layer of seaweed that no frost could get at them. These hulks were towed up into the docks close to Faueuil ETall, the recollection of which is preserved in the name of Dock Square, and there the oysters were sold to retail dealers, peddlers, and other customers, either in the shell or opened. Another favorite place for the oyster- vessels to lie was about where the Boston and Maine railway station now stands, in Hayuiarket square. At that time a canal, well remembered by old citizens, ran through from the Charles River to the City Wharf, following what is now Blackstoue street. Another wharf lor oyster- boats occupied the present site of the New England Hotel. Prices then ranged higher than now in some respects and lower in others. A bushel in the shell (at wholesale), or a gallon opened, cost $2; this was 'in liquor,' the 'solid' gallon being a recent invention. In the restaurants they charged uinepence (12 cents) for a ; stew,' and fourpence (6* cents) for a 'dozen' of fourteen; or you could buy a better quality for 7 cents. "There was a queer custom in vogue in those days, half a century ago. Besides the hawking about the streets, which has survived, a few men used to 'bag' them. Taking a bag of the bivalves on their backs, they would go in the evening to a house where there was a lively family, or, perhaps, where a company of friends had assembled. A carpet would be spread in the middle of the parlor on which the damp bag would be set, when the peddler would open the top, shuck an oyster, and pass it upon the half-shell to his nearest customer ; then another for the next, and so on. Some lively scenes must have been enacted around that busy bagman, as his knife crunched rapidly through the brittle shells, and the succulent morsels disappeared down fair throats. "Meanwhile more and more oysters were being brought every winter from Long Island Sound, Newark Bay, New Jersey, and southern waters, mainly in Cape Cod vessels, as I have shown, but somewhat, also, in Boston's own craft, for in those days there were more mackerel- fishermen hailing from the city than there now are. "When oysters first began to be brought to Boston from Virginia, I could not ascertain with precision. The patriarch of the business, Mr. Atwood, of the firm of Atwood & Bacon, says that when he began dealing hi Water street in 1826, oysters were being brought regularly from Chesa- peake Bay in small quantities. Be thinks the first cargo arrived about 1824. Mr. J. Y. Baker assures me that in 1830, 20,000 bushels from all quarters sufficed for Boston. About 1840 Gould estimated that 100,000 bushels would cover the consumption of all Massachusetts. Business rapidly increased, however, as the subjoined figures of the importations of oysters in cargoes from 200 GEOGRAPHICAL HE VIEW OF THE FISHERIES. Virginia, by Atwood & Bacoii aloiie, will show. Besides these there were eight or ten other dealers in the city. Atwood & Bacon received Tear. Amount. Tear. Amount. 1846 Bushels. 39 575 1853 Bushels. 1850 . 90 354 1855 105 75 1851 90 587 1857 "These were by their own nine vessels alone; they had occasional cargoes otherwise. The largest lot (1853) cost them 41,853, which gives an idea of values. Freight in those days was 17 cents. "At present very few oysters, indeed, are bedded in the vicinity of Boston, while of propaga- tion there is none whatever. The grounds in the harbor were never very excellent, and became less so as the city increased in size. The encroachments of the building and filling in along the water-front overran the old limits of the bedding-grounds, and even the ancient natural beds. Where the Boston and Maine railway's car-house stands, a leading dealer not many years ago laid down 42,000 bushels iu a single season. It was known as White Island at that time. The South Boston flats are being graded up into streets, and the Charles, Mystic, and Maiden rivers, Bird Island, and other places were long ago abandoned, because the wharves or the sewerage of the city has destroyed their usefulness to the oysterman. Instead of bedding in his own harbor, therefore, the Boston dealer, as a rule, now rents ground iu Buzzard's or Narragansett Bay, and lays down there (the principal grounds being about the mouth of Providence River) the Virginia oysters he proposes to use for his summer and autumn trade, or else he has abandoned the practice altogether. The process of bedding will be dwelt upon in the chapter upon the Rhode Island fisheries. "The coming on of the war of secession found the Boston oyster trade in its most flourishing condition. More cargo-oysters were brought then than ever since; prices were high and profits large. The shipping interests fostered by it were large, too, for the competition of railways and steamers had hardly made itself felt. Most of the large dealers ran lines of vessels of their own, as well as chartering additional assistance in the spring. In the demand for fast sailers which the oyster business created, is found the origin of that celebrated model of sailing vessel that made America famous on the seas the clipper ship. The first of these were made by Samuel Hall, a noted ship- builder, at his yard iu East Boston, and were named Despatch, Moutezuma, Telegraph, and Express. They were from 90 to 126 tons, old measurement, and carried an average cargo of 2,500 bushels of oysters. Six months in the year these clippers were devoted to bringing oysters from Virginia. There were 35 or 40 of these "sail" running, and iu the summer they would go fishing. The freight tariff on oysters was then 20 cents, and during the war it went as high as 25 cents a bushel. " The war interfered sadly with the business of oystering. Often the military operations did not admit of the cultivating and raking of the beds in Virginia and Maryland, or of the schooners from northern ports going where they wished to buy. A period of higher costs and shortened sales was in store for the dealers, and they have not yet quite recovered the prosperity of 18CO. The greatest period of depression was 1874-'75, when the business was almost a failure. I think none of the dealers ' suspended, 1 however. " In the course of this business, as long ago as the traditions of the trade go back, a few bushels were now and then laid down in various parts of the harbor to keep them from spoiling. But this MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTEICT. 201 was not at first a regular and systematic thing. The bedding-grounds were usually iiithe Charles, Mystic, Maiden, and Pines Eivers, often above the bridges, or on the Wiutbrop shore. Later all the dealers bedded on the South Boston flats, which are now being wholly filled up by the New York and New England Eailway. There was a large, oval, bare space here, occupied by all the dealers in the city, who had it regularly divided. Mr. J. IT. Wiley's father's portion was at the extreme end, and was bounded by eel-grass. He experimented by putting oysters over, upon, and among the eel-grass, and found that they did far better than those ou the open flat, which had been occupied for a long time, aud ebbed dry. Mr. Wiley supposed that the reason was, that it was new ground, from which fresh and plenteous nourishment was to be derived. The grass af- forded so much protection, also, that many oysters used to survive the winter. "At present (1S79-'SO) the only vessels, so far as I could learu, registered in Boston and en- gaged in the oyster-carrying trade, are the following schooners, all the property of a single firm: Name. Tons. Xame. Tons. William H. West . 08 J M Ball 87 Eddy Pierce 96 74 Alice 89 66 Barty Pierce 95 | 100 " 2. PRESENT CONDITION OF THE OYS'J EB BUSINESS. Another great change from ancient methods of conducting the business h as been caused by the introduction of opened oysters from Norfolk. These are received twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays) by steamer direct from Norfolk, and on ot&er days, to a less extent, by steamer from Norfolk to New York, and thence by railway. In the neighborhood of 250,000 gallons were thus handled in Boston during the winter of 1S79-'80, for they come only between September and April. They are shipped in barrels and kegs. The effect of this innovation has been very marked upon the trade; whether for good or ill there are two opposite opinions, the general verdict being that this feature works against the best interests of the trade. In their favor, it is said, in general, that they can be sold cheaper than any other oysters, and hence are accessible to the poorer class of people ; that they are as good as the cargo- oysters, and that in the increased number sold is compensation for the diminished percentage of profit. I will quote some opinions expressed to me iu this direction: "The Boston Oyster Company considered the innovation of Norfolk opened oysters not unfa- vorable to business generally, although hurtful to the cargo-trade. Although higher profits were received five or six years ago, three times as many gallons are sold now as then, and hence dealers can afford to take less. Selling more cheaply a grade of goods equal to the old stock opened here, they give better satisfaction and sell more. There is less risk, also, than with cargoes, iu which they had relinquished large dealings. They washed all their oysters from Norfolk carefully, and had heard no complaint of ill-health resulting from eating them. "The Chesapeake Oyster Company deal almost wholly in opened oysters, and believe iu the Norfolk trade, for the same reason as given in the report of the ' Boston' company, and say that, with their refrigerator barrels, they have no trouble with warm-weather losses. One of the advan- tages of this new business is, that a man can begin ifc with small means, since the stock may be procured in quantities as small, or large, as desired. "E. E. Higgins thought the oysters opened in Norfolk as good by the time they got here as those of the same grade opened here out of cargoes. He used them largely, and had opened a- branch house in Norfolk in order to compete with Norfolk shippers on their own ground. By sending to his customers full packages, he avoided the complaints against the Virginia shippers, 202 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. that they sent 'scant' barrels, pretending to allow for a ' swell' of the contents, which does not occur. "This, I believe, completes the list of those who would not be glad to see the Norfolk opened oysters disappear from the market. Indeed, so strong is the prejudice, that an effort was made about two years ago to induce the legislature to forbid their importation into the State ; but this failed it being opposed not only by certain consumers and carriers, but by two or three of the wholesale dealers themselves. In opposition to them it is asserted that their quality is poor; that they are unhealthy; that the losses attending them are greater than with cargoes, and that they unduly cheapen all superior grades of stock. Two grades are brought to Boston, but for one of the 'selected' come ten barrels of the 'common,' the cheapest and poorest oysters brought to the Nor- folk market. The alleged iujuriousuess of them is said to arise from their too great age when they arrive. It is almost impossible, any way it is arranged, to get the stock fro7n Norfolk to Boston's customers in less than a week. If they are put upon the steamer in Norfolk immediately upon being opened, come speedily, and the weather remains cold, little fault will be found. It is rare, however, that this favorable conjunction of circumstances occurs, and a large percentage of almost every cargo is thrown away. One firm dumped overboard 300 gallons out of a single shipment recently. Under such circumstances the wholesaler will save all he can, including now ami then some he ought to throw away; and the same thing will occur in the shop of the retailer, so that frequently the consumer gets oysters not fit to eat. Rumors of sickness and death resulting are common enough, but I failed to trace any to a trustworthy origin in truth. They are often dirty, and are washed again and again, until the aroma and delectable flavor are all gone from their lacer- ated and rinsed remains. They are only fit to be cooked in a method calculated to disguise their insipidity, by the time Vermont, Maine, or Canada get them for dinner. "Nor does it appear that a large increase of sales has followed the introduction of this new stock. Trade has changed rather than amplified, while prices have been reduced in a marked manner throughout the whole list. If, now, the wholesale dealer clears 5 cents a gallon on Vir- ginia oysters, in shell or out, he thinks himself doing well. Most of the business is done on a much smaller margin. Considerable profit, however, is made on the ' superior grade' of Norfolk stock; but only a little of this is brought ou. Worse than this, however, for Boston merchants, i.s the fact that Norfolk cuts out much of their regular custom. A man anywhere can buy 5 or 10 gallons and have them sent to him just (or very nearly) as cheap as the wholesaler who gets his thousand gallons. The natural result is, that many retailers and large consumers, like the hotels, do send direct to Virginia. With the cargo method this is out of the question. All consumers near Boston or other importing cities must go there for supplies. Take it all in all, Boston thoroughly deplores the innovation, but comforts herself with the conviction that already she sees signs of general dissatisfaction, and looks forward to a speedy abandonment of the new for the old method. "A large variety of oysters are to be found on sale in Boston from widely diiferent points. Those from the shore of Connecticut used to be highly esteemed, but they have gone out of the Boston market. The 'Cape' and ' Providence' oysters are better of late, and the expense of bring- ing them ou is much less than from Connecticut. About five years ago the very choicest brand eaten came from Wareham, at the northern extremity of Buzzard's Bay. Now these are poor, and better ones come from Cotuit, on the 'heel' of Cape Cod, and the best of all (in my judgment) are from the Sandwich shore, particularly Monument River. The size, fine appearance, and saltness of the 'Cape' or 'native' oysters recommend them for 'bench' stock, to be eaten raw. Yon see MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 203 advertised also the Blue-point, Saddle-rock, Stamford, and Norwalk oysters, more familiar to New Yorkers; but they are kept fora special, small custom, as 'fancy.' "3. EXTENT OF THE OYSTER TRADE. It is uot easy to get at the exact number of persons in Boston who derive their daily support from the oyster business. The hired help of the wholesale dealers amounts to about 125 persons the year round, with the addition of about 250 more who are engaged with greater or less steadiness to 'shuck' during the colder half of the year. The majority of these persons are married ; and I believe that, including the dealers themselves, to multiply by four in each case would fairly estimate the number of souls represented that is, the mouths fed. There are, then, in this wholesale trade, deriving their whole support, about 500 persons; deriving one-half their support, about 1,000 persons. "It is asserted that there are about 1,000 retail shops, fish markets, hotels, and restaurants in the city where oysters form a regular part of the sales. I was unable to verify this, but am in- clined to believe it rather under than over the actual number. It would be a low estimate to say, that an average of one family of 5 persons in each case is supported by the molluscan share of the business, which would add 5,000 persons to the 750 in the wholesale department, and give a total of 5,750 persons in Boston estimated to derive their living chiefly out of the oyster and clam. Most of the wholesalers run restaurants and lunch-counters. The wages paid vary with the kind of em- ployment and the employer, all the way from $4 to $25 per week. The lowest rates are paid to the girls in the restaurant-kitchens, who get from $3 to $5 per week and their board, and to the waiters in the restaurants, who receive about $8 a week and board. The men who pack, attend to shipments and delivery of orders, who aid in bedding, and do the heavy work of the establishment, will average from 812 to $15 a week. The large addition employed between September and May are ' openers' or ' shuckers,' who are paid by the solid gallon, and work only when there are oysters to be opened. They are, as a rule, a rough, ignorant class of men. In summer they do ordinary laboring jobs, like working on the streets and carrying hods. Their pay has been a shilling (17 cents) a gallon for some years, but last season (1878-'"9) 18 and occasionally 20 cents was paid; and in consequence of a strike on their part it is expected that 20 cents will be the ruling price in 1879-'80. It is rare that they earn more than $10 a week, and often not half that. The largest day's work at opening oysters that I could learn of was performed several years ago by a man in Atwood & Bacon's employ, who opened 45 gallons between 7.30 a. m. and 10.30 p. in.; but this was 'liquor' measurement, and he got only 10 cents a gallon for it. Most of the openers are married and have large families. " Subsidiary to the oyster business in Boston is the disposal of the empty shells. These are used somewhat for filling in, particularly along the Atlantic avenue wharves, and ai-e largely con- sumed by the gaslight companies to be burned into lime for purifying their gas. In addition to this there are two pulverizing establishments in East Boston that take large quantities. The shells are gathered for them by carters and boys of every grade, at odd times, from the saloons, the pro- prietors of which are glad to get rid of them, and taken to the factories, a few barrels at a time. The factories pay 8 cents a barrel, and often men are thus able to profitably employ their leisure. The shells are put into a crusher and then through bolts, and are thus ground into small fragments, from which the dust is sifted. The machinery employed is precisely that nsed for crushing bones, &c. There is a strong prejudice against the presence of any oyster-shell in the manufactured fer- tilizer, strange to say, and the broken shell finds a market only as food for poultry in place of fine gravel. The price is one-quarter of a cent a pound, and a barrel will weigh about 275 pounds. About 500 barrels, valued at $375, are sold annually by these factories to the henneries near Boston, 204 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. and an occasional barrel of the finer grade is sold to the bird stores, to be used in 'sanding' the floors of cages." Statistical recapitulation of the oyster trade of Boston. Number of wholesale dealers and shippers 10 Number of vessels engaged Value of same $20,000 Number of men hired by dealers Annually 125 Semi-annually 250 Annual earnings of same $85,000 Semi-annual earnings of same 35,000 375 $120, 000 Number of sailors employed (three months) 40 Earnings of same $2,500 Number of restaurant servants 1,000 Annual earnings of same $500,000 Total number of families chiefly supported 1,500 Annual wholesales of I. Native oysters(C'ape Cod) bushels.. 15,400 Selling value of same $15,000 II. Chesapeake "plants" bushels.. *457, 500 Selling value of same..... $340,000 III. Fancy stock bushels.. 60,000 Selling value of same $100,000 IV. Baltimore and Norfolk "open stock" gallous.. 350,000 Selling value of same $250,000 Total wholesale value of oysters sold annually $705, 000 EXPORTS OF FISH PRODUCTS. In the earlier history of the fishing industry the foreign demand was looked upon as of great importance. That it shows a decrease may be accounted for from a number of causes, among which is the fact that a constantly growing domestic demand, with a light catch during the past few years, has much of the time left the market bare for export. The home market calls for an entirely different and more profitable method of curing, that requires less labor and expense than curing for a foreign trade. Dry fish, for home trade, have an addi- tional weight, being only lightly dried or pickle-cured, and bring as good prices as those that are hard-dried and carefully prepared for export. The lack of steam transportation between Boston and the West Indies has at times diverted tratle from this port to other markets, both domestic and foreign, where there are regular lines of steamers. For this reason a large part of our exports, being cleared from New York, does not appear on our home clearances. During the year 1879 there were about $75 ,000 worth of pickled fish and about $175,000 worth of dry fish exported from Boston via New York, and this amount added to the Boston clearances, $404,358, gives $654,358 as the aggregate value of Boston exports for that year. The value of fish exports direct from Boston was 8781,621 in 1S75, $788,106 in 1876, $619,325 in 1877, and $555,548 in 1878. During the five years from 1875 to 1879, inclusive, the total value of fish exported through the Boston custom-house was $3,149,050, of which $2,945,37!) worth was of domestic production and $203,671 worth the production of the British Provinces or other countries. The value of each year's exportation, and the countries to which fish have been exported, are shown in the following statements compiled at the Boston custom-house: * Of these, 140,000 gallons are sold annually under the name of Providence stock. MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 205 I'nliif of exports of domestic Jisli from Boston during each year from 1875 to 1879. A. DRIED OR SMOKED FISH. Countries. 1875. 187C. 1877. 1878. 1879. $50 25, 701 10,330 1,980 203, 048 83, 483 4,745 3,825 2,957 $802 62, 479 10,200 4,030 155, 959 52, 432 4,003 0,499 2,860 $900 59, 031 24, 849 5, 754 12S, 140 23,072 8,069 0,494 3.533 C54 38. 355 1,006 023 1,113 7,044 2,928 1,730 147 743 267 189 7,103 $29, 333 1,418 2,512 254, 280 02, 231 1,558 C82 8,257 $15, 480 4,131 2,038 110,234 35, 821 S14 4,279 0, 57 B . . } ti n dj>- nsinAfii-v Hivti C' u l,i &c 5,868 120 SO, 421 75 12, 388 48 31. SOU Frcm'li Possessions in Africa . 0,309 3,009 508 ],824 350 09 1,110 2,470 0,272 7,085 96 104 6,159 United States of Colombia s 1,039 90 79 28, 620 Total 378, 727 430, 145 329, 070 323, 894 240, 092 B. PICKLED FISH. Countries. 1875. 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. $1 619 $3 047 808 $1 160 $5 999 7 833 8 198 17 GOO 14 491 5 493 British West Indies 3 424 10 636 12 440 10 879 5 791 1 653 408 86 o 556 918 Havti 119 166 104 014 88 079 53 894 51 164 7 643 080 5 97 9 894 4 783 British Guiana 1 019 4 155 8 091 5 505 4 540 21 38 141 142 1 213 "37 1 008 Brazil 30 Chili 30 22 485 11 395 10 095 7 437 497 343 1 618 4 112 2 150 8 065 715 8 635 4 196 2 782 1 50 4"6 563 2 108 4 '71 145 Porto Eico 4 150 472 2 917 1 837 409 Newfoundland anil Labrador .... 125 1 932 Belgium .. 60 Sweden anil Norway .. . ., 3 814 7 91 5 12 Liberia 788 715 209 340 French Guiana 098 2,519 British Honduras 40 Total 181 090 104 7SS 164 6"9 123 708 84, 301 206 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. Value of exports of domestic Jtek from Boston (hiring each year from 18~5 to 1679 Continued. C. OTHER CURKD FISH. Countries. 1875. 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. $126 5 QO $133 911 $73 07 86 105 718 1 003 113 1 543 240 2 07 Hayti . 181 315 o no British Guiana 355 651 GO 23 01 104 Cbili 200 330 Nova Scotia, &c .. . . 2 09 114 350 105 562 British Possessions in Australasia 7 099 6 441 11 573 13 591 11 700 San Domingo 227 268 Danish West Indies 174 436 36 15 48 Miquclcii, Lanslev, &c 95 172 161 Hawaiian Islands 54 o 180 Newfoundland and Labrador 20 Belgium 130 rniteil States of Colombia 195 80 British East Indies 453 Cuba 519 108 French Guiana Total 141 589 144 733 D. FRESH FISH. Countries. 1875. 1870. 1877. 1878. 1879. British Guiana $340 449 Value of exports of foreign fish from Boston during each year from 1875 to 1879. A. PICKLED HERRING. Countries. 1875. 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. Hayti $1 989 5 98 $18 British Possessions in Australasia 978 Sweden and Norway 4 954 $9 088 Total 8 949 5 104 9 088 48 B. PICKLED MACKEREL. Countries. 1875. 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. French West Indies $16'' British West Indies $3 700 $408 Hayti 815 Xova Scotia, &c 4 300 $75 434 $100 Porto Rico 700 Total 5 277 3 700 75 1 542 400 MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 207 Value of exports of foreign Jisli from Boston (hiring each year from 1875 to 1879 Continued. C. OTHER FISIJ, FREE OF DUTY, NOT ELSEWHERE SPECIFIED. Countries. 1875. 1870. 1877. 1878. 1879. E 1 d $44, 490 $29, 390 $12, 855 $4, 372 $4,840 F " 3,999 1,699 5,409 3,268 100 683 2,692 500 ' 18, 692 5,945 5,462 791 461 SO 3,554 1,537 II "111 610 - 76 500 Scotland 1,022 49,709 39, 726 24, 30fi 11,988 27, 307 D. OTHER FISH, SUBJECT TO DUTY, NOT ELSEWHERE SPECIFIED. Countries. 1675. 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. En"lind - - $11,124 $170 Tot'll : 16,282 170 1 IMPORTS OF PISH PRODUCTS. TLc importation of fishery products from the British Provinces is an important element in the fish business of Boston. From statistics compiled at the Boston custom-house we find that the total value of fish and fish oils received in Boston from Canada and Newfoundland during the 10 years from 1870 to 1879, inclusive, was $0,362,754, which includes pickled mackerel $4,239,992, herring $1,351,193, fresh fish $307,955, other fish $2,840,417, and fish oils $623,197. The following tabulated statements show these imports in detail for each of the above years: Value offish imported into Boston from Dominion of Canada anil Newfoundland during the years 1870 to 1677. DOMINION OF CANADA. Tear. Herring. Mackerel. Fresh fish. Other fish. Total. Value. Duty. Value. Duty. Value. Duty. Value. Duty. Value. Duty. 1870 $136, 304 10,701 $36, 5^7 50 3, 374 50 $154, 563 ( 43,957 $30, 175 74 8,263 00 $19, 130 None. Free.... ..do $256, 391 15, 386 $14, 840 41 2, 491 22 | $636,438 $125, 682 37 Prince Edward Island . . 147, 005 80, 434 58, 390 104. 834 130, 118 155, 501 114,484 77,854 39, 912 00 21,611 50 17, 845 50 2,621 00 198, 520 223, 889 248, 007 713, 110 4.V>, '.177 489, 680 297, 836 723, 527 38, 438 74 00, 248 50 80,023 00 30,101 00 19, 136 26, 145 41,544 27, 428 29, 332 28, 142 26, 005 19, 021 ..do ..do ..do .do ..do ..do ..do ..do 271,777 108, 402 248, 934 245, 706 415,821 246, 796 132, 258 214, 142 47, 331 63 20, 997 76 61, 218 18 8, 861 00 1871 438, 870 596, 935 1, 091. 084 1,031,248 920, 179 570, 583 1, 035, 144 108, 857 76 165, 086 68 41, 583 00 187"' 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 868, 680 81, 900 00 3, 350, 612 220,811 24 217, S53 1, 883, 836 138, 408 57 6, 320, 481 441,20981 208 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. of fish imported into Boston from Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland during t!ie years 1870 to 1877 Continued. NEWFOUNDLAND. Tear. Herring. Mackerel. Fresh fish. Other fish. Total. Value. Duty. Value. Duty. Value. Duty. Value. Duty. Value. Duty. 1870 $20, 865 19, 439 12, 178 18, 377 24, 749 44, 468 55, 392 57 753 $3, 781 5,150 4,093 5,922 270 $101 8,844 869 26 None. 14, 213 None. 8 $24 2, 335 258 9 $1, 230 None. 718 4,840 2,861 39, 681 7,874 Free ..do ..do ..do ..do ..do ..do ila $93, 228 50,656 CO, 528 fil, 750 90, 807 02,211 SO, 517 39, 208 $13, 004 04 8, 072 87 10, 080 81 11, 528 00 757 00 $115,424 78, 939 80, 293 81,993 118, 417 160, 573 83, 783 90, 969 $20, E09 04 16, 163 87 15, 033 81 17, 459 00 1, 027 00 1871 187 1873 1874 . .. 1875 187G 1877 Total 253, 221 21, 224 2-1,001 2,626 ! 57,204 484, 905 46, 642 72 819, 391 70, 492 72 Total raluc t>f fish imported inlo Boston from Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland from 1870 to 1877. Provinces. Herring. Mackerel. Fresh fish. Other fish. Total. Value. Duty. Value. Duty. Value. Duty. Value. . Duty. Value. Duty. Dominion of Canada $868,680 253, 221 $81, 990 21, 224 $3, 350, 612 24, 001 $220,811 24 $J17. 353 2, 626 00 57, 204 Freo ... ..do $1, 883, 836 484, 905 $138, 408 57 46, 642 72 $6, 320, 481 819. 391 $441, 209 81 70, 492 72 Total 1, 121,901 103,214 3. 374, 673 223, 437 24 274, 557 2, 368. 741 185, 051 29 7, 139, 872 511, 702 5.1 Quantity and ralueoffixh oils imported into Boston from Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland during the years 1870 to 1877 Tear. From Dominion of Canada. From Newfoundland. Gallons. Value. Duty. Gallons. Value. Duty. 1870 38, 766 44, 594 96, 229 08, 955 74,721 90, 840 69, 076 135, 101 $20, 700 20, 101 42, 126 34, 052 44,254 49, 332 37, 340 07, 141 $5, 169 70 4,291 00 8,460 15 312 00 54, 751 92, 961 81,705 47, 883 56, 366 13, 449 8,556 8,940 $30, 192 52, 036 38, 817 32, 335 37,660 10, 265 9,471 6,327 $8,713 15 13, 553 40 7, 763 40 6, 429 00 1, 787 00 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 212 00 1876 1877 024, 308 315, 0)6 18,464 85 301,011 217, 10:1 38, 245 95 Total quantity and value of fish oik imported into Boston from Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland from 1870 to 1877. Provinces. Gallons. Value. Duty. 624,308 $315,016 $18, 464 85 364,611 217,103 38, 245 95 Total 988 919 S3' 1 149 56 710 80 Total importations of fish and fish oils into Boston from Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland from 1870 to 1877. Products. Gallons. Value. Duty. Fish $7 139 87 00 $511 702 53 988 919 532 149 00 ' 56 710 80 988 919 7 07 01 00 508 413 33 MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 209 Quantity and value of fish imported into Boston from Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland during tin; years 1878 and 1>7'J. DOMINION OF CANADA. Tear. Herring. .Mackerel. Fresh flsh. Other fish. Total. 1878 Barrels. 28,667 30, 325 Value. $96, 826 94, 600 Barrels. 75, 628 77, 338 Value. $524, 637 339, 729 Founds. 507, 950 257, 640 Value. $17,718 11,165 Value. $167, 896 253, 618 Value. $807, 077 699, 312 1879 Total.... 58, 992 191,626 152,966 864, 366 765, 590 28,883 421, 514 1,506,389 NEWFOUNDLAND. 1878 6 657 $25 590 2 $6 $644, 000 $1, 146 $24, 500 $54, 242 1879 5 066 12, 076 195 947 90, 000 369 25, 662 39,054 Total.... 11, 723 37, 666 197 953 734, 000 4,515 50, 162 93, 296 Quantity and value of fish oils imported into Boston from Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland during the yearn 1878 and 1879. Tear. Dominion of Canada. Newfoundland. Total. 1878 Gallons. 66, 581 148, 511 Value. $23, 180 52, 623 Gallons. 2,500 35, 969 Value. $512 14, 733 Gallons. 69, 081 184, 480 Value. $23, 692 67, 356 1879 Total 215, 092 75, 803 38. 469 15,245 253, 5(il 91,048 ICE AND SALT USED IN THE FISHERIES. Ice is now considered as necessary as bait or other indispensable articles iu the outfit of the market fishing vessel. Large quantities of ice are also used by the receivers of fresh fish. It is delivered at the wharf to vessels or stores in large blocks. When wanted for packing fish, it is cut up and shoveled into a crusher, where it is broken into small pieces, and is then freely used iu packing fish in boxes for transportation to all parts of the country. Previous to 1845 it was seldom if ever taken to sea by the fishermen. Vessels iu that year began taking ice on halibut trips, returning with the fish on ice. Although fish thus pre- served were in good condition, they found a slow sale. Dealers said, "They have been on ice and that has spoiled them." Notwithstanding this prejudice, the use of ice became general, and, with the growth of the fish business, has shown a steady increase, so that vessels now use more or less at all seasons of the year. The amount taken on a trip depends on the state of the weather, the size of the vessel, and the probable length of the trip. In winter 1 or 2 tons, and in warm weather from 5 to 10 tons, are average quantities. The price is very changeable, an open or very cold winter -permitting the harvesting of a short or full supply. During 1879 the price from January 1 to May 1 was $3.50 a ton, and from May 1 to January 1, 1880, $3 a ton. The winter of 1S79-'80 being mild, but a very small crop of ice was secured in Massachusetts, and the supply came chiefly from Maine. The price advanced, April 1, 1880, from 83 to $4, and on May 1 was $5 a ton. The fresh-fish stores and vessels of Boston are supplied by the Union Ice Company, that employs thirty men and has a capital of $GO,000. 14 G R F 210 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. According to the statement of James Emery, jr., and Charles W. Hallstram, of the Union Ice Company, the following quantities of ice were used in the Boston fisheries in each month of 1879: Month. Vessels. Stores. Total. Pounds. 4,000 8,000 86, 000 108, 000 857, 370 843, 400 1, 293, 434 1, 488, 700 1, 555, 600 1, 229, 000 236, 000 128, 000 Pounds. 50, 000 Pounds. 54, 000 8,000 480, 000 480, 000 2, 232, 087 2, 293, 170 2, 851, 754 3, 126, 287 3, 545, 987 2, 762, 000 937, 000 683, 000 Talue. February 394, 000 372, 000 1, 374, 717 1, 449, 770 1, 558, 320 1, 637, 587 1, 990, 387 1, 533, 000 701, 000 555, 000 April Jnly September November December Total 7, 837, 504 11, 615, 781 19, 453, 285 $32, 410 Fishing vessels from many of the New England ports take more or less salt in bond from Boston. The Grand Bank cod-fishing vessels generally use Trapani salt ; for mackerel, salt from Cadiz and Liverpool is preferred ; while for herring Liverpool salt is mostly used. It is sold by the hogshead, holding 8 bushels, or 560 pounds, of salt. During 1879 prices rated very low ; Cadiz salt sold at $1.25, Trapani at $1.35 to $1.40, and Liverpool 80 cents to $1.20 per hogshead. The present season of 1880 it has advanced considerably, and prices through the spring were as follows: Cadiz $1.50 to 1.G5, Trapaui $1.69 to $1.75, and Liverpool $1.20 per hogshead. Since the removal of a bounty on codfish in I860, Congress has permitted the fishermen to use what salt is necessary for the cure of their fish free of duty. They do not seem to appreciate or consider it much of a grant to them as long as they have to pay what they think are excessive weighing fees; or, as they say, " the duty is yet on, only in another form." In 1799 Congress passed a law charging 50 cents for weighing 100 bushels of 56 pounds each. In 1816 this fee was increased to 75 cents, the Gov- ernment weighing each bushel and paying for the labor. The tax or weighing fee was only on bonded salt. The fishermen receiving a bounty and paying a duty had no weighing fees to pay. This old law is said to have remained dormant for over fifty years, and was brought from its retreat by the officers of the Boston custom-house some years ago. The tax was collected at this port, and 110 other, for some time, until a protest was made which brought forth a general Treasury order to enforce it at all ports. As the law granting fishermen salt duty free provides for their payment of the actual weighing expenses, they seem to think the present tax of 7 cents a hoghshead unjust, excessive, and not the true intent of the law. For a vessel handling 500 hogsheads of salt this tax amounts to $37.50 as fees for a weigher who weighs only 10 or 20 hogsheads as an average, and all the labor -hire is paid by the vessel. Much complaint is heard at all ports in which the fish- eries are carried on. * The amount of salt withdrawn from the Boston custom-house in 1879 for use in the fisheries was 20,413,200 pounds, or 36,452 hogsheads, having a market value of $54,678. There are five firms in Boston, with a capital of $75,000 and employing fifty men, engaged in the importation of salt and supplying the fish trade as a part of their business. *Iu the spring of 1882 Congress modified the customs laws, so that this unjust tax is now removed. MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 211 The quantities of salt withdrawn in bond from the Boston custom-house, from 1872 to 1880, for use in the fisheries, and the invoice value of the same, or the cost at the foreign port of lading, were as follows: Tear. Pounds. Invoice value. 1872 1 59 600 $11 824 1873 12 583 1874 16 663 600 15 084 1875 13 547 300 12,248 1876 14 884 700 14, 415 1877 16 898 450 17, 179 1878 19 065 040 16 313 1879 20 413 200 19 406 Total 128,147,650 119, 052 INDUSTRIES RELATED TO THE FISHERIES. The manufacture of isinglass from fish sounds is an important branch of business in connection with the fishing industry. The sounds are received from the various fishing ports and also from foreign countries. They are soaked and ground up into pulp, and the mass is then rolled into long thin sheets of excellent isinglass or glue, that is used for refining beer and for various other purposes. There are several isinglass factories in Boston, and two or three iu other parts of the State, controlled by Boston capital. During the past few years more atteution has each year been given to the fertilizing qualities contained in the large amount of fish waste and scrap that was formerly constantly thrown away. Three of the fertilizer factories in and around Boston use fish products, and these factories make a specialty of this line, utilizing all the scrap and waste from the numerous boneless-fish factories, menhaden chum, and the large amount of refuse from the market fishermen, such as fish-heads and all kinds of unmarketable fish, for which the fishermen receive quite a sum. In fact, everything' connected with the fish that was formerly thrown away is now utilized at the fertilizer factories. The process of manufacture is simple, and varies but little in any of the factories. Fish scrap, bone phosphate, and sulphuric acid are the principal ingredients used by all the factories. The use of this fertilizing material has shown such favorable results that the demand is consequently on the increase. Dealers give the following as the distribution from the New England factories during 1879: New York, 40,000 tons; North Carolina, 20,000 tons; South Carolina, 0,000 tons; Virginia, 45,000 tons; Georgia, 45,000 tons; New England, 10,000 tons. Maryland and New Jersey take a less amount, and the newer States of the West as yet care for but little, if any, fertilizing compounds. A large amount is also exported to the West Indies. During 1879 the total amount of fertilizers manufactured in the three Boston factories was 14,000 tons, valued at from $25 to $35 per ton. The proportional part of the business belonging to the credit of the fishing industry is about $100,000 capital, ninety men, and $140,000 as the value of the product. Of the large number of barrels, drums, boxes, and smaller packages required in the fishing business, Maiue furnishes nearly all the barrels, one-fourth of the drums, and most of the large boxes used in packing fresh and dry fish. The boxes arrive in shocks, all ready to be put together as required. Kits, half and quarter barrels, for this market are mostly made at Townseud, Mass., where there are five factories and numerous small dealers. There is also one factory at each of the following towns iu New Hampshire: Hollis, Brookliue, Merrimack, and Milford. One-fourth of the products of the Massachusetts and New Hampshire factories are used by dealers in Boston, and the remainder in the Gloucester, New York, Philadelphia, and the Western Lake fisheries. The boneless-fish trade demand for boxes, holding from 5 to 40 pounds, is supplied from Middle- 212 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. borough and other small inland towns. Boston has five small shops that manufactured 18,000 drums and 10,000 barrels during 1879. These shops employed seventeen men, a capital of $10,000, and the value of the production was $23,000. The towns of Hollis, Brookliue, Merrimack, and Milford, N. H., produced 300,000 half and quarter barrels and kits; 75,000 of which were used in Boston. The capital invested at these places aggregates $50,000, and the value of the products is $75,000. The number of men employed is one hundred. At Townsend, Mass., five factories, with numerous small dealers, employed one hundred and fifty men, with an active capital and machinery valued at $100,000. They produced 400,000 packages, worth $100,000. One hundred thousand of these packages were kits, holding from 10 to 20 pounds each; of which Boston dealers used one-third; Gloucester, New York, and Phila- delphia one-third; the lake fisheries and cities of the West one-third. Messrs. B. & A. D. Fessenden, the largest manufacturers at Townseud, also have a factory at Sandusky, Ohio, where they made 100,000 quarter and half barrels during 1879, for the fish trade of the Great Lakes. The number of boneless-fish boxes made in Xew England towns during 1S79 was 400,000, valued at about $40,000. The capital employed in their manufacture was $20,000, and the number of men was twenty-five. The total amount of capital employed in New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the manu- facture of packages, chiefly for the Boston fish trade, is $180,000, and the number of men in the factories is two hundred and ninety-two. The number of packages produced in 1879 was about 1,128,000, valued at $238,000. There are four establishments in Boston and Cambridge engaged in the manufacture of oil clothing and hats, used in various branches of business. The proportional part for fishermen's use gives average steady employment to one hundred persons the entire year, over three hundred being engaged at times during the year. The goods manufactured are mostly sold along the Atlantic coast north of the Potomac, though a small portion of them goes to the lake or river fishermen of the Middle and Western States. The goods manufactured are of excellent quality and design, and number over a score of varieties of suits, with as many grades and styles of head gear. The capital in this branch of business is about $42,000, and the number of hands employed is one hundred. The value of the products used in the fisheries is about $109,000. The numerous ship-chandlery and hardware stores supply the fishing vessels to a limited extent with all that is required, but most of the outfit used on the fleet is furnished by the only exclusive fishing supply store of Messrs. Nickerson & Baxter. The sales of fish lines and hooks by this single firm during 1879 will give some idea of the extent of the fishing interest. Among their sales were the following items: 7,148 dozen tarred cotton fish lines, weighing 88,053 pounds, used for trawl and hand line fishing; 300 dozen imported hemp lines, of 4,500 pounds' weight, used in cod fishing; 908,767 pounds of white cotton hand lines, used for gauging; 25,000 gross of imported Scotch hooks ; 50,000 gross of American manufactured hooks, mostly used for ground fishing. A large trade was formerly done in mackerel hooks, but at present the catch being mostly by seines, only a limited amount are used, so that of hooks for this fishing only 40,000 attached to metal jigs were sold. The aggregate sales of lines and hooks by this one firm was 1,001,320 pounds of fish line and 7,840,000 fish-hooks. We have noticed only the two leading specialties of the many numerous articles found in a supply store, in order to show something of the amount of the fishing industry. If we add to the above the amount sold by the numerous small dealers and ship chandlers, the aggregate would be much more. There is invested in this MASSACHUSETTS: BOSTON DISTRICT. 213 business about $75,000 capital, aiul about twenty-five men are employed. The total value of sales of fishing supplies amounts to about $200,000. The manufacture of nets and seines is an important industry, entirely dependent ou the fisheries for its support. For many years Boston has done a large business in those articles, and at present has $300,000 invested in factories that give employment to seventy -one men and two hundred and four women. The value of nets and seines made by these factories in 1879 was $275,000. The first net factory in Boston was started in 1842, and until 1866 the work was done by hand. At the latter date machines were imported, and now most of the knitting is done by them. 68. MEDFORD, BRAINTREE, AND QUINCY. MEDFOED. Medford is a suburban town of Boston, on the Mystic River. Its history shows that it was once the seat of a quite profitable river fishery. Ten men now follow the business of taking alewives in the Mystic River at a point 6 miles from its outlet into Boston Harbor. The catch is small, because of the restrictions of the State law, which prohibits the use of seines or gill-nets. In 1879 the total catch was 600 barrels of alewives, worth about $1,200, sold to market fishermen of Boston for bait. BKAINTKEE AND QUINCY. The towns of Braiutree and Quincy, situated a few miles south of Boston, are not now concerned in the fisheries, though in past years they attained to consid- erable importance as fishing ports. An excellent review of the fishing interests of these old towns in past years is given in W. S. Pattce's History of Old Braintiee and Quiucy. From this work we learn that the town took action concerning its fisheries as early as 1755, and persons who engaged in the cod fishery were exempted from poll tax. In 1836 the business amounted to about $30,000, and employed ten vessels, that caught 6,200 quintals of cod, valued at about $18,000, and 1,750 barrels of mackerel, worth $12,242. About one hundred persons were employed in the industry. About the year 1840 two or three whaling vessels were owned here. 69. FISHING TOWNS FROM WEYMOUTH TO COHASSET. WEYMOUTH. The fishing industry of Weyuiouth is represented by one isinglass factory and one factory for making fertilizers. The former, in 1879, produced 70,000 pounds of isinglass, valued at $122,500. It employs forty men, and has a capital of $125,000. The latter factory employs a large number of men, and has a capital of some $300,000. About one fourth of the material used in making the fertilizers is fish products, received from various parts of the coast. Six thousand tons of fertilizers, worth $180,000, were made in 1879. In former years this town had an alewife fishery; and in 1639 the General Court granted liberty to the town "to build a weare where it may not preiudice any mans p'priety." HULL. Hull is a little village situated in Boston Bay, at the extreme northern end of Plymouth County; it is 8 miles by water from Boston, and is almost entirely surrounded by water, being connected with the mainland of Nantasket by a very narrow causeway. For nearly 250 years the fishing business has been followed here to a greater or less extent. At the present time the only fishery receiving any attention is the lobster catch. There are 33 men engaged in this business; they own 33 boats, and set 3,240 pots about the ledges of Hull and Boston Bay. These pots arc set in trawls, each containing 25 of them. A few men, usually not more than half a dozen, follow the business through the winter. April, May, September, and October are the best months in which to prosecute this fishery. During June, July, and August the catch is not only lighter but the quality of the lobsters caught is poorer, the fish at that season being, as the fishermen say, 214 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. soft lobsters. The State law, as to size, is said to be well observed; yet the catch yeaily shows a decrease in size and number. The practice of wedging the claws of the lobsters is not followed here. The larger portion of the catch is sent to the Boston market. Occasionally large lobsters are taken in Boston Harbor. One weighing 16, and another weighing 21 pounds, were noticed among the catch of last year. A few small vessels are engaged in the shore herring fishery in October. HINGHAM. Hingham, situated 12 miles southeast from Boston, was in past years known as a fishing port of considerable importance. To this place at one time belonged a large number of vessels engaged in the mackerel fishery. As railroads and other industries of recent date sprang up, the fishery interest decreased from year to year. The harbor has been allowed to become obstructed, and the wharves to decay ; and, by degrees, the port at last has ceased to be recog- nized as a fishing place of any importance. Three vessels received fishing licenses during 1879; two of them having been sold, one sail alone remains to represent the fishery industry of Hingham.* COHASSET. Cohasset, situated 20 miles southeast from Boston, with a fine harbor, at one time had a good fishing fleet, as is seen by the records of the custom-house. Formerly, numerous firms were engaged in the fisheries, but at the present time the port is noted more for its attrac- tions as a seaside resort than for anything else. The fishing industry is now represented by only two firms, both of which are engaged in the mackerel fishery. They have been in the business for over fifty years, and in 1879 fitted out only six vessels. A few dories and small boats fish near the shore for cod and lobsters. A number of vessels formerly went from this place annually to the Grand Banks for cod ; none have been since 1845, in which year three were sent. Ten men are engaged in gathering Irish moss. Five hundred barrels of it were produced in 1879. Twenty men are occupied in catching lobsters and shore fish. Marine products secured in 1879 were worth $34,339, and included 4,783 barrels of shore mackerel, 217 barrels of Bay of Saint Lawrence mackerel, 175,000 pounds of shore fish, 60,000 lobsters, and 500 barrels of Irish moss. The fishing fleet included eight vessels, aggregating 521.51 tons, ten dories, and ten lapstreak boats. The number of persons employed was one hundred and nineteen, more than half of whom were Portuguese. G. THE DISTRICT OF PLYMOUTH. 70. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE DISTRICT. PRESENT EXTENT OP THE FISHERIES. The fisheries in Plymouth district, which includes the towns of Scituate, Duxbnry, Kingston, and Plymouth, are not nearly as important at the present time as in past years, when a large fleet of cod and mackerel fishermen sailed from these ports. An annexed tabulated statement shows the extent of the cod fisheries from 1815 to 1879. We find that in 1853 there were eighty-nine vessels of 25,595.86 tons in this fishery, and that they brought home 50,313 quintals of cod and 22,223 gallons of oil. In 1879 the product of the fleet was 12,500 quintals of cod and 3,465 gallons of oil. The business of gathering Irish moss is largely carried on at Scituate. This business was begun here in 1853, and Scituate has now grown to be the headquarters in New England for that article. Shore fisheries for cod, mackerel, and other species are cairied on to a small extent. A "In the summer of 1881 the schooner Exehaujre, the last ot the once large Hingham mackerel fleet, was sold to Cape Cod. MASSACHUSETTS: PLYMOUTH DISTKICT. 215 considerable quantity of lobsters and clams are also taken along the shores and from the flats in the harbors. The total capital invested in the fisheries of the district is $133,096, and the value of the prod- ucts is $138,443. The number of persons employed is six hundred and eighty-six. STATISTICAL SUMMATION FOR 1879. The following statements give in detail the extent of the fishing interests of Plymouth district: Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 228 $93 700 414 7 396 Nnmhfvr of r.nrpra p(*^tT-q J fitters &-C >. 44 a 32 000 Total 666 Total 133 09& a Cash capital, $18,000; wharves, storehouses, and fixtures, $14,000. Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, exclu- sive of boats and nets. Valne of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In food-fish fishery : Active 25 1 129.67 $33, 750 $9,250 $33 450 $76 450 Xets. Gill-nets: g $96- Idle 1 64.58 600 600 Total 26 1, 184. 25 34, 350 9,250 33, 450 77, 050 In vessel fisheries .... 5 2,800 Boats. Total 13 2,89& 121 3, 100 3 100 Traps. 241 8 320 2 130 3 100 13 550 ijooster ana eei pots ..... Total 362 11 420 2 130 3 100 1C 650 Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value pre- pared. Grand total $138 443 Prethfish. Cod 945,000 14, 175 15 000 75 Cnsk 1 000 7 2 000 30 Haddock 273, 000 3,631 Hake 36 000 216 440 000 5 852 5 000 450 000 2 250 Total 2 167 000 26 256 Dry fish. Cod 4 326 095 ] 730 438 62 296 Cask 3 778 1 889 51 40 900 15 557 311 51 860 23 336 373 16 260 6 668 113 Total 4,438,893 1, 777, 8S8 63 144 216 GEOGEAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHEEIES. Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products Continued. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value pru- pared. Pickled fish. 7 000 4 000 $130 6 000 4 000 100 13 000 8 000 230 Shellfish. 721, 050 26 438 10 000 bushels 5 000 Total 721, 050 31.438 Miscellaneous. 2 585 350 315 405 000 14 175 300 tons 300 Total . 17, 375 THE COD FISHERY FROM 1815 TO 1879. The following tabulated statement, compiled from the custom-bouse records, shows the extent of the cod fisheries of Plymouth customs district for the years 1S15 to 1870: Year. No. of vessels. Bounty. Quintals of cod. Gallons of oil. Tear. No. of vessels. Bounty. Quintals of cod. Gallons of oil. 1815 39 56 67 71 85 60 53 61 65 62 61 48 59 61 68 71 75 U7 69 73 76 89 87 86 94 73 CO 52 7 87 77 64 57 $7, 854 48 12, 295 45 15, 014 76 15,991 36 20, 475 07 14, 894 91 12.403 15 14, 302 00 15,256 70 14,327 03 13,450 15 9,534 14 12,521 53 17, 929 20 15, 490 91 15, 105 86 17,352 00 15,371 18 17, 382 80 19, 165 73 20, 286 30 24, 386 50 23, 852 69 23, 067 49 27,027 96 19,262 76 15, 625 70 13,562 19 18, 415 15 23, 975 40 21, 774 85 18,123 03 14, 858 91 19, 560 28, 150 33, 580 35, 560 42, 530 30, UOO 26,500 30, 000 32, 500 31, 000 30, 000 24, 000 29, 907 48, 219 35, 270 33, 218 43, 705 37, 578 48, 199 54,555 56, 903 57, !<65 44, 776 51,776 62, 763 39, 601 34,753 32, 300 48, 200 54, 150 50, 142 40, 526 40, 669 1848 . . 69 63 65 71 67 89 69 73 62 67 64 64 63 61 58 58 62 54 52 $19, 123 31 17, 726 83 18,011 05 19,443 18 20, 261 86 25, 595 86 19, 325 50 19,778 84 16,012 3S 16, 917 50 16,287 04 16,377 36 16.072 43 15, 683 02 15, 340 43 15, 548 04 17, 074 55 10, 956 89 10, 836 99 50, 974 48, 683 51, 665 51, 970 49, 371 56, 313 41,424 36, 670 37, 968 37, 587 32,544 33, 353 36, 049 32, 379 34, 842 37, 964 41, 706 42, 590 39, 639 38, 100 37, 700 39, 700 35, 300 32, 000 25, 700 28, 900 9,512 11, 480 14, 342 13,310 12, 902 19, 862 19,742 23, 259 19, 742 21, 155 22, 223 13, 109 13, 736 15,216 16..735 18, 192 17, 896 17, 513 19, 642 19, 678 19, 342 22, 358 24, 593 25, 165 22, 300 18,490 18,553 18, 679 16, 789 14, 270 13, 608 3,307 2,898 4,441 3,813 3,591 3,465 1816 1849 1817 1850 1818 1851 1819 185 1 * Ig-IQ 1853 181 lS n 2 1855 18 3 1856 1S C1 4 1857 1825 . ... 1858 186 1859 IS'^7 1828 189 130 1863 1831 183 1833 - .... 1834 1835 1836 1S37 1 838 1839 1 840 1841 1842 1E43 1844 1845 1840 12, 500 1847 20, 495 * Not any bounty siuce 1866. MASSACHUSETTS: PLYMOUTH DISTRICT. 217 EXPORTS OF FISH FROM 1803 to 1879. TLe following tabulated statements compiled from the custom house records show the importance of the export trade iu dry and pickled fish from the customs district of Plymouth, for the years 1803 to 1878: A. Exports from 1803 to 1819. Qiiarter ending Value per quintal. Value per barrel. To British West Indies. To French West Indies. To Spanish En- ropean ports. To Portugal. To Spanish West Indies. To Madeira. To Azores. To French European ports. To Swedish West Indies. To Gibraltar. To Leghorn. June 30 1803 $4 00 4 00 $4 00 Qtls. 80 1, 164 Btli. 229 Qlls. 4,050 Bbls. 263 QOi. 5,515 Bbls. Qtli. 90 Qtls. Qtls. Qtls. Qtls. Qtls. Qtls. Qtlg. September 30, 1803 1,500 3,037 770 6 792 , December 31 1803 ... 4 25 4 00 4 33 4 25 4 00 4 00 4 25 4 00 4 25 6 00 4 00 4 00 4 25 3,170 2,785 8,658 1,459 8,439 1.525 7,050 89 121 March 31 1804 June 30 1804 4.607 3,581 5 242 183 78 SeptemberSO, 1804 640 December 31 1804 March 31 1805 4 25 4 00 4 00 382 5,700 5,382 2,379 8,494 7,145 6,538 3,095 5, 159 3,584 1 950 146 50 10 1 150 luce 30 1805 295 September 30 1805 400 1 020 December 31 1805 ''7 68 25 March 31 1806 4 00 1 553 4 00 4 50 4 25 4 50 6 00 7 00 14 00 849 2 2 4 4,370 1,310 15,840 5,000 1,460 2,682 3,420 1 800 20 25 30 821 March 31 1807 1,250 June 30 1807 4 25 September 30 1807 4 25 3 50 25 00 2,084 5,176 170 20 December 31 1807 622 March 31 1809 1 50 807 1 900 423 6,748 10,563 1 056 June 30 1809 2 50 1 950 September 30, 1809 December 31 1809 2 00 2 50 4 00 8,332 35 500 10 '90 220 700 400 1 0"0 March 31 1810 2 00 2,850 564 Juno 30 1810 2 00 3 00 3 50 4 00 4 00 5 00 5 00 15 00 3,560 3,207 3,495 7 2,905 September 30 1810 39 December 31,1810 March 31,1811 2,100 347 ],1W 2,240 3,550 30 June SO. 1811 1 070 3,510 September 30, 1811 3 00 2 070 December 31, 1811 1 3 00 1,070 1 176 1,236 March 31,1812 3 50 5 482 Juno 30. 1812 3 00 * 300 2 350 June 3D. 1815 4 00 620 1 350 September 30, 1R15 4 25 December 31, 1815 4 50 1 460 2,200 Juno 30, 18)6 4 00 1 961 September 30, 181G 3 50 2 913 December 31 1816 3 00 4 fill 1 950 March 31.1817 2 50 2,990 4 278 JUDO 30, 1817 3 00 September 30, 1817 3 00 i 95.-: December 31,1817 March 31.1818 4 00 3 00 1 675 4,500 10 080 June 30. 1818 4 00 580 September 30, 1818 December 31, 1818 3 50 3 50 2,862 1 200 90 2, 112 Maii'h .VS.1810 3 50 1, 100 June 3i), 1819 4 00 2,200 2,000 2,200 September 30. 1819 4 00 December 31, 1819 4 00 1,238 218 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. B. Exports from 1820 to 1878. Quarter ending Value per quintal. Value per barrel. To French West Indies. To Spanish West Indies. To Gibraltar. To Hayti. To Danish West Indies. To Nova Scotia. $4 00 4 00 3 00 3 00 2 50 3 00 3 CO 3 00 3 00 3 50 3 00 2 75 3 00 3 00 2 50 3 00 3 25 3 25 2 50 2 75 2 50 2 50 2 75 2 50 2 50 2 50 3 00 4 00 3 00 3 00 3 58 3 25 2 75 3 00 2 75 2 75 2 50 2 50 2 25 2 50 2 75 2 75 3 50 3 25 3 25 3 00 3 00 3 00 2 75 3 00 3 00 3 25 3 00 2 50 2 75 2 50 o 05 $5 00 Quintals. 2,500 1,880 1,405 740 2,240 1,091 1,063 1,607 930 1,030 1,754 2,548 1,888 684 258 2,157 2,397 1,492 2,330 2,742 767 2,937 1,678 1,278 2,019 1,205 2,708 1,362 845 1,835 2,684 2,36* 2,818 5,181 1,611 4,873 3,860 3,843 2,093 3,136 2,553 2,292 2,495 4,542 1,863 847 712 252 744 700 514 850 86H 761 471 1,514 789 624 Barrels. Quintals. 100 Barrels. 191 Quintals. 1,308 Quintals. Quintals. Quintals. 5 00 3 50 4 00 3 00 3 50 335 222 50 115 164 4 00 4 00 4 50 4 00 4 00 4 00 4 00 4 25 3 75 4 50 4 00 3 50 3 00 3 00 2 50 2 50 2 75 4 50 4 00 3 50 4 25 4 75 5 25 3 50 4 00 4 5(1 4 25 3 50 3 50 3 50 3 25 3 00 3 25 3 75 3 50 3 50 3 00 2 75 3 50 3 00 4 50 7 00 4 50 GO 100 60 288 127 116 215 215 180 155 200 52 248 138 50 50 121 55 50 80 128 228 198 205 427 102 260 258 302 110 204 234 234 304 442 259 278 185 75 163 50 20 125 260 March 11 188 June 30 188 March 31 189 June 30 1829 March 31 1830 2,550 December 31 1830 March 31 1831 June 30 1831 September 30 1831 December 31 1831 December 31 1832 March 31 1833 September 30 1833 March 31 1835 June 30 1835 September 30 1835 December 31 1839 June 30 1840 3 00 85 Juno 30 1841 March 31 184 June 30 1842 December 31 184 2 5 50 2,978 June 30 187C 5 00 4 00 2 50 1,626 1,500 June 30 1877 December 31 1878* 258 "None exported in 1870. MASSACHUSETTS: PLYMOUTH DISTRICT. 219 71. THE FISHERIES OF SCITUATE AND DUXBURY. SCITITATE. Scituate, a small village, situated 26 miles southeast from Boston, at one time had a fishing fleet, of which nothing now remains larger than the small sail-boats used in gather- ing moss, taking lobsters, and shore-fishing. Mr. H. G. Reed, an old citizen, reports that prior to 1840 some forty sail were engaged in the mackerel fishery, but that fishery has gradually dwindled to nothing. A number of reasons are given for the entire abandonment of this industry, the principal one being an open and shallow harbor, where there is but 9 feet of water at high tide. The Government has in contemplation the building of a breakwater and the dredging of the harbor, which it much needs, in order that it may be of some use as a harbor of refuge or for commercial purposes. This the inhabitants most earnestly hope will be done. At present the small amount of fishing is done by 23 men, having 20 small sail-boats engaged in near-shore fishing. Eighteen men, with 1,200 lobster-pots and 18 dories, are engaged in taking lobsters. The fish and lobsters taken are used for home consumption, and for supplying the surrounding towns. Clams were plentiful several years since, but are now about exhausted by fishermen from the islands in the vicinity. Lobsters at one time were large and plenty, but from over-fishing they have decreased in quantity and size. Irish moss (Chondrus erispw) is now the leading marine production. This is found in greater or less abundance all along the Massachusetts coast, but more abundantly about the rocks of Scituate. Prior to 1835 the small amount of that article used in this country was imported from Europe, selling from $1 to $2 a pound. In that year the late Dr. J. V. C. Smith, post physician from 1S2G to 1849, and late major of Boston, being stationed at Rainsford Island, a few miles away, made it generally known that the moss which was so plenty was the same article that was being imported and sold at such a high price. From that time we date the commencement of this industry. Mr. Augustus Cole, of Scituate, was the first person to pay much attention to it at this place. Start- ing in 1S,~>3, he and his son, Charles A. Cole, have followed the business to the present time, having seen its steady growth from its infancy. We arc indebted to the latter gentleman for much valua- ble information. With the increa-se of the business has followed a steady decrease in price, which in 1835 was $1 a pound. In 1853 it was only 25 cents, and gradually fell to 10 cents, at which price it remained for a number of years ; the past ten years, ending with 1879, 3 to 3 cents a pound has been paid for the crop. The average annual yield is 5,000 barrels of 90 pounds each. The past season 4,500 barrels, or 405,000 pounds, has been gathered and disposed of. The crop is always considered a sure one, and is never overworked or exhausted, since a clean glean of one year is followed the next year with the usual bountiful supply. The season of gathering begins from the 1st to the 10th of June, and lasts until about the 1st of September. During this time 120 men, with women and children, aggregating 300 hundred persons, are employed in gathering it. A barrel a day is considered an average day's work for a man. The moss is gathered from the rocks, to which it grows to the tide level, at low water, by hand. As the tide rises, all hands take to the fleet, consisting of one hundred dories and fifty small sail- boats, using hands and a small rake, 7 inches wide, with 14 steel teeth 4.J inches long. The handle of this rake is 3 feet long. As the tide rises higher, a larger rake, 12 to 13 inches wide, with 20 to 22 steel teeth G inches long, and a handle 16 to 20 feet long, is used. These rakes are made only at this place, and cost $1 each. They last for about one season. With these few mid crude tools the moss is torn from the rocks, thrown into the boats, and taken to the beach, where, a gravelly bed having been prepared, it is spread to the depth of 2 inches. At this time it is of a dark green color. If the weather is fair, the moss remains on the beach 2-1 hours ; after which it 220 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. is raked up, and taken up the beach to be washed iu tubs, when its color changes from dark green to red. It is once more spread out for 24 hours. The washing, spreading, and drying operations are, repeated 7 times, and each time the moss loses more or less of its color, until at last it is bleached to nearly a white or straw color. Fresh water injures it, and plenty of sunshine and fair weather is necessary for a proper cure. Should the weather indicate rain, the moss is hastily raked into heaps and covered until fair weather. After curing, it is sold to dealers, packed in barrels, and shipped to the leading markets of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, a small amount being sent to Chicago and Saint Louis. The beaches, from which the moss is mostly gath- ered, are named First, Second, and Third Cliff, Jericho light-house, and Sand Hill. Irish moss is used for numerous purposes ; the first quality being taken by grocers and druggists for food pur- poses. It is also largely used for sizing. The second and inferior quality meets with a ready sale to brewers as a clarifying substance. The fisheries of Scituate iu 1879 employed 8 vessels, aggregating 70.02 tons, 170 sail boats and .dories, and 1,200 lobster-traps. The total capital invested iu vessels, boats, shore property and apparatus, was 821,520. The value of the marine products was 39,575, and included 1,310,000 pounds of cod, 120,000 lobsters, and 4,500 barrels of Irish moss. The number of persons employed on the vessels was 39, and on shore or in boat fisheries, 333; making a total of 372, of which number 335 were Irish, and the rest Americans. DUXBURY. The fisheries of Duxbury have decreased year by year since 1835. During 1S79 four sail, aggregating 157.27 tons, engaged iu the near home cod and mackerel fisheries. In May of the previous year a pond, by the order of the town, was stocked with herring. The result will be known about May, 1881. Clams have always been plenty here. Formerly quite a large amount was sent from here to Boston. During 1879 thirty men followed the business for the greater part of the year, the yield being 5,000 bushels. These were sold in the neighboring towns. The shell-fish industry, according to Mr. Goodspeed, is quite au item. Its average annual return is about $5,000. The earnings of the hands have been decreasing for five or six years, whereby the men became disheartened. A fleet of ten vessels was engaged in this industry in 18GO, and, adds Mr. Goodspeed, " the prospect is that there will only be two next season" (1880). He thinks that the trawls set for ground fish, and the seines aiid nets for mackerel, are destroying the fisheries rapidly. He also states that the fishermen about Massachusetts Bay regard the reciprocity treaty as a very heavy burden. From the same source, we learu that the lobster fishery of 1879 was pursued by six men in open boats; each of which, on an average, stocked 8300. The business is said to have declined one-half in the last five years. A fertilizer factory was started in Duxbury iu the fall of 1879 under the name of the Standard Fertilizer Company. The same company has had a factory at Bristol, Maine, since 1874. The Duxbury factory is run. by a ninety horse-power engine and employs sixty men. The fertilizing compound is manufactured largely from fish products. During the fall of 1879 and the winter of 1879-'SO, 1,000 tons of fish waste, the refuse skins and bones of the " boneless fish " factories, with 400 tons of menhaden churn were used. Any and all kinds of refuse fish and old bones are in demand here. Sharks, skates, and all the various fish heretofore considered worse than useless now find a ready sale, and are quietly turned to good account. The proportional parts of the compost are about one-third each of fish-w.tste, phosphate, and sulphuric acid. The fish-waste is one-third menhaden chum and two-thirds fish scraps. The pro- cess of manufacture is as follows : The chum aud scraps are placed in a large mixing box hold- ing 1,500 pounds, and a revolving shaft, to which numerous spokes or paddles are attached, MASSACHUSETTS: PLYMOUTH DISTRICT. 221 keeps tl)3 mixture in motion; at the same time from 25 to 30 per cent, of sulplmric acid is added by means of a feed-pipe from a tank near by. After a thorough mixture the phosphate is added, when it is once more thoroughly mixed and then taken to the drying-room, where it remains three weeks. It is then placed in a steam dryer, and after a thorough drying the entire mixture is pul- verized in the Holmes & Blanchard disintegrator. It is then packed in strong burlaps or sacks of 200 pounds each, or in barrels of 250 pounds. The demand is mainly from New England and the Southern States, the supply for the former being put up in barrels and for the latter in sacks. As the valuable qualities of these fertilizers are becoming more generally known the demand is con- stantly growing. During the short time this factory has been in operation it has produced 5,000 tons of various fertilizers sold under the trade names of the Standard Fertilizer, Superphosphate, and Food for Plants. Exclusive of the fertilizer factory the amount of capital invested in the fisheries of this place in 1879 was $27,580. The number of persons employed was eighty-two. The products of the fisheries were valued at about $16,000, and included 440,000 pounds of fresh mackerel, 2.80,000 pounds of cod, 5,000 bushels of clams, and 4,800 pounds of lobsters. 72. PLYMOUTH AND ITS FISHERIES. PAST AND PRESENT IMPORTANCE OF THE FISHERIES. This old historic town, with all its other honors, may well claim to have been the birthplace of the fishing industry of New England. From the lauding of the Puritans, December 22, 1020, to the present time, for two hundred and sixty years, the business has been carried on to a greater or less extent. From the records of the Massa- chusetts Historical Society we find petitions to the General Court in 1671 for a fishing privilege to the Plymouth Colony. There is no record of the number of licenses granted to vessels until 1793, in which year 97 vessels, mostly from 30 to GO tons, a few 80 to 100 tons, and one each 111 and 114 tons, were granted licenses for cod fishing. The first record of a bounty being paid on fish is in 1S03, -when 84 vessels reported a catch of 42,000 quintals, receiving $19,987.62 bounty ; in 1804, 74 vessels, 37,000 quintals cod, bounty paid $18,063.62; from that date until 1815 the reccrd is lost. From 1815 until 1867, during which time the bounty was paid, the yearly catch, number of vessels, and amount of bounty paid will be found in the review of this district. Separate licenses were granted for mackerel and cod until 1867, since which time it has been under one general fishing license, without any bounty. A large export trade was carried on for years ; we find in 1805 for the three months ending December 31, 36,167 quintals of cod were exported ; in 1804, same time, 23,645 quintals of cod, mostly sent to the Spanish ports on the Mediterranean. The yearly exports and value from 1803 to 1879 are given in the review of the district. The town of Plymouth has probably more fresh-water ponds and small lakes than any other town in the State. They are said to number 365, and nearly all of them are well stocked with fresh-water fish, such as bass, red and white perch, pickerel, eels, &c. The largest of these ponds are named Herring Pond, Long Pond, Halfway Pond, White Island, Great South, Boot, and Bil- liugtou Sea. They are from 1 to 3 miles long and one-half to three-quarters of a mile wide, some of them very deep, Long Pond having been sounded 120 feet. Not any fish are taken from these ponds for commercial purposes, except through the ice during the winter. The last mentioned, Billingtou Sea, is one and a quarter miles long and one-half to three-quarters of a mile wide. It is recorded that one of the Puritans, discovering it, and thinking he had found a sea, gave it the present name. The outlet from this lake forms a small stream called the Town Brook, which is about one mile long from the lake to its mouth in the center of the village, where it empties into the ocean. Alewives, eels, and other salt-water fish formerly went up this small stream into the 222 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. lake in immense numbers, until the erection of numerous factories has completely barred their progress with dams, as well as poisoned the water somewhat by the free use of large quantities of vitriol. The fishing privilege of this brook is yearly leased by the authorities for a nominal sum, the lessee being obliged to place 10,000 alewives in the headwaters each spring, usually about May 1. The brook has no fish ways, and the fish are carried in tanks past the dams. The lessee has the sole right to take fish from the brook, though the privilege is not worth much, only about 100 barrels of alewives being the annual catch. Eels were formerly so plenty as to do much damage to the dams, which had to be sheathed with tin, in many cases. The small, iron turbine water- wheels have often been choked and stopped by eels, and large quantities were caught in traps, until the passage of a law in 1877 preventing their catch, except by spearing, or in pots made of withes. But little can be said of the fishing industry at the present time. In company with most of the old fishing towns of Massachusetts, with the advent of railroads came numerous new indus- tries, the cordage, shoe, tliread, nail, print, and other factories, drawing yearly from those engaged in the fisheries, so that the number of fishing vessels shows a yearly decrease, until agaiust seventy vessels from this town in 1839, we find but thirteen iu 1879. Lobsters are taken iu considerable numbers, but the catch of late years shows a decrease in numbers and size. They arc taken near shore, not over 1J miles out, from Cut River on the north to Sandwich on the south. One-half of the catch is marketed at home, supplying the near towns, and one-half sold to smacks from Boston, New York, and New Haven. Not much attention is paid to the law as to size. About all the lobsters found in the traps are saved, those under size being sold to the smacks from out of the State, and only those of the legal length are landed or sent to Boston. Clams were the chief support of the Puritans during their first winter here, and probably pre- vented the starving of the infant colony. The daily prayer of the devout Brewster was that they might "suck of the abundance of the seas, and of the treasures hid iu the sands." The supply con- tinues good, and clam-digging gives employment at the present time to thirty men during half of the year. Boneless fi.-h is cut to a small extent, 250,000 pounds the past year. A small amount of fi^li is exported via Boston and New York, but not any direct from here siuce 1878. A small amount of cooperage, half and quarter barrels and kits, to the amount of $15,000 worth was manufactured during 1879; one-fourth of this cooperage went to New York and Philadelphia, the rest to Boston and near home towns. It is an interesting historic fact that to the fisheries of the old Plymouth colony we owe the birrh of the free-school system of Massachusetts, the Colony Court in 16G3 making the following proposition: "It is proposed by the court unto the several townships in this jurisdiction, as a thing that they ought to take into serious consideration, that some course may be taken in every town, that there may be a schoolmaster set up to train children to reading and writing." In 1670 " the court did freely give and grant all such profits as might or should accrue annually to the colony, for fishing with nets or seines, at Cape Cod, for mackerel, bass, or herring, to be improved for and towards a free school, in some town of this jurisdiction, for the training up of youth iu literature for the good and benefit of posterity, provided a beginning be made within one year after said grant." MASSACHUSETTS: PLYMOUTH DISTRICT. 223 The school was at once established at Plymouth, ami until 1C77 was supported from the pro- ceeds of the Cape fishery. From 1077 until the union of Massachusetts with Plymouth Colony, in 1G92, the proceeds of the fishery revenue were divided among several towns, to be used for the same object ; since 1692 the fisheries have been free.* In 1879 the fisheries of Plymouth employed one hundred and eighty-two men, and a capital of about $62,000. The value of the various fishery products was about $53,000. These products included 9,128 quintals of dry cod, 357,500 lobsters, 5,000 bushels of clams, and 4,564 gallons of fish oil. The fishing fleet consisted of ten vessels, aggregating 649.57 tons, one idle vessel, 54.58 tons, and fifty-five boats in the shore fisheries. H. THE. DISTRICT OF BARNSTABLE. 73. EEVIEW OP THE FISHERIES OF CAPE COD. CAPE COD AND ITS FISHERIES. The county of Barnstable, which comprises the customs dis- trict of the same name, includes all of Cape Cod from Sandwich to Provincetown and Wood's Holl. This cape has a coast line nearly 150 miles in extent, with few good harbors, and most of these are difficult to enter. The harbor at Provincetown, however, is an excellent one, easy of entrance, and well sheltered, and is much frequented by coasting and fishing vessels. Most cf the towns on Cape Cod are more or less interested in the boat fisheries, though the vessel fisheries are confined to the leading ports, of which Provincetowu is the most important. The entire fleet of vessels numbers 196 sail, of 12,489.19 tons. Of this number 171 vessels, of 10,355.68 tons, are employed in the capture of cod, mackerel, or other food-fish ; 2 vessels, of 123.69 tons, are engaged throughout the season in the oyster-carrying trade; and 20 vessels, of 1,938.92 tons, follow the whale fishery. The fleet of whalers is owned at Proviucetown. These vessels are of the smaller class, and cruise exclusively in the Atlantic Ocean. The number owned here during the past 40 years, has ranged from 10 to 53 sail ; the latter number was in 1868; in 1850 the fleet was reduced to 10 sail. The shore fisheries of Cape Cod employ 1,100 boats, 2,262 gill-nets, 32 haul-seines, 44 weirs or pounds, and 3,000 lobster and eel traps. The catch of the shore fishermen includes a great variety of edible fish, besides numerous species used only for manure. Lobster-catching is carried on to some extent, but is not as profitable as in districts farther north. Clams were formerly taken in much larger quantities than at present. The oyster business was once an important element in the fisheries of Cape Cod, but is now comparatively unimportant, except as regards the carrying-trade, which gives employment to mackerel vessels during the winter season. In the winter of 1879-'80 the number of Cape Cod schooners in this business was forty-six, owned at Wellfleet and Province- town. Ingersoll reports the following facts concerning this fleet : " This list of forty-six schooners comprises, I think, the whole of the Cape oyster fleet ; and there are few vessels engaged outside of these ports. They were noted in the old days, as now, for their "The custom-house records for the past one hundred years and over are in a fine state of preservation, and quite complete; are mostly large calf-bound books, such as we do not often see of that early date. For much information from them aud otherwise we are indebted to Samuel H. Doten, collector; Charles O. Churchill, deputy collector; George Harlow, and J. E. Atwood, fish merchants. 224 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. swiftness in speed and firmness of structure, and were the origin and prototypes of the famous Boston clipper ships. The original cost of these fine vessels was, on the average, about $7,000; now they are not worth over $4,000 each. In summer they go on mackerel-fishing voyages, which occupy a little more than half of the year. In the winter and spring they carry oysters, varying it with frequent coasting trips. Four voyages after oysters annually would probably be a fail- average, and not more than a third of the vessels' yearly receipts, as a rule, will be derived from this source. They are commanded by captains of experience, and go back and forth quickly, safely, and profitably. Capt. Jesse Freeman, now one of the leading fish merchants of the village, told me that he had sailed between the Chesapeake and northern ports 316 times before he was forty years old, that is, 158 voyages. His opinion was that no cargo wore upon a vessel less (others say the opposite), and it was usually of much profit to the owners. In the spring, oysters for bedding are brought cheaper than those designed for market in winter. The crew of an oyster vessel usually consists of two (often three) men before the mast, with a cook, mate, and captain. One- third (as a rule), sometimes one-half, of the freight-money goes to the owners, and the remainder to pay the men and furnish food. The wages of a mate in 1879 were $30 a mouth ; of a cook, $25 ; and of a seaman, $15 to $16. Food for a voyage costs from $40 to $50. In addition to his share, the owners give the captain $15 a month." The total capital invested iu this district in all branches of the fishing industry is $1,355,278, aud the value of the product is $1,051,619. The number of persons employed is 4,004. STATISTICAL SUMMATION FOB 1879. The following statements give in detail the extent of the fishing interests of Barnstable district: Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 2,297 $960 550 1,507 140 88 fi 184 a253 900 cur rs, pac s, 11 , Number of factory hands 16 Total Total 4,004 aCash capital, $100,000; wharves, shorehouses, and fixtures, $108,000; factory buildings and apparatus, $45,900. Detailed statement of capital invested in , boats, nets, and traps. Teasels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, exclu- sive of boats and nets. Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. In food-fish fishery: Active 171 10 355. 68 $434 550 $:o, 985 $239, 150 $694, 685 Nets. Gill-nets: 484 $5 98 Idle 3 70.90 2 400 2,400 2 262 26 930 2 123. 69 6 000 200 6,200 20 1 938. 92 68 800 66, 350 135,150 82 44 90 Total 196 12,489.19 511,750 20, 985 305, 700 838, 435 Haul-seines : 2 869 84, 178 T vptspl fi 1 eripq 778 33, 155 In shore fisheries 1,100 69, 650 6,300 13, 010 88, 900 Traps. 10 805 6 300 13 010 122, 115 Weirs, &c 44 53,650 Lobster and eel pots 3,000 3,000 Total 3,044 56, 650 * Includes gear. MASSACHUSETTS: BARNSTABLE DISTRICT. Detailed statement of the quantities and value of the products. 225 Products specified. Pounds, fresh . Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value, prepared. Grand total $1,051,619 Fresh fuh. 807 495 12, 300 738 124, 940 12 494 liluefisb 3, 264, 014 97 91 cod ; 3, 225, 10* 48 376 4,000 20 disk 3,500 25 Eels 95, 993 4 800 116, 169 1 743 Haddock 738, 000 9,815 Hake 52, 869 317 Halibut 10, 000 350 541, 839 2 709 1, 851, 225 24 621 60 9 275, 089 918 Perch 17, 498 525 Pollock 16, 000 64 20 3 Soup 625, 230 18, 757 Shad 58, 857 2,943 32, 175 1,126 2,000 60 21,750 653 Tautog 74,849 2,620 Mixed flsh 500, 000 2,500 Total 12, 560, 976 238, 627 Dry fish. Cod 24, 029, 940 9 Oil 979 346 031 Cusk 23, 376 11 688 316 115,000 43 518 870 Hake 345 600 155 538 2 489 Pollock 265 300 108 795 1 850 Total 24 779 216 9 931 518 351 556 Pickled fish. Alowives Bltiefish ]4 495 Herring 5 000 Mackerel IT! 270 500 8 847 000 254 351 Swordfish 'J> 500 30 000 975 Mixed flsh . . 13 500 9 000 225 Total 13, 808, 795 9, 261, 170 262, 199 Smoked fish. Ale-wives "0 000 1 000 300 Halibut 54 700 13 675 Total 74,700 25, 675 1,394 Shell fish. Lobsters Oystera 5 a 9, 750 Clams : For food ( 4, 375 \\ 000 For bait ... . .. . Quahangs anil sea-clams o (505 Scallops 514 Total 40, 429 15 G K P a Enhancement on southern oysters. 226 GEOGEAPHIOAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. Detailed statement of Hie quantities and voiles of tlie products Continued. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value, prepared. Miscellaneous. Fish oil 52 150 "aliens $21 805 > *>00 243 Fish sounds (dried) 2 300 2 000 1 290 1 400 Total 28 938 Products of whale fahcry. 110 817 "aliens 93 640 Whale oil . 84 507 gallons 38 447 1 389 Total 128 476 The following statement, by Mr. F. B. Goss, collector of customs, shows the extent of the vessel fisheries of the district of Barnstable, for the year euding December 31, 18S1 : Where fishing.* Number of vessels. Tons. Products. Amount. Value. Grand Bank . 46 4 061 43 12 747 86 Codfish CWt.. 90, 844 $352, 203 12 512 16 JFishoil galls.. 59, 665 21, 502 58 4 217 19 62 'MO 363 616 18 1 7''6 97 57 109 46 141 Whalin** grounds No. 90 . Whale oil galls 52 218 20 954 Total 146 11 63 61 ' Within three miles of the Canada shore, none. RECAPITULATION FOR 1881. Vessels. Tons. 46 4 061 43 12 747 86 Cod fisheries, American waters Mackerel fisheries, American waters Whale fisheries North Atlantic Ocean 58 18 512. 16 4, 217. 19 1, 726. 97 Total 140 11 265 61 74. PROVINCETOWN AND ITS FISHERIES. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. Proviucetowii is the leading fishing port in Barnstable County, as well as one of the most important in the United States. The town is located at. the extremity of Cape Cod, and is almost surrounded by water. The western coast line is deeply indented, forming the shore of one of the finest harbors on the Atlantic coast. The houses are built near the water, occupying a section of the town extending along the shore of the harbor for nearly a couple of miles. Between the dwellings and the sea, eastward, lie the great " sand dunes," which form a peculiar feature of this portion of Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS: BARtfSTABLE DISTRICT. 227 In the following account of the present fisheries of Provincetown we shall employ almost exclusively the material furnished by Capt. N. E. Atwood, a retired fishermau of the town, well knowu for his extended and accurate information on the fisheries, also for his influence on the fishery legislation of the State and his scientific observations upon Aiuerican fishes aud other marine animals. Nearly every branch of the fisheries peculiar to the northern waters is now or has recently beeu carried on by the fishermen of rroviucetown. Those fisheries which are of sufficient import- ance to claim attention in this connection are as follows: 1. The offshore cod fishery; 2. The 'longshore and winter cod fishery; 3. The offshore mackerel fishery; 4. The inshore mackerel fishery with gill-nets; 5. The bluefish fishery with gill nets; G. The hake fishery; 7. The lobster fishery; 8. The whale fishery. THE FISHERY FOR COD. Supreme in importance is the offshore cod fishery, which has always been carried on at Proviucetown with as much zeal as has the mackerel fishery at Well- fleet. Sixty-three vessels engaged in this cod fishery in 1878, each making but one voyage during the season. About four-fifths of the vessels visited the Grand Bank. The majority sailed in the month of May and returned in September or October. Although several vessels did not get full fares of fish, the amount of cod brought in slightly exceeded 75,000 quintals, and of oil a thou- sand barrels. Four men lost their lives in this fishery during the year. In 1870, with about fifty vessels, the catch amounted to a little less than 08,000 quintals of cod. Besides the above vessels engaged in the Bank and Gulf of Saint Lawrence cod fishery, a few vessels fish along the coast for cod, selling the fish fresh in Boston, when it is found best to do so; at other times salting them on board and selling them after arriving in some port, either Province- town, Boston, or Gloucester, as most convenient. The fishermen sell their fish as soon as they can after being salted, as the sooner they sell the more the fish will weigh. They sell them to parties who dry them for market, so that it is not possible to know the number of quintals they get during the season. Besides cod, they catch halibut, haddock, hake, &c. Their fishing is of a varied character, as they sometimes take their fish to market fresh, aud sometimes salt them. Besides the eleven vessels engaged in the New England coast cod fishery, some thirteen small vessels, or boats of less than 20 tons burden, are a part of the time engaged in miscellaneous fisheries with hook, line, and nets for anything they can get, when fish come into the bay. A great part of the time some of them do nothing in the way of fishing, and altogether they make but a small profit. Cod come into Provincetowu Bay and along the coast late in autumn, and remain through the winter aud early spring, at which times the fishermen engage in catching them. It is the only fishery carried on in winter, and a considerable number of men are engaged in it. The fishing is carried on from the shore in dories, commencing in December, usually from the middle until the last of that mouth. The fishery has been carried on at Proviucetown many years. The mode of fishing from the beginning was altogether with hand-lines. The trawl-line was not in use here until the winter of 1858, when it was first introduced. Since that time until now the trawl-line fishing has been iu general use for cod aud haddock. In 1880 the fishermen commenced their winter cod-fishing about the middle of December, but few were taken. The fishery proved a failure. The fish were sold fresh and sent to Boston, New York, and other markets. About one hundred and forty fishermen were employed. The whole catch during the winter amounted to 400,000 pounds, which, with, about 1,000 gallons of oil, was valued at nearly $12,000. THE MACKEREL FISHERY. In 1870 and 1871 no mackerel vessels from Proviucetown were 228 GEOGEAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. sent to tbe Gulf of Saint Lawrence. All the vessels engaged in this fishery cruised on our own coast. In 1879, also, none of the vessels entered the Gulf. But one firm, the Central Wharf Com- pany, had vessels in the mackerel fishery during that year, and the results were not all that could be desired. For many years the Proviucetowu fishermen have been engaged in setting gill-nets in the harbor aud bay late in autumn to catch the mackerel as the last schools are passing off the coast on their way to their winter quarters. November is the best month, aud it is then that most of them are caught. lu some years they have been taken in large quantities as late as the middle of December. They will not bite at the hook, neither do they school, and the seine and hook fish- ermen cannot catch them. In some falls they come in, school after school, for several weeks. When one school is passing we may have two, three, or more nights' good fishing, after which we may have to wait a week or two weeks or longer before another school will come along. In this way some falls our fishermen do a good business for the time they are engaged, while in other falls the mackerel pass Cape Cod wide out from the coast, and do not come into the bay in any quantity. Only a few straggling specimens are caught. The fishermen using nets do not get enough to pay for the wear and tear aud loss of nets. When this fishery commences many of the fishermen are at home, after having made their voyages to the Grand Bank or elsewhere. Many of them have a few mackerel nets and engage in the fishery. A large number of men are employed while these fish are passing. The following statement shows the number of men employed and value of the fish caught annually for four yea--s: Tear. Men. Gross stock. 1874 - . 153 $13 870 1875 17 9] 950 ]870 188 7 700 1877 184 1 840 In 1878 very few caught; not more than there, were the year before. We have no account of the number caught. It will be seen by the foregoing figures that in some falls, like 1877 and 1878, the catch is merely nothing, while in others it proves to be a profitable business for a few weeks while the mackerel are passing. About one hundred and eighty men were engaged in this fishery last fall (1879), and those having a good stock of nets made a good catch, while others having but few nets did the best they could at that time, as there was no other fishery that would pay them anything. In the fall of 1879 a large quantity of mackerel was taken in nets for a short time. The most of them were small. They were shipped to Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, and sold fresh at an average price of about 3 cents apiece. Besides the smaller ones a few extra large ones were caught. The most of them were salted and sold at $30 per barrel. The total stock amounted to not less than $22,000. In the fall of 1880 the fishery was engaged in by about one hundred and fifty men, but it proved a failure. The total stock was not more than $7,500. FISHERIES FOR BLUEFISH AND HAKE. The bluefish gill-net fishery has never been carried on very extensively at Proviucetown. About thirty-five men, with twelve nets each, engage in it during summer. About $4,000 worth of fish are taken annually. In the fall of 1880, and in some previous years, forty or fifty men who were engaged in the Bank cod-fishery commenced, after their return, a fishery for hake. They employed dories, and MASSACHUSETTS: BA11NSTABLE DISTRICT. 229 fished at a short distance from laud. In 1SSO tlicy secured about 1.000 quintals of fish and GOO pounds of sounds, the total value of which was a little less than $12,000. THE LOBSTER FISHERY. Lobsters some ten years ago were abundant, and during the summer a large number of fishermen engaged in this fishery. It was a good and profitable employment for our fishermen from the middle of Juue to September. They have since become very scarce, so that the fishery will uot pay, and only a few old men that have nothing better to do engage iu it. In 1880 eight men were employed and averaged only about $00, making a gross stock of $480. THE WHALE FISHERY. Of the early whale voyages made from Provincetown there is no record. From the best information we can get we are led to believe that many years ago there were vessels fitted out from this place that made voyages to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and coast of Labrador and thence northward for right whale. We have been informed that some vessels belonging here made voyages for sperm whale ; if so, we have no record of the number of vessels so engaged, the length of their voyages, their cruising grounds, or the quantity of oil taken. In 1820 five schooners sailed from this port to engage iu the sperm-whale fishery. They went directly to the Azores and made their cruising ground near those islands, and thence to the northwest. They all arrived home iu the autumn; the result of their voyages proved better than vessels that were engaged in the cod fisheries that season, so that in 1821 the whaling fleet was increased to twelve vessels. All of them went direct to the Azores and cruised in the vicinity of those islands iu spring and early part of the summer, after which they went out northwest of the islands some 100 to 200 miles and made that their cruising ground the rest of the season. They met with fair success and all returned home iu the fall. The following year (1822) the whaling fleet was increased to eighteen vessels. All went to the Azores, making their cruising ground the same as the year before. Most of their voyages proved a failure, owing to the small quantity of oil brought in and the low price of sperm oil. Nearly all of the vessels were withdrawn from the business to be employed in the cod fisheries. In the spring of 1823 the brig Ardent, Captain Soper, sailed from here on a whaling voyage to the Azores. On her passage Louie in the fall she was wrecked. The crew were fourteen in number, and many of them died of hunger and exposure. The survivors, after living on the wreck 20 days, were taken off by the British ship Lord Sidmouth on her passage from New York to England. Captain Soper and three of his crew returned homo via England. After this the sperm whale voyages were generally discontinued from this port for a number of years, though occasionally one or two vessels made short voyages. In the spring of 1830 two schooners sailed from this port ; schooner Fair Lady, Captain Atkins, and schooner Vesta, Captain Holmes, made voyages to the Azores for sperm whales. They cruised in the vicinity of the islands through the season, and returning home in the fall, the Fair Lady with 300 barrels and Vester with 100 barrels sperm oil. In the spring of 1833 the brig Imogene (Smalley, master) sailed from this port for the Indian Ocean. She returned in December, 1834. after an unsuccessful voyage. The above-named vessel sailed again in April, 1835 (Atkins, master), to cruise in the Atlantic; she returned home iu the fall after a successful voyage. The following year (1836) the Imogene and schooner Louisa sailed from this port on a whaling voyage. These two vessels made another voyage in 1837, after which the Louisa was withdrawn. The Imogeue continued in the business the two following years, 1838 and 1839. After her return home in the fall she was wrecked in Proviucetowu Harbor in December, 1839. In all her Atlantic whaling voyages she was successful. Iu the spring of 1840 three brigs sailed from this port Franklin, Captain Soper; Fairy, Captain Gennj and Pheuix, Captain Small. They all returned in the fall with a large catch of sperm oil. The Pheuix when four months and eighteen days from home was all full having taken 700 barrels 230 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. of sperm oil. The success of the vessels was an inducement for others lo engage in the sperm- whale fishery, so that a few years after we sent out a large number of vessels. In 1855 the whaling fleet had increased to fifty-four vessels engaged in the Atlautie sperm- whale fishery. We have had but two vessels from this port who have made voyages iu the Pacific for whales. Schooner Mary E. Nason, Capt. Harvey Sparks, sailed in the summer of 1808 and returned in 1871. Schooner Gage H. Phillips, Capt. John J. Cook, made her voyage after the Mary E. Nason. Neither of these voyages proved a success, and the Pacific whaling has been abandoned. Of late years the whaling fleet has been less iu number. In 1879 twenty vessels belonging here were engaged iu the Atlantic whale fishery. In 18SO the whaling fleet, numbered twenty sail that cruised iu the Atlantic for sperm aud other whales. The fleet iu 1881 numbered eighteen vessels that took 57,109 gallons of sperm oil, worth $40,141, and 52,218 gallons of whale oil, valued at $20,954. Early in March, 1S80, there came into Proviucetown Bay and harbor immense quantities of herring and shrimps. They were followed by a great number of finback whales, which were here most of the time in greater or less numbers until about the middle of May, when they all left. During the time they were here many of them were killed with bomb lances. They sank when killed and remained at the bottom some two or three days. They then came up to the top of the water, and as they were liable to come up in the night or during rugged weather, when the whale- men were not there to take them, many of them drifted out to sea and were lost. Thirty-eight were brought in aud lauded at Jonathan Cook's oil works on Long Point. The blubber was taken off aud the oil extracted from it in the above-named factory. Two others brought in were sold to parties who took one of them to Boston and the other to New York, where they were exhibited, making forty whales in all saved. Early in June immense quantities of sand eels (Ammodyten) came in our harbor aud bay aud remained here several days. About the 10th of June there appeared plenty of whales, feeding on the sand eels. They were again attacked by our men, when a number of them were killed iu a few days, of which ten were saved aud lauded at the oil works. Probably as many more that were not killed outright received their death wounds and went out of the bay and soon after died and were lost. The forty-eight whales delivered at the oil works yielded 950 barrels of oil, so'd at an average price of 40 cents per gallon. When the first whales were killed it was supposed the whalebone iu their mouths was worth- less. It was not saved. Subsequently some was saved aud sold at 15 cents per pound. The average quantity of boue in each whale is about 250 pounds. No whales have come in of late. Our men are still anxiously looking for another school, hoping they will conic again and give them another benefit. In the spring of 1881 the whales came into the bay again, but not in so large numbers. Fif- teen were killed, which furnished 300 barrels of oil. THE PROVINCETOWN FISHERIES, 1800 TO 1870. In regard to the condition of the fisheries at the opening of this decade, we cannot do better than to quote a few sentences from Freeman, who, in his History of Cape Cod, written in 18G2, says : " In 1800 Provincetown might be pronounced beyond contradiction one of the most enter- prising and flourishing towns in the country. The fisheries now, as ever, command much atten- tion, and employ a great number of men and a very large amount of capital. These fisheries, it may be said, train a large number of the most experienced and intrepid mariners in the world. "As the abolition of the bounty on salt caused the decliue of that branch of domestic manu- facture, so the often threatened abolition of the fishing bounties may yet cause the decline and even general abandonment of this branch of industry." MASSACHUSETTS: BARNSTABLE DISTRICT. 231 In 1802, from some cause or other, the number of vessels in the cod fishery dropped to about seventy-six, while the aggregate of the catch was approximately 65,000 quintals. Five years later the fleet had again increased, the number of vessels employed being ninety-one. The crews aggregated the very large number of nine hundred and eighty-eight men. In regard to the size of the fleet Captain Atwood remarks : "The list of cod-fishing vessels sailing from this port in 1867 to the Grand Bank and Gulf of Saint Lawrence was the largest that has been sent out in any one year either before or since." Seventy-eight thousand five hundred quintals of cod were brought in, in salting which about 14,000 hogsheads of salt had been used. The bait used in the cod fishery at this period was entirely of clams, salted. The amount used in 1867 was about 4,098 barrels. Oil to the amount of 1,583 barrels was produced on board. The vessels engaged in the cod fishery also brought in a considerable amount of halibut. In 1867 the quantity of this species taken by the fleet was 15,156 quintals, or nearly one-fifth the catch of cod. In 1868 five of the vessels carried out ice, with the intent to preserve the halibut and bring them into market fresh; but the experiment, from some cause or other, proved a failure. Each made several trips during the season. Between 1867 and 1869 the fleet suffered a decrease of nine vessels, the number employed in the latter year being eighty-two, with a tonnage of 5,409 tons, and carrying eight hundred and ninety four fishermen. They went both to the Grand Bank of Newfoundland and to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, as in former years, seventy-one visiting the former and eleven the latter grounds. Although the number of vessels was less than in 1867, the cod-fishing was considerably better, and the catch exceeded that of the two previous years, the amount being about 80,457 quintals. Halibut, however, appear to have been quite scarce, or else the fishermen were discouraged by the unsuccessful efforts of the preceding year in bringing them fresh to market, for the catch was only 7,653 quintals, or less than one-tenth the amount of cod. About 1,283 barrels of crude cod oil were brought in. In catching and curing the fish 3,262 barrels of bait and 13,321 hogsheads of salt were expended. The only loss of life this year was from the schooner John Tyler, from which, while riding at anchor on the bank in a gale, the captain and three of the crew were washed overboard and drowned. The Gloucester Telegraph for January 19, 1870, contains the following item bearing on the cod fishery : "The cost of outfits in the spring was high, so that the fishermen on the average will make small pay, and will find that this fishing the last season has not been a paying business. About half the fish are still on hand." According to the Provincetown Advocate the mackerel fishery in 1869 employed seventy vessels and about eight hundred and forty men. The following paragraph, from the Provincetowu Advocate, gives some insight into the con- dition of the town and the character of the people at the close of this decade: "Provincetowu is rich in fishing vessels as well as in coasters. About three thousand men are engaged. They are all plucky, resolute sailors, of good morals and considerable education. Intemperance does not seem to have crept into Provincetown as into some other of our coast villages. Even when the fishermen return in the fall there is but little drunkenness. One-third of the town's population of 6,000 are Portuguese, and these make remarkably good sailors. A large number of the fishermen who ship in Provincetown vessels are from other parts of the cape, but are generally Americans or Portuguese." 232 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES, 75. TRURO AND WELLFLEET. THE FISHERIES OF TRURO AND SOUTH TRURO. Truro Township occupies a portion of Cape Cod lying between Wellflest and Provincetown, extending about 10 miles north and sontb. The width of the cape at this part varies from about 1 mile to 3 miles. Pamct harbor, situated in the southeastern section of the town, is the only inlet from the waters of the bay, if we exclude the one partially forming the boundary between this town and Provincetowu. In former years it fur- nished a safe and commodious haven for vessels, but at present it is choked with sand and rendered useless. The town contains three small villages, namely, North Truro, Truro, and South Truro. North Truro is a compact village, removed a considerable distance from the other two, and its fisheries, therefore, will be considered separately. Truro is a somewhat scattered village lying on the north side of Patnet harbor. It does not seem to be largely dependent upon the fisheries. Ten men are engaged in spring and fall in setting mackerel gill-nets. The spring season opens about the 1st of June and lasts a month; the fall fishing begins about the middle of November and also lasts a month. Each man uses about ten nets, which are made from old menhaden nets and are of but little value. In spring and in fall five men engage in trawling codfish on the ocean side of the cape. They own two trawls, each about 250 fathoms long, and worth $6. When the men catch more fish than they themselves can consume, they sell the surplus fresh in the village or send it salted to Boston. Every spring and fall cod fishing with hook and line is carried on in the bay. In the fall of 1878 twenty-five men were employed in this fishery ; in the spring of 1879, twenty men. In 1879 two men were engaged in setting lobster pots. They -owned 10 pots, which they set both on the ocean side of the cape and in the bay. They caught about $100 worth of lobsters, the majority of which they sold in the neighborhood. A few were sold to a Provincetowu smack which visited Truro at irregular intervals. Very few bluefish nets are now in use in Truro. No other branches of the fisheries are pursued. Time has wrought man y changes in the condition of Truio and of its fisheries. The line fleet which anchored in Pamet harbor has been scattered, and the industry which raised the town to importance and brought wealth to many families has dwindled into insignificance. THE FISHERIES OF NORTH TRURO. North Truro, or Pond Village, as it is commonly called, is situated in the northwestern part of Truro Township, on Cape Cod Bay. The principal portion of the village is built upon the northern bank of a small fresh-water pond, and on a cross-road at its eastern extremity. The pond formerly formed a small harbor, communicating with the waters of the bay, but was closed by a dike at the time of the construction of the railway. On the low beach, outside this dike, stand the storehouses of the fishermen, about 15 in number. The principal fisheries engaged in by the fishermen of North Tiuro are for bluefish, cod, mackerel, menhaden, and lobsters. A few clains are dug, and th ree or four men occupy them- selves in manufacturing dogfish oil. The bluefish gill-net fishery is the leading pursuit. About fifteen men are engaged in it, each employing ten or twelve nets. Fishing is prosecuted from the 1st of July until the middle of October. During the season of 1879 about 40,000 pounds of fish were caught. They are invariably packed in ice and sent by rail to Boston or New York, con- signed to agents, to whom a commission of 5 per cent, is paid. Codfishing with trawls is carried on in winter on the ocean side of the cape, and with hook and line in spring and fall in the bay. In winter only three or four men are engaged in trawling, for it is an arduous and dangerous employment, yielding scanty and uncertain profits. They ven- MASSACHUSETTS: BAENSTABLE DISTRICT. 233 ture forth only 011 tbose days when the sea is calm. The codfish which arc taken arc salted ami sold in the village. In the cod fishery carried ou iu spring aud fall twelve or fifteen men participate. The spring season opens about the 15th of April aud lasts two months. In fall, fishing begins about the middle of October aud is continued for about a month. In the spring of 1879 au unfavorable season the average daily catch of each fisherman was about 10 fish, while 50 was about the average number in the fall of 1878. All cod takeu iu this fishery are salted, aud usually sold in the village at a price seldom varying widely from $3 per quintal. The spring mackerel fishery, engaged iu by nine men, begins early in May, and continues for oiie month. Iu fall, twenty-two men fish for mackerel during a month or six weeks, beginning at any date between the 20th of October aud the 10th of November. Somewhat less than 150 nets are employed iu spring, but iu fall about 300. In the spring of 1879 each fisherman captured from 120 to GOO fish, while in the preceding year not more than 700 were taken by each man during both seasons. The mackerel are packed iu ice and sent principally to New York. Four or five menhaden nets are owned in the village, but have not been used for three or four years. They were formerly employed in capturing bait for Gloucester vessels. There are only two fishermen at North Truro who make a business of lobster-fishing, each of whom owns about 50 pots. One fishes from April to September, the other from May to the middle of July. The lobsters are sold both in Boston aud New York aud are usually shipped by rail, but sometimes iu smacks which come from Provincetown at irregular intervals. In 1879 about 7 cents apiece was received for them ; in 1878, 8 cents. The four men engaged in extracting dogfish oil produce about 350 or 400 gallons annually as the result of their combined industry. The oil is sold in Proviucetown. At the time of the greatest prosperity of the village, about thirty years ago, there were twelve or fourteen vessels hailing from North Truro. They were all cod vessels, and made regular trips to the bauks. Each crew consisted of four men, who shipped on shares, and a number of boys. In winter the vessels were laid up in Pauiet harbor in Truro. With the decline of the business they were sold one by one, and joined the fleets of Wellfleet aud Provincetowu. The Yolante and the Alterato (!) were among the last that hailed from North Truro. When the vessel fishery declined, the inshore grounds were still well supplied with fish, and the waters adjacent to North Truro swarmed with boats of all descriptions. It was not unusual, according to Mr. Harvey Collins, looking from the beach, to see three hundred or four hundred boats filled with men and boys busily engaged with hook and line. Many of these boats belonged at North Truro, but perhaps the larger proportion came from Provincetown aud Truro. With the advent of bluefish and the introduction of gill nets the hook-aud-liue fishing gradually decreased, until it assumed its present limited proportions. Prior to ten years ago many New London smacks came to North Truro and the vicinity to fish for lobsters. In those days the "hoop-pot" was in general use. The North Truro fishermen usually fished from boats with one or two pots, but the New Loudon men attached buoys to their pots and set a great many in all directions. The new pots are much more destructive than were the old ones, but nevertheless lobsters were so much more abundant when the latter were iu use that many more were taken in a season than now. Fifteen or twenty years ago it was not unusual to sell a boat load of lobsters for 1 cent apiece. About thirty years ago a breakwater was built on the outer bar, opposite the village. It was triangular in section and ballasted below with rocks. Unfortunately, however, it lasted only two or three years, being speedily destroyed by ship-worms. 234 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. THE GENERAL FISHERIES OP WELLFLEET. Wellfleet, the second fishing town iii importance in Barnstable County, is situated about half way between the " elbow" and extremity of Cape Cod. The village stands upon high ground at the head of a beautiful and commodious harbor, which opens toward the south, aud is protected on the east by a number of islands, on the most southerly of which stands Billingsgate light. The wharves, which are three in number, are well built and in a good state of preservation. The fisheries engaged in are : 1. The offshore mackerel fishery. 2. The oyster fishery. 3. The weir fishery. 4. The clam fishery. 5. The mackerel fishery with gill nets. 0. The alewife fishery. The offshore cod fishery has been engaged in at different times, but has been abandoned after a short trial on account of the poor facilities which Wellfleet offers, and the lateness of the return of the fleet from the winter oyster fishery. In 1870, the fleet of WellHcet fishing-vessels comprised thirty schooners, one of them a three- masted vessel ; the extremes of tonnage being, respectively, 37.12 and 151.05 tons. The average crew is fourteen men. In 1879 all of these vessels were engaged in mackerel catching from May to November, aud, with one exception, all used purse-seines. They followed the mackerel from Cape Hatteras northward, fishing at the latter part of the season off Mount Desert, Maine. Oue schooner, the smallest of the fleet, used hand-lines, and fished on Nant ticket Shoals during that year. From November to May the vessels are employed in carrying oysters from Virginia to Boston market. Five sixths, or perhaps even a larger proportion, of the fleet are employed in this manner in the winter. A few enter the merchant-service at the close of the mackerel fishery, and many of those engaged in the oyster trade make two or three trips to Jamaica and other West Indian ports during the winter. Five weirs are located within the limits of Wellfleet Township, but one of them is owned in Eastham, and will be mentioned below under that town. Of the four remaining weirs, three are erected near each other, oft' Horse Island, at the southeastern part of the harbor, and the fourth almost exactly on the boundary between Wellfleet aud Eastham. They are all " flat" weirs, constructed of poles and laths. From 100 to 150 gill-nets are set in spring and in fall for mackerel. They are owned by ten or fifteen men, the average number owned by any one man being ten. These nets are not allowed to drift, but are anchored at one extremity. The Welltteet Herring River has its source in a chain of lakes at the north of the village, and opens into the harbor at its extreme northwestern section. This river, formerly the property of a citizen, was given to the town on condition that it should be kept in good order. It is leased annually to the two highest bidders. Fishing is carried on only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, according to a law made in 1773. The hard clam or quahaug fishery gives employment to five men during a large part of the year. They do not spend their whole time, however, in this fishery. Most of the raking is done on the west side of the bay, where the water is not more than 8 feet deep at ebb-tide. In 187'J, 10.947 barrels of mackerel were inspected in Wellfleet. During the same year about 500,000 pounds of fish were sent to market from the weirs. The Herring River produces about L'5,000 fish annually. About 1,800 bushels of quahaugs have been taken annually for a number of years. The mackerel are marketed in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. Most of the salt consumed in the fisheries at Wellfleet is from Cadiz and Trapani, but a small amount comes from Syracuse and Liverpool. The cost of the forty-five vessels owned in Wellfleet in 1879 was estimated at $275,000. A MASSACHUSETTS: HAKN STABLE DISTRICT. 235 niiiubci arc entirely unemployed, however, and the value of all has depreciated. About $54,000 are invested in seines, boats, &c. The "lay" most commonly used is the "seiners' half line." According to this system, one-sixth of the total value of the fish caught is paid for the seine; and after this amount and the inspection fees have been subtracted the remainder is divided equally between the vessel owners and the crew. Fishing vessels in general are insured by the Wellfleet Marine Insurance Company at three- quarters of 1 per cent, on their full value, or a large fraction of it. Vessels fishing on the banks are insured at 3 per cent. All vessels are insured by the month. THE ALEWIFE AND BLACKFiSH FISHERIES AT WELLFLEET. In order to enable some of the alewives to reach the ponds which were their natural spawning grounds, "fish were allowed to be taken in Herring Brook only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, except for codfish bait. 1773."* This regulation is still in force, and fish are taken from the brook on those days only. The blackfish (GlobioccpJiahts inter medius), which until within a few years has been quite abundant in Cape Cod Bay at certain seasons of the year, furnishes a valuable oil, which has been a source of a considerable revenue to the people of Wellfleet and other Cape towns. In 1G20 the Pilgrims landing at Wellfleet are said to have discovered the Indians engaged in cutting up a granuws. In all probability this was not a true grampus, but simply a blackfish. In a description of Wellfleet by Levi Whitman, in the Collections of the Massachusetts His- torical Society, for the year 1794, the blackfish fishery is alluded to in the following language: "It would be curious indeed to a countryman who lives at a distance from the sea to be acquainted with the method of killing blackfish. Their size is from 4 to 5 tons weight, when full grown. When they come within our harbors boats surround them. They are as easily driven to the shore as cattle or sheep are driven on the land. The tide leaves them, and they are easily killed. They are a fish of the whale kind, and will average a barrel of oil each. I have seen nearly four hundred at one time lying dead on the shore. It is not, however, very often of late that these fish come into our harbor." While I was in Wellfleet Mr. Elisha Atwood very kindly gave me some interesting facts regarding the history of the whale fisheries here. He informed me that seventy-five or eighty years ago, there were four captains, each, with his vessel, employing fourteen hands, hailing from Wellfleet. They went to Labrador for right-whale, Mount Desert and vicinity for humpback- whale, and the West Indies for sperm-whale. There were watchers on the shore who signaled to the whalemen the appearance of a whale in the bay. These men would then go out after it and tow it inshore to the islands, where the oil was tried out. There is no whaling from Wellfleet now. Fifty-five years ago the whale-oil trying on Griffin's Island and Bound Brook Island came to an end. Just prior to this sixteen persons were employed. Ten or twelve years ago the last vessel was fitted out for the West Indies, but proved a failure. In 1874 a company was organized under the name of the North American Oil Company, for the purpose of trying out blackfish blubber. Its capital, invested in a building, steam-boiler, tanks, kettles, boats, &c., amounts to $2,400. In 1875 the number of barrels of oil extracted was 300; in 187(5, 100 barrels. During the years 1877, 1878, and 1879 no blackfish appeared on the coast, and the company was obliged to suspend operations. This company has also carried on a small business in splitting and preparing menhaden for bait. History of Eastham, Wellfleet, and Orleans, by Euoch Pratt, p. 126. 236 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. PRESENT CONDITION OF THE OYSTER TRADE OP WELLFLEET. Ingersoll, in bis report on the oyster business, says: "It is probable that this season (1S79-'SO) the sum of the freights paid to Wellfleet and Prov- iucetowu schooners on oyster cargoes alone will exceed $75,000, and the losses and casualties will be few. The competition of the steamers between Norfolk and Boston, of the railroads, and particularly the recent custom of opening so many oysters in Virginia, has been severely hurtful, however, to the oyster-schooner interests. "I may add an odd note of interest to naturalists. At Wellfleet are found many marine invertebrates not known elsewhere north of Virginia, which the naturalists of the United States Fish Commission say were probably introduced with imported oysters. Number of planters, wholesale dealers, and shippers 3 Number of vessels engaged (including those owned at Proviucetowu) 46 Present value of same $1S5,000 Number of sailors employed (three months) 200 Earnings of same $15, 000 Total earnings of vessels $75,000 Annual sales of I. Native oysters bushels.. 600 Value of same $500 II. Chesapeake "plants" bushels.. 6,000 Value of same $5,000 Total value of oysters sold annually $5,500 "GROWTH OF THE OYSTER TRADE OF WELLFLEET. Realizing that their-uatural resources in oysters had disappeared, and that any attempt to preserve the beds by a system of propagation was unsuccessful, the people of the coast of Massachusetts Bay turned their attention many years ago to replacing their oysters by importations from more favored regions, which should be kept in good condition during the warmer half of the year by being laid down in the shore-water, and so held in readiness for the autumn trade. This operation was called 'planting,' but it is a misuse of the word, and the other popular phrases, 'laying down,' or 'bedding,' express the fact more truthfully. It is not oyster culture at all, but only a device of trade to get fresh oysters and increase their size and flavor, which adds proportionate profit in selling. It is neither intended nor desired that they shall spawn. "Just when this practice began on Cape Cod for Wellfleet, whence had come the latest and best of the native oysters, naturally became the headquarters of the trade is uncertain ; no doubt it was some time before the opening of the present century. There is a gentleman now living in the village of Wellfleet, Mr. Jesse D. Hawes, who is 84 years old. He cannot remember when they did not bring some oysters every fall from New York Bay, to use at home and sell in Boston. " It is surmised that when the native beds became exhausted, the inhabitants got into the habit of going to Buzzard's and Narragansett Bays, then to the Connecticut shore, and finally to New York, and laying down more and more yearly in Wellfleet Harbor, until finally a considerable business grew. Egg Harbor, New Jersey, was also a ground much frequented a little later by oystermen. "By the year 1820, I am informed by Mr. Frederick W. True, who made inquiries for me on this subject, 12,000 to 14,000 bushels were brought to Wellfleet yearly, and ten or twelve shops were opened by Wellfleet men -for their disposal in Boston and Portland. This accounts for the striking tact that there is hardly an oyster dealer on the New England coast, north of Cape Cod, who is not a native of Wellfleet, and a certain small circle of old names seems to inclose the whole MASSACHUSETTS: BARNSTABLE DISTRICT. 237 trade. Besides the citizens, however, many strangers came in and procured the privilege of beddiug down imported oysters to fatten on the flats of this hospitable harbor. In 1841, Mr. Gould, the couchologist, wrote that the whole trade at Wellfleet then employed thirty vessels of about 40 tons each, and the services of about one hundred and twenty men for three months of the year, This yielded to the town a revenue of about $8,000 annually. "The process of 'bedding down' was as follows: Each proprietor of a space upon the flats chartered the services of a vessel, in the latter part of the winter, to go to some specified oyster ground and purchase a certain number of bushels, for which he gave the captain money. The vessel was chartered at a round sum for the trip, or else was paid at a rate varying from 15 to 20 cents a bushel freight on the cargo. When the vessel arrived home she anchored in the distant channel, and the oysters were unloaded into dories, fifty bushels to a dory. The dories then pro- ceeded to the grounds, which had been already divided iuto rectangles a few rods square, by rows of stakes, and deposited a load of fifty bushels in each rectangle or 'square.' In order that the oysters might be distributed as evenly as possible over the bottom, the dory was rowed to the center of a square, aud anchored at both ends. The dorymen then threw out the oysters with shovels into all parts of the square. This was done when the water was high over the beds. When the tide was out the oysters were redistributed with forks or 'spreading machines.' The similarity of this proceedure to the seeding of a field is obvious, and sufficiently explains the phrase 'oyster- planting.' It afforded occupation to a distinct class of men, who did it by contract, the ordinary price being about 10 cents a bushel for placing them upon the beds. The season for bedding began in February, as soon as there was a surety of no further danger of hard freezing, and con- tinued until April, the ground chosen being the hard surface of the flats in the western portion of the bay, where the beds would be left dry about two hours at each low tide. The oysters had very little fresh water near them, and their growth was variable, seeming to depend on the weather, but in what way, or just how it affected them, I could not learn. In a favorable season they grew very rapidly, in respect to both shell and meat, so that the 100 bushels put down in April would fill 300 bushel measures when taken up in October. The percentage of loss was always consider- able, however, probably never less than one-quarter, and now aud then amounting to the whole bed. Drifting sand, sudden frosts when the beds were exposed, disease, and active enemies were the causes that operated against complete success. I could not obtain satisfactory information concerning prices during the first quarter or half of the present century, and am inclined to believe they did not differ much from the present rates, except that selling rates were uniformly higher, and far more profit was realized than is now possible. Dr. Gould, describing the winter work in his Invertebrates of Massachusetts, states that in the autumn the oysters are taken up, selected, brought to market, and sold at wholesale for $1 per bushel, the cost of planting, attending, taking up, &c., amounting to 20 cents per bushel. Thus a profit of 30 cents on a bushel, or about 40 per cent, on the. cost, is realized; and the town of Wellfleet thereby realizes an income of about $8,000 annually. "It was asserted by citizens of Wellfleet, both to me and to Mr. True, that not until 1845 were any oysters brought to Wellfleet from Virginia, and that the cause of their importation then was the high price asked for 'seed,' as the oysters purchased iu the Somerset Eiver, in Connecticut, and in New York, for bedding, were erroneously termed. William Dill is credited with being the first captain engaged in the Chesapeake trade. I think, however, that there is an error here, for Gould mentions iu his book that in 1840, 40,000 bushels were brought to Wellfleet annually from Virginia, at a cost of $20,000. Nevertheless, it was not until about 1845 or 1850 that the business began to confine itself to Virginia oysters aud a large business to be done. At its height, about 238 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. 1850, it is probable that more tban 100,000 bnsbels a year were laid down in the harbor; some say 150,000. One consignment alone of 80,000 busbels was remembered by Mr. S. R. Higgius, wbo kindly gave me the many facts noted above. Tbe favorite ground was at tbe mouth of Herring River. "This great business gave employment to many men and vessels, and was eagerly welcomed by the Wellfleet people. Responsible men were accustomed to meet the incoming vessels and take contracts to bed the oysters. The ordinary price was 9 cents a bushel. They hired help at day's wages, and often made a good profit. Fifty men would thus often be busy at once. "During the summer partly, but chiefly iu the fall, these great deposits, which would perish during the cold winter, but were now well grown, were raked up and sent to the warehouses iu Boston, Portland, and minor ports, in freight vessels and iu packets. Usually the oysters were owned and bedded by dealers, who used them iu their regular trade, but some were owned by speculators, who took them to market or sold them to dealers as they lay upon the beds, the pur- chaser taking all risks. The measure used for oysters in those days was a half barrel holding a bushel, called a 'bushel-barrel.' "The war of the rebellion, however, interfered somewhat with the oyster trade, and it began to decline, so far as Wellfleet was concerned. Then the various dealers in northern ports, having learned something, began to bed near home iu their own harbors, and so saved freightage. Finally the steamers from Norfolk and the railways entered into so serious a competition, that fully ten years ago Wellfleet Bay was wholly deserted by the oystermen, as a bedding-ground, though her vessels still continue to carry cargoes in winter from Virginia to Boston, Portland, Salem, Ports- month, and the Providence River, to supply the active trade and till the new beds, which the dealers at these various ports had learned could be established at home. "The reader thus discovers how important a part Wellfleet has played in the history of the oyster trade of New England. A hundred thousand bushels of the bivalves once grew fat along her water front, and thousands of dollars were dispensed to the citizens iu the industry they cre- ated. Now, a little experimental propagation, of the value of a few hundred dollars, and about G.OOO bushels of bedded oysters from Virginia, worth perhaps $5,000 when sold, form the total active business. The oyster fleet, however, remains, though greatly diminished and carrying its cargoes to Boston, Portland, and elsewhere, instead of bringing them to be laid down in the home harbor. It will be long before Wellfleet and its neighbor, Proviucetown, lose the prestige of old custom as oyster-carriers." 70. FISHING TOWNS FROM EASTHAM TO DENNIS. EASTHAM. Eastham Township occupies the entire section of Cape Cod between the towns of Wellfleet and Orleans, a territory about 6 miles in extent, north and south. The Cape at this part is uniformly about 3 miles wide. The township contains the post-offices Eastham and North Eastham, but only a small number of houses are grouped about them, the majority being scattered irregularly along the principal roads. The principal kinds of apparatus in use here are weirs, gill-nets, and seines. Six weirs one of them a deep-water weir, the others shoal-water weirs are located in the bay, within the limits of the town. An additional shoal-water weir, located at Billingsgate Island, near the light, is owned in Eastham. Each of these weirs is tended by about four men. The catch consists almost exclusively of blueflsh, sea-herring, and, in some years, men- haden. The main dependence, however, is placed upon the bluefish, and the profit accruing is almost entirely from this species. The first weir used on the north shore of Cape Cod was erected in North Eastham. MASSACHUSETTS: BARNSTABLE DISTRICT. 230 About eleven men are engaged in seining bluefish with purse-seines during the summer months, and these, together with six or seven who do not use seines, set gill nets also for bluefish. The seiners own eight or ten little vessels about 30 feet long, and about one half the number carry their fish to market, while the others send theirs by rail. Each boat carries one seine. Six or seven of the men who use gill-nets for bluefish employ others also for mackerel. Probably 170 bluefish gill-nets and 100 mackerel nets are owned in Eastham. ORLEANS AND SOUTH ORLEANS. Orleans is situated near Town Cove, the head of an inlet, which, after many windings, opens on the ocean side of the cape. About one hundred and twenty men make their living by fishing. Of these, twenty are engaged in weir, net, and line fishing in the vicinity of the village, and the remainder ship on fishing vessels in other places, mostly in Provincetowu. As many as five mackerel vessels are owned almost entirely in Orleans, and have captains and crews who belong in the town. These, vessels fit out and sell their fish in Boston and Provincetowu. A considerable proportion of the men who are engaged in the offshore fishery in summer remain at home in winter and carry on a clam fishery in Town Cove. Both soft clams and quahaugs are gathered. Twelve or fifteen men are engaged in tending the weirs, of which there are three. They are all erected on the flats extending from the shore of the bay, and are not more than a mile apart. Fifty gill-nets are set by four men for mackerel in May, also in October and November. In the fall of 1878 and the spring of 1879 very few mackerel were taken, but in the spring of 1878 each man engaged made from $30 to $75. In the fall ten or fifteen men fish for cod with hook and line, for their own consumption. In the fall of 1878 each caught an amount equal to 500 pounds when dried, but this is unusual. South Orleans is a small and somewhat scattered village, situated directly south of, and about 2 miles distant from Orleans proper. In 1879 quite an extensive clam fishery was being carried on here, which gave steady employment to twelve men. Some 1,200 barrels of soft clams and quahaugs are taken here during the season, and sent to Boston and New York. About the year 187G, 1,000 bushels of oysters were planted in Pleasant Bay, South Orleans, by a Boston merchant. They were speedily buried by the sand, however, and the enterprise proved a failure. At East Orleans six men, with three cat-rigged boats, fish with hand lines for cod and pollock between May and November, and in winter three meu trawl for cod. The fishing is carried on just outside the mouth of Town Cove. One man engages in a lobster fishery. He owns 40 pots, and in 1879 took 35 lobsters daily from May to October. About four or five years ago eleven men were engaged in this fishery, but they considered it unprofitable and left it. BREWSTER. The villages of East Brewster, Brewster, and West Brewster occupy the stretch of coast between East Dennis and Orleans, on the north side of Cape Cod, about seven miles in extent. There is no harbor here, but a vast flat, exposed at low water, extends in many places at least a mile from the shore. The principal fishery now engaged in at Brewster is the weir fishery. There are five weirs in operation within the limits of the township. They are all " flat" weirs, con- structed of laths and poles. Their average value is from $400 to $500. Each weir is "tended" by four or five men. There is but little regularity in the amount of catrh, but perhaps the average catch in each of these weirs is 50,000 pounds of fish. In fall about twenty men are engaged in cod fishing from boats for six weeks or two months. They make about $25 each for the season. Some of the codfish are salted and sent to Boston, and the remainder sold fresh in the neighborhood. An alewife brook, located at West Brewster, produces from 50 to 100 barrels of alewives annually, which are distributed to citizens of the town at a nominal price. Each person is entitled 240 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. to one eighth of a barrel. If more than enough to supply the wants of the town are taken, the surplus is soM to outside parties. PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES OF CHATHAM. The town of Chatham occupies the most southeasterly portion or what is commonly called the "elbow" of Cape Cod. Its territory is deeply indented on all sides by arms of the sea, and in reality forms a short and broad peninsula, the greatest length of which is about five miles. The township contains the villages of Chatham, North, South, and West Chatham, and Chatham Port. All of these villages are removed a con- siderable distance from the line of railway, and are connected with it by a stage route. Chatham, the most important village of the town, occupies the southeastern section. The larger proportion of the dwellings are situated nearly a mile from the harbor and wharves. The fishing business of the place has greatly declined within twenty or twenty-five years. A number of years ago the sea broke through and destroyed the best harbor, leaving only the one to the westward of Monomoy flats, known as Stage Harbor. This harbor, although of fair size, is shallow in most parts, and has a very narrow channel, and a troublesome bar at the mouth. TLe principal fisheries at present engaged in are the George's Bank cod fishery, the boat cod fishery, the offshore mackerel fishery with seines, the mackerel fishery with gill-nets, the Monomoy weir fishery, the lobster fishery, and the clam fishery. The offshore cod fishery is carried on by a firm who have their establishment on Harding's Beach. In 1879 five vessels, with crews of about eleven men each, were employed in cod fishing on Nautucket shoals from about the 20th of April to the middle of August. Hand-lines are used altogether. They were accustomed to come in on Saturday, and having obtained a supply of bait from the flats, to depart again on the following Tuesday. During a part of the time, however, the vessels made trips of two weeks' duration, and carried the fish caught into Gloucester. In 1879 they averaged COO quintals of codfish each, of which perhaps one-sixth was sold in Gloucester. The boat cod fishery off Monomoy gives employment to about one hundred and fifty men, the majority of whom belong in the village of Chatham. They use small cat-rigged boats about 20 feet long. Sometimes two men go in one boat and sometimes but one, the number of boats in use being about one hundred. The men who go alone are usually old and experienced fishermen, and hence the catch of these boats is always more than half the catch of those which carry two men. In 1879 the boats averaged from 40 to 150 quintals of cod. The larger portion of the fish are sold to little vessels called "pickpockets," in which they are carried to Hartford, New Haven, Provi- dence, and other Rhode Island and Connecticut ports. After the cod-fishing season is over, about the 1st of September, the five fishing schooners are employed in seining mackerel off the coast of Maine. They fit out for the first trip at Chatham, but after that at the port where the mackerel are sold; it may be at Portland, or any other of the eastern ports. A small proportion of the fish are sold fresh in Boston. After the mackereling season is over the men engaged carry on the clam fishery to some extent. Between 150 and 200 mackerel gill-nets are owned in Chatham, and are usually set during the month of May. They are owned by twelve or fifteen men. All the fishermen except one sell the mackerel caught to peddlers, the man forming the exception marketing his fish in Boston. For three years very few mackerel have been taken. In 1879 ten deep-water weirs, all large except three, were set on the flats on the western side of Monomoy Island. These weirs are first placed in position about the middle of April, and are removed at the latter part of May or the 1st of June. Each employs about twelve men, two cooks, and a book-keeper. The principal fish taken are mackerel, shad, sea-herring, menhaden, and codfish. The mackerel are sold chiefly in Boston, but a few also go to New York. The men- MASSACHUSETTS: BAKNSTABLE DISTRICT. 241 hadeu and herring are sold to Gloucester fisbiiig schooners for bait. The fish are transported to Boston by the way of Dennis Port. Five or six little schooners carry them from Chatham to Dennis Port. About twenty men in Chatham and about the same number making their summer quarters at Mouomoj set pots for the capture of lobsters, from the beginning of June to November. Each fisherman owns from 40 to SO pots. The lobsters are sold in Boston and are carried thither in smacks. The winter clain fishery is carried on by fishermen who do not make sufficient money during the summer to support their families, by old men who are unable to join in offshore fishing, and by boys. Altogether about one hundred and fifty persons are employed. They begiu in November and rake on every fair day until April. The sea clams are either sent directly to Provincetown fresh, or are salted and sold to the grocers of the village, who advance money on the same ami hold them until spring, when they bring good prices. In 1879 about 700 barrels were raked and barrelled. Five or six bluefish and bass seines are owned in Chatham. They arc shot from the beach, sometimes on the ocean side and sometimes in the harbor. Five men are required to manage each seine. The season begins in May and lasts until October. In 1879 the catch was 12,000 pounds of bluetish and 3,000 pounds of bass. The fish are iced in boxes and sent to New York. The fisheries of North Chatham and Chatham Port are not important. A number of boats from North Chatham join the cod fishing fleet, and twenty meu are engaged in digging clams in Cyder's Cove in winter. West Chatham is not situated near the water and is only indirectly interested in the fisheries. HARWICH. The town of Harwich lies between Dennis and Chatham. Its only coast line is on the south, being shut in on the north by Brewster. It contains the villages of Harwich, North, East, South, and West Harwich, and Harwich Port. The last named is the only important fishing- village in the town. West Harwich, in regard to fishing interests, can scarcely be considered as a separate village. It is separated from Dennis Port only by an imaginary line and the interests of the two are identical; they will therefore be treated together under "Dennis Port." Harwich Port, like many of the Cape Cod villages, is built mainly upon one long street run- ning parallel to the coast line. From this street others make off at right angles leading to the wharves. About 200 men are engaged in the fisheries. In 1879 about 40 men shipped at Ports- mouth, 125 manned the vessels sailing from the villages, and from 30 to 40 were employed at the wharves in preparing the fish for market. Nearly the entire remainder of the male population of Harwich Port, in many cases with their families, are engaged in the merchant service and are scat- tered all over the earth. There are two sail-lofts in Harwich Port, which together would furnish about enough employment for one man during the whole year. The sails made here are princi- pally for the cat-rig boats of Chatham. A boat factory, established over twenty years ago, gives rather scanty employment to two men. During the winter of 1878 two cat-rig boats, worth about 8300 each, were made for some Chatham fishermen. The only fisheries carried on at Harwich Port are the mackerel and the weir fisheries and inci- dentally the cod fishery. The mackerel fishery is carried on by two firms at two wharves a few hundred yards apart. Each firm in 1879 owned six schooners, carrying crews of fourteen or fifteen men each. In that year one vessel fished in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, but the others mostly on the Maine coast. The fishing season opens about the 1st of April and closes about the 10th of November, after which time the vessels are hauled up for the winter. The trips average about three weeks each. 16 G n F 242 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. The amount of capital invested in vessels is about $40,000; in apparatus, $20,000; and in buildings and wharves, 82,500. One of tbe firms scuds half of tbe mackerel taken to Pbiladelpbia and lialf to New York. The other firms send one-sixth to Philadelphia and the remainder to New York and Boston. The vessels are insured for periods of six or seven months, in Proviucetown, Wellfleet, and other places. Two of the vessels belonging to one of tlue firms make one trip in the spring to Nantucket Shoals for codfish. In the spriug of 1879 the catch was GOO quintals. A weir has been in use at Harwich Port for thirteen years. It is a double weir, having two leaders, pounds, and bowls. It is placed in position about the 20th of April, and is taken up in the latter part of May. Its original cost was $3,000. South Harwich is located about 4 miles west of Chatham, and has within its limits the wharves and buildings of two firms carrying on the fishing business. Four cod vessels and four mackerel vessels are owned here. The cod vessels carry from nine to twelve men each. Two of these ves- sels go to the Banks, and make but one trip; the others go to Nantucket Shoals. About 4,000 quintals have been brought iu by these four vessels annually for a number of years. The fish are sold to small vessels, which carry them to Rhode Island and Connecticut ports. The four mack- erel vessels are employed from the 1st of April to the last of October. They go south iu spring, and follow the fish to ami along the coast of Maine. They make trips from two to six weeks iu length. Each vessel carries from fifteen to twenty men. From 800 to 1,000 barrels of mackerel arc sometimes brought from the Monomoy weirs, and are packed here. Ten or twelve men are employed for about one-third of the year at the wharf in salting and preparing the mackerel for market. During the remainder of the year they cither remain at their homes, or, if opportunity is offered, ship on coasting vessels. The wharves at this place arc exposed to rough weather in winter, and arc often damaged by ice. Two small weirs are owned iu South Harwich. One is situated at a short distance to the west of the wharves, and the other a similar distance to the east of them. They are constructed of net- ting, and have only a single leader and pound. They are not placed at so great a distance from land as tlie Monomoy weirs, because the water is deeper. The condition of the fisheries of Harwich at the opening of the present century is shown in the following note from the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society:* "Fifteen or twenty vessels, averaging 40 tons each, and about half of them owned iu the precinct, arc employed in tlc shore fishery on the coast. Four vessels of 100 tons each, which go to the Banks of New- foundland and the Straits of Belle Isle, sail also from this place and obtain their men here. The whole number of men and boys engaged iu the cod fishery is about two hundred, but several sail from Chatham, Bass River, and the North Precinct," During the first quarter of the century the business does not seem to have increased very much. It is recorded by Freeman, in his History of Cape. Cod, that in 1837 "There were here about twenty vessels engaged in the cod and mackerel fisheries; the aggregate tonnage about 1,300 tons. The result of their voyage was 10,000 quintals of codfish, worth about $30,000, and 500 barrels of mackerel, worth about $3,000. The amouut of salt used in the business was 9,000 bushels; tbe number of hands employed 200, and the capital invested $60,000." During the second quarter the fisheries increased very rapidly. The number of vessels twice doubled. In 1802 eighty or one hundred vessels were employed in the cod and mackerel fisheries, and several wharves and packing establishments were connected with the business. For the *Notc on the South Precinct of Harwich, in the County of Barnstable. September, 1802. f the town, began in KilHl, in boats from the shore. In 171H the first sperm whale was taken by a vessel accidentally blown a considerable distance from the land, and a new aud powerful impetus was given to the business. In 1715, an old record* tells n>, six sloops, 38 tons burden, obtained about COO barrels of oil and 11,000 pounds of boue, worth 1,000. But, if we may believe the statement of Zacelieus JIacy, these vessels must have been employed uear shore. Macy says: t "luthe year 1718, the inhabitants began to pursue whales on the ocean in small sloops and schooners from 30 to 45 tons." From the old record cited above we learn the tonnage, and the amount of the fares, and their value, from 1730 to 1785. The summary is as follows : 1730. 25 sail, from 38 to 50 tons, obtained annually about 3,700 barrels, at 7 pur ton.. :: 17-18. 60 sail, from 50 to 7f. tons, obtained 11,250 barrels, at 14 Jit, t;,-*4 1756. SO sail, 75 tons, obtained 12,000 barrels, at 18 23,600 N. B. Lost ten sail, taken by the French, aud foundered. 1770. 120 sail, 75 to 110 tons, obtained 18,000 barrels, at 40 100,000 From 1772 to 1775. 150 sail, from 90 to 180 tons, upon the coast of Guinea, Brazil, and the West Indies, obtained annually 30,000 barrels, which sold in the London market at. 44 to 45 107,000 N. B. 2,200 seamen employed in the fishery, and 220 in the London trade. Peace of 1783. 7 sail to Brazil, from 100 to 150 tons, obtained 2.1m 5 to the. coast of Guinea liOO 7 to the West Indies 560 3,260 At 40 per ton 10,280 N. B. No duty exacted in London. 17-'4. 12 sail to Brazil, obtained 4,000 ~ to the coast of Guinea I 1 ' 11 to the West Indies... 1,000 5,400 At 23 to C24 M. r feet in length, and own four seines, each 150 fathoms long, and worth $300. Every winter about 300 barrels of eels are caught, and some 15,000 lobsters are taken annually. Bluelish are usually sent to New York either in ice or in smacks. Soft clams and quahaugs are abundant in the harbor, and are used by the fishermen for bait. The whale fishery, which has been prosecuted at Edgartown for many years, is still carried on. Seven whaling vessels are owned, which, with their outfits, involve a capital of $128,000. Oak Bluffs, a village in Edgartown, is a well-known cam p-meeting ground. There are also several hotels and boarding-houses annually resorted to by thousands of people, who spend much of their time in the summer months in fishing in the neighboring waters. TISBURY. Holmes' Hole, or Vineyard Haven, situated at the northeastern part of the town of Tisbury, is not at present extensively engaged in the fisheries, nor dependent upon them. Like Edgartown, the village is largely sustained by the wealth of the many retired captains of mer- chant and whaling vessels who have made their residence here. In April and May, and again in October and November, four boats usually go from Holmes 1 Hole to No Man's Land to fish for cod. The average annual catch of each boat is about 10,000 pounds of cod. The fish arc quite small, often weighing only ;> or 1 pounds. A cod weighing 40 pounds is considered very large. Five cat-rigged boats are employed in June, and also duritig portions of May and July, in the bluefish fishery with hand-lines. The total annual catch of blnetish is about 3.>,000 pounds. No person at Holmes' Hole makes his whole living by fishiug, and even those who have been mentioned as fishing at different seasons let their boats in summer to pleasure parties. There is an ale-wife-river near Holmes' Hole belonging to the town of Tisbury, from which about 150,000 alewives are annually taken. One-tenth, formerly one-sixth, of the catch is reserved by the town and sold to pay for the clearing of the river. This share is annually bought by Mr. Crowell. The alewives are chiefly sold to fishing ves:-cl.s Icr bait, and are also in part sent to New Bedford. NORTH SHORE OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD. The northern shore of Maltha's Vineyard, from Lombard's Cove, 5 miles to the westward of the West Chop of Vineyard Haven, to Gay Head, is occupied at irregular intervals by weirs. In 1880 there were two i:i Lombard's Cove, one three- quarters of a mile and one about 3 miles to the westward, and four in Menemsha Bight, near Gay Head. With the exception of one iu Menemsha Bight, which has two leaders and two heart pieces, all are single weirs, having but one leader, heart, and bowl. All, without exception, are constructed of netting and poles. They are usually placed in position every year, about the last of May or the 1st of June, and are removed either before or not later than the 15th day of Sep- tember. From two to four men are, required to tend the weirs. The principal species of fish caught are scup, squeteague, bluefish, striped bass, bonito, tautog, mackerel, menhaden, ale- wives, sea-herring, and flounders. The larger proportion of the, fish are sent to New Yoik in ice, .MASSACHUSETTS: EDGAHTOWN DISTRICT. 261 vi:i Wood's IIoll, ami iu smacks. The managers of at least two of the. pounds arc accustomed to cany their fish in their own boats to Wood's Holl, whence they aie shinned to market by Mr. Siiiudul. The menhaden and alewives, however, are usually sold to (lion, ester fishing vessels for bait. The weirs vary in value from $2GO to 84(10, but several of them originally cost from 8800 tu 81,000. There exists on the western side of Meiieuisha Bight a hamlet of about 14 small temporal v buildings, or shanties, as they are called, known as Lobsterville, in which a number of men, all or nearly all lobster fishermen, live during' the summer. Forty boats were employed iu the fishery in 1SSO, of which perhaps one-half carry .two men. From each boat about 40 pots are set, ami the total number of pots in use is about 1,000. In l.sTH only fourteen boats and about . r >(i() lobster pots were in use. Lobsters were much more abundant in 1879 than in 1880. In the former year the catch was L'G8,800 lobsters; in the latter year, about 200,000 lobsters. The season begins late in April and usually lasts about four mouths. At Gay Dead there is a lemnant of the former Indian possessors of the island. s.l. NO MAN'S LAND AND ITS FISHERIES. No MAK'S LAND. The island known as No Man's Laud is situated .south of the. western extremity of Martha's Vineyard, at a distance of about 4 miles. It is a low, sandy island of very small proportions, and is uuiuhabifed except by fishermen, all but two or three of whom remove to Martha's Vineyard at the end of the fishing seasons in spring and fall. While on the island they live in some _."> small houses, valued at about "*10l) each. The only fisheries are for cod and lobsters. The cod fishery, which is carried on for a few weeks in spring and fall, was engaged in in 1^79 by about forty men, who employed some thirty-live boats. The cod taken during that year amounted to not more than 140,ono pounds when salted and dried. This is a much less quan- tity than was taken in some preceding years, bul is more than has been taken since. There has been a constant diminution. The value of the apparalus employed, including boats, tackle, <\r.. and the single herring net carried by each boat, amounts to not more than 8(;,0()0. A number of fishermen, varying from twelve to fifteen or twenty, eugage in lobster fishing every year. The number of lobsters taken has been decreasing, and in 1881 amounted to not more than 15,000 in the aggregate. 84. THE ELIZABETH ISLES. GOSNOLD. The Elizabeth Isles is a group of sixteen small islands that together constitute the town of Gosnold. They are separated from Cape Cod by a narrow channel, and extend 1C miles toward the sou I h west, forming the boundary between Buzzard's Bay and Vineyard Sound. The resident population of the group in 1870 was 99. Commencing toward Cape Cod, the islands are called Naushon, 8 miles long and li wide ; Pas.que, about 2 miles long ; Nashawena, 3 miles ; and Cuttyhunk, 2i miles. A narrow channel separates the islands. The island of Cuttyhunk was named Elizabeth Island by Gosnold, but that name is now given to the group. Until 1804 these islands belonged to the town of Chilmark. They are noted for their beauty and climate, and are a favorite summer resort of New Yorkers for boating and fishing purposes. Tarpaulin Cove, on the east shore of Naushon, is a harbor much frequented by wind-bound vessels on their way between Boston and New York. Some Noauk fishermen come here in the summer for trap fishing. The product of their industry is included in the statistics for Connecticut. ('iiltybuuk Island is the most southerly of the Elizabeth Isles, and is about 2.1 miles long and a mile broad. The land is high. II contains a hamlet of sixteen buildings, including the school- 262 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. bouse, aud the buildings of the Cuttyhunk Club. About forty fishermen live here, many of thein, however, only in summer. Three or four men fish for tautog with hook and line. The fishing begins in October aud continues until snow comes. The total catch is usually about 3,500 or 4,000 pounds. Two small pounds are set at Cuttybunk. They are usually put iu position about the 1st of May (in 1880, on the 26th of April), and are taken up early in August. Four men tend them. The catch consists of scup, bonito, and sea-bass. "In 18SO, 350 barrels of fish were shipped to market, about one-half the quantity being scup and the remainder bonito. The catch in 1879 was about the same. In addition, in 1880, 10 barrels, aud in 1879 CO barrels, of sea-bass were taken. The majority of the fishermen, about thirty, are engaged iu the lobster fishery. I u 1880 sis little smacks, with two boats each, and twelve other boats were employed. From each of the boats from 40 to 120 pots are set, the total number nstd being about 2,000. The fishery is carried on during four months. In 1880 the total catch of lobsters was between 200,000 and 240,000. The Cutty- hunk Club also sets about 120 pots. The large lobsters caught in these pots are sold, but the small ones are used by the club for bait. K. THE DISTRICT OF NEW BEDFORD. 85. GENERAL REVIEW OF NEW BEDFORD DISTRICT. THE FISHERIES OF THE DISTRICT. The New Bedford customs district comprises the towns of Wareham, New Bedford, Westport, and intermediate places on Buzzard's Bay. As will be seen by reference to the remarks on the various towns in this district, there are several kinds of fishing carried on, the most important being the whale fishery, which has had its headquarters iu this region for many years. New Bedford is the principal place in the district and owns most of the fishing fleet. There is one small vessel in the district engaged exclusively in the lobster fishery. The fishery for cod, tautog, and other food-fish employs 22 vessels, the menhaden fishery 8, the seal fishery 1, aud the whale fishery 128; the total tonnage of the entire fleet is 33,576.07 tons. The shore fisheries employ 210 boats, used in connection with the traps, or in the capture of lobsters aud shell fish in various parts of Buzzard's Bay. The total capital invested in all branches of the fisheries and shore industries is $4,329,638, and the value of the various fishery products is $2,053,944. The number of persons employed is 4,287. STATISTICAL SUMMATION FOR 1879. The following statements give iu detail the extent of the fishing interests of New Bedford district: Summary statement of periods Total 160 33 576 67 991 675 1 675 1 561 560 2 554 910 Haul-seines: Tn 1 nt i' heti Total 92 10 740 449 44 140 44 140 210 5 500 2 210 4 250 11 960 Traps. Weirs &c 29 11 100 1 Total 659 49, 640 2,210 4,250 50, 100 Lobster arid eel-pots 1,188 1,188 Total 1 217 12 288 a Includes gear. Detailed statement of the quantities and values of I lie products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value, prepared. $o 053 944 Fresh fish. 510 819 4 983 56 000 3 360 75 160 7 516 Bluefish . .... 114 350 3 430' 5 000 150' Butterfisli 5 000 150 Cod 95 000 ] 45 Eels 199 2 Q 1 9 961 211, 663 3 175 Frostfish . 42, 434 849' Halibut . 4 500 158 7 645 38 393 000 5 227 12 740 084 19 110 Perch.... . .... 3 476 104 296 923 8 907 Shad 9 344 467 14 046 351 46 230 1 618 Sturgeon 1,500 45 Swordfish 342 800 in, 7.-1 Tautog 292 392 10, 234 MKedfish 108 800 544 Total 15, 575, 387 92, 586 Dry fish. Cod 1,516,500 606, 600 21, 838 Fielded fah. 150 000 120 000 2,400 Mixed fish 12 000 8 000 20 Total 162,000 128,000 2, COO Shell fish. 174 76 6,406 16,200 bushels 21, 225 Clams: 5 SOObushels 2,900 5,100 bushels 2,550 Scallops 4,700 gallons 2,350 Total 35, 431 264 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. luinilecl nliilc/iicut of tin- quantities and rallies of //it products Continued. ProdiM-ta specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, ])ll']. IllVll. Bulk. Value, pn ]i;il rd. PfOihu.'tn I-/ whale fishery. .1 1 1^5 *JCO "iilloHS ,7$1 iHid (04 V/l):i|i- oil 595 O'l.-i '"'lions 1 ' ' . ' . ".ii; ''n 1 ; r > Gil Total .- 1 ay. Lart>e bodies ol'aleMives annually pass from the hay up these livers lo spawn, i e: nsiderable number being' taken at East Warehani. The State law determines the time \vheu they may be taken; this period is between April 1 and June 1. The exact time when they may be eaiii:ht, the price at which they may be sold to citizens, and other regulations are, left to :s com- iniUe.- oi' three from each of the towns of Wareliam and Plymouth. This committee sHl.s the exclusive privilege of the catch at auction, and $400 to $500 a season is generally realized by the sale. The price \vhich the citizens must pay is fixed by the committee at 10 cents a hundred tisb, or 01 cents a barrel; one barrel is allowed to each iuha-bitant who may desire it. No lish may be sold to any except citizens for the space of two hours after the tish are caught, but after that time they may be sold to any person at such price as can be agreed upon. Provision is made that citizens shall always be able to obtain a limited supply at the price already mentioned, namely, lii cents a hundred. The bulk of the catch is sold by peddlers through the neighboring towns. At the present time the catch is not more than two-thirds as large as it was a number of years ago. lu 1S80 the fisheries of this place gave employment to six men for 2 months. The catch was 700 barrels of alewives, worth $l,OoO. Mr. Ingersol! gives the following report on the present condition of the oyster industry of \Yareham and vicinity: "About 5 years ago no oyster was better received in the Boston market than that from Ware- ham; it held the first place. Though it has lost this distinction by 'opening' poorly of late, it is still of fine quality and in demand by the neighborhood markets. Wagon-loads are sent off to Plymouth, Middleborough, and elsewhere, frequently through the winter; and during the seasou of 1S77- ? 7S the Old Colony Railway carried 7SO bushels in shell from the Wareliam station, and about l.v. gallons of opened stock. From East Wmx-haui (Agawain station) there were shipped, during the winter of ISTT-'TH, 9L'4 bushels in shell, while partial accounts of the next season (1S79-'SO) indicate a huge increase. Uy far the larger part of the yield, however, is sold small, as 'seed MASSACHUSETTS: NEW BEDFOKD DISTRICT. 2(35 oysters' to be planted upon the beds along the eastern shore of Bu/zard's Bay and the 'lieel' of Cape Cod. This seed is never carried away to lie sold, but the purchasers eonie alter it in spring and fall in sloops of alioiit 25 feet keel, locally known as -yacht boats'. This seed sells for .'id to 35 cents a bushel in spiiug, or CO to SO cents in fall, and is one and two years old, mixed. Some experiments have been made in bedding Virginia oysters through the summer, but although they lived well enough it was not found profitable. They brought only $4, while the native ousters would fetch $0, a barrel. "Oyster affairs in Warebam can hardly be called a business. Ihe title to I lie grants, is very uncertain, the impression being that the light to operate upon them exists only th-rough courtesy of the owners of ihe adjacent uplands, and a vast amount of litigation would probably arise if any one chose to object to the present status. This feeling, and the jealousy of anything smacking of monopoly, has deterred capital fiom being invested in any considerable degree, although efforts have been made to bring money from New Yoik and Boston to bear upon this industry. At present the poor, ignorant, and shiftless portion of the community, for the most part, have to do with the oysters, and have found it necessary, in order to protect each other from a common thieving propensity, to decree among themselves that uo man shall fish after sunset, even upon his own grant. It would be an outside estimate to say that 200 persons live upon the oyster in Warehaui, at an investment of $3, 000." MARION. Marion, formerly known as Sippiean, is pleasantly located on the western side <>i Buzzard's Bay. It has a large and accessible harbor, in which are several islands. From the beaches of these islands, as well as from the shore of the mainland, are gathered clams, quahangs, scallops, and oysters. At one time a fleet of twenty sail engaged in the whale lisheiy from this place, but at present the fleet numbers only two vessels, aggregating 175.3$ tons, valued, with their outfit, at $12,1X10. A very small amount of any kind of fishing is carried on at present, and that by fifteen sail -boats, ten row-boats, twenty gill-nets, one pm.-e-sciiie. and one drag-seine, having a total value of about 82.500. The number of persons employed, including the \\haling crews, is fifty-nine. The catch of the fishing boats consists mainly of menhaden, alewives, and Ui-7'., ncur; in isso, 800 barrels. During 1879 4 shad aiid 11 striped bass were caught, I nt none in 1S80. The yield of the shore fisheries iu 1880 was valued at $3,9G5, and included 2,(lliO bushels of quahaugs, 1.300 bushels of soft claius, 500 bushels of scallops, 75 barrels of alewives, LO.OCO pounds of blnelish. and 800 barrels of menhaden. In former years numerous vessels were built here, and for 40 years quite extensive salt manufactories were carried on. Neither of these indnstiies has been uros'-cnted for several years. The oyster interests of this region are thus leported by Mr. Ingersoll: "Southwesterly from Wareham the head of Buzzard's Bay contains several oyster local nf varying importance. They are: The Weeweautit Biver, for a mile or so in the -hood of the highway bridge; Wing's Cove, and the Blaukinsbip Cove of Sippicau harbor, in il.i town of Marion. ' In the Wceweantit, natural beds of vi ry good oysters have existed lor a long time and a few years ago a large yield was obtained from them every \ear by Mr. Kohinson and others. Lat- terly, however, the quantity has decreased, and the beds have IK en laked almost \\holly for the sake of t-etd. There are grants here, but no improvement, as yet, of any consequence. In Sippiean haibor (the harbor of Marion) it is said that no oysters \\cie known until about the year lS(il, when the shore of Bam Island, on the eastern side of the harbor, near the 266 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. entrance, was found strewn with young oysters, and the next year it was ascertained that these had lived and were growing. The whole cove rapidly filled, and the oysters at once began to be taken by the inhabitants in large quantities. " Some gentlemen, in 1875, got permission of the town to plant oysters on the bar at the entrance of the harbor, and brought a large quantity of seed oysters from Somerset, Mass., to lay down there. Taking the hint, the town surveyed a fringe of grants around the whole harbor, which were rapidly secured by the citizens for purposes of culture. The first design was that all owning grants should seed them from abroad, leaving the natural beds in Blankinship (Jove and all the channels as public domain. But this was done to a very small extent, the natural beds being raked and dredged, instead, for oysters to be placed upon the grants, until it seemed likely that no mollusks at all would be left upon the beds. Legislative measures, both of State and town, were brought forward for oyster protect ion, but with little avail, as restrictive measures had small support from public opinion, and now there is little attempt to restrain any one fishing to any extent. It is reported by some, as a consequence, that few oysters are .left, while others say that there are as many oysters there now as ever. Meanwhile, those who had planted were not encouraged. The best grants lay in favorable spots, where the oysters had shallow water, a hard bottom, and quick tide, only lacking fresh water. One gentlemen has planted about 12,000 bushels, and has put down 0,000 to 8,000 empty shells, hoping to catch spawn; but since these were put down there has' been no year in which the spawn was plenty at Marion. (The hist good year for spawn in Wareham was 1877, in Somerset, 1878.) Both of these investments have proved to be losing ones. The oysters brought here from Somerset have grown pretty well in shell, but in meat are lean and watery. Last August those of marketable size produced less than two solid quarts to the bushel. This fall (1879) there has been an improvement, but a bushel does not 'open' more than 3 quarts. These facts are true, as a rule, over the whole extent of the harbor, and in every instance the owners consider that they have lost money on their investment, and that it is probable that no great success can be looked for in raising oysters at Marion, for unexplained reasons. Even when they succeed in getting a fair quantity of oysters, they are not as hard and plump as they ought to be, and will not sell in Boston market at prices which will repay the expense of their cultivation. Among special discouragements may be mentioned the burying of 2,000 bushels in one bed, on the outside of Ram Island Bar, by a single gale during the winter of 1878, and the sudden death of several thousand bushels up the harbor through anchor-frost. As a consequence, a large portion of the oysters which have been planted here from Somerset have been taken up and sent to Providence River, where they have been rebedded with great success. It may be that this will afford an opportunity for business, although planting will not succeed well. The seed can be bought in Somerset and laid down here for about 35 cents a bushel. Two years later it can be sold to Providence dealers for 75 cents. During these same years the natural beds near Ram Island have flourished tolerably well, although the large tracts of shells about the harbor have caught no spawn. They have not opened as much nor of as good quality, however, as formerly; but there are great differences in the oysters of even this limited area. A bed at Ram's Island, on the sand, in 3 to 5 feet of water, 'oj>eiied handsome,' while only a few yards away oysters on a muddy bottom were of poor quality and size. " There have been about $17,000 invested in oyster culture in this town, but I believe the whole matter could be bought now for $10,000. Perhaps 5,000 bushels, all told, have been disposed of annually for the last three or four years at $1 a bushel or gallon." MATTAPOISETT. For nearly 125 years this place was a part of Rochester. On May 20. 1857, it was incorporated as a town under the old Indian name of Mattapoisett, which signifies "a place MASSACHUSETTS: NEW BEDFORD DISTRICT. 267 of rest." In past years, up to a comparatively recent date, the inhabitants were quite largely engaged in ship-building and in the whale fishery, but very little attention is now paid to the fish- ing industry. Clams are plentiful, but the citizens only dig the few which they require for their home consumption. Fishermen from Fairhaven and New Bedford come here with teams and boats and dig large quantities, which they sell through the surrounding towns and cities. Alewives are taken in the Mattapoisett River, which enters Buzzard's Bay at this place. One weir is located 4 miles up the river, and two more at Rochester, 4 miles further up the river. For the past 10 years the catch has averaged 9(10 barrels a year. The catch of 1880, the smallest for twenty years, was 500 barrels taken at the lower station, and 200 at the upper. The greater portion of them are sold fresh through the neighboring towns. A local law fixes the price for a limited supply to the citizens of Mattapoisett, Marion, and Rochester, at 25 cents for a hundred fish. At the northeast entrance to the harbor, on Pine Island, are two weirs. These are fished by four men for six mouths in the year. At the fishing stations of Mattapoisett, Pine Island, and Rochester, iu 1880, eleven men were employed for a part of the year. The total capital invested in boats, nets, and other apparatus was $2,130. The catch was valued at $2,275, and included SOO barrels of alewives, 2,000 lobsters, 200 barrels of menhaden, 1,000 squeteague, 8,000 tautog, 9,000 scup, 500 bluefish, and 25 Spanish mackerel. FAIKHAVEN. Fairhaveu is bounded on the south by Buzzard's Bay, and on the west by Acushnet River. The various ways of spelling this name, found on the old records, are as follows: "Cushnet," "Acushnutt," "Acoosnet," "Acushena," and "Acushuett," or, as in use at the present time, "Acushnet." The bay at this point is nearly 1 mile wide, and is in fact an arm of the sea for the 3 miles from its mouth along the Fairhaven and New Bedford fronts. Above New Bedford it decreases in size to a small stream, no larger than a brook, and takes its rise near the south shores of Long Pond and Aquitticaset Pond, in the town of Middleborough, 10 miles distant. There are several islands iu the stream; the largest is named Palmer, and is at the entrance to the harbor. The next to the north arc Crow, Pope'-s, and. Fish. This last is united to the long draw- bridge connecting Fairhaven with New Bedford. Several other smaller islands, not named, add to the beauty of the river scenery. The land now occupied by Fairbaven, New Bedford, and Dartmouth was purchased from the Indians in 1652, and was all united in the single town of Dartmouth, the part now called Fair- haven being known to the Indians as "Sconticut." On February 22, 1787, Westport and New Bedford were incorporated as separate towns. The latter embraced the present town of Fairhaven until April 22, 1812, when it was incorporated under its present name. The leading business of this place in past years was the whale fishery. Thirty-seven vessels, with nine hundred and forty- five men, sailed from here in 1837, and in 1858 forty-seven sail were engaged in that industry; iu 1SCO, thirty-nine; in 1870, eight; iu 1S74, two; in 1876, two; in 1880, none. Although the bay and river have always been noted as having an abundance and great variety of scale and shell fish, and the flats and near shores for miles have long been known to abound with quahaugs and clams, until lately there appears to have been but little attention paid to them, except iu a small way for home use. Within the past twenty -years, as the whale fishery has declined, more attention has been paid to the abundance of fish near home. At the present time two vessels, of 110.30 aggregate tonnage, engage in the cod fishery off Block Island, the New England shore, and as far as Banquereau ; three small vessels, of 27.89 total tonnage (not registered), fish in the bay near home. At the southern end of the town, known as Sconticut Neck, within late years the business has steadily grown, the catch being made with gill nets, purse and shore seines. The weirs, of which there are fourteen located at the neck, are worth from 8-lV< mil, r x<-l->tsi) are seldom seen. They seem to know full well that there is no outlet for them at the eastern end of Buzzard's Bay, and therefore keep away. Of the immense schools that pass so near on their annual tour to the northeast, but very few aie ever seen in the bay. Thirty men, with small, unregistered sail-boats, fish from June 1 to November 1 with hand- lines in the river and in the bay near home. Their catch consists chiefly of tantog, eels, and scup, the eels being taken, for the most part, in small box-traps baited with clams. That Buzzard's Bay abounds in a variety of fish, many of them valuable for food, others for fertilizer, has been shown in the foregoing remarks. We now add a complete list, kindly given us by Mr. 1). \Y. Deane, who has been for twenty-five years in this business, and has for the past thirteen years been setting weirs in this locality. T: e list, will be found of interest, as showing the dale of the first ealch of each species during the season of 1SSO: "March -4, caught the first menhaden, alcwife, smelt, tomcod, flatfish ; April 1, tautog, skate, perch; April li. sea herring, eel; April 14, shad; April 15, striped bass; April 17, scup; April 24, dogfish, mackerel ; April 2li, rock bass; April 27, sea-robin ; April 28, squid; May 8, butterflsh, kinglish; May 11, squeteague; May 12, flounder; May 13, bluelish; June 8, stinging ray; June 7, sand shark; June 10, shark; June 25, bonito. On July 10 the weirs were taken up, and put down again August L'li, on which day the first seres was taken. This is a gold-colored fish about the size of the scup, a very palatable fish. It is quite common some seasons during August and September. August :;o, first Spanish mackerel; September G, first razor fish ; September 0, first goosefish." Mr. Deane says that striped mullet are quite abundant some years, but that there were none during the past season. No salmon have been seen this year. In 1879 five small ones were caught, but were returned to the bay, the State law not permitting any to be taken in weirs, dinners have been plenty ; hake and cod scarce. A dozen sheepshead have been taken during the season. There is an ample opportunity for a large increase in this neighborhood in the fishing industry- The abundance of fish and proximity to all the great fish markets, as well as a large demand from the numerous near inland cities, make this a desirable point, and one which is capable of producing many times the number of fish at present obtained, most of the catch being now taken in from four to six months. Fish of many kinds have been more abundant the past season than for several years. Their great abundance reduced the prices, which reduction, together with the effect of numerous severe storms and gales iu the spring, has lowered the gross stock of the season's work of the weirs to a sum rather below that of 1879. Algre is gathered from the shores of Sconticut Neck iu great abundance at various times of the year. Twenty-five years ago but little attention was given to MASSACHUSETTS: NEW BEDFORD DISTRICT. 269 it. Only ;i small amount was gathered, ami that without charge, by any one who wished it. As its value became known, and more of it was gathered, a charge at the rate <>(' 5 cents Cor a single- hoise load was made. This was about 18(JO. In 1805 the charge had increased to 12.1 cents a load, and at the present time 25 cents is willingly paid lor the same amount. It is used as a fertilizer. Eock-weed and kelp are also used, and sold for $1 a ton. The latter, when mixed with other sea- weed, is worth only 75 cents. All fish not fit for market are saved, and find a ready sale at 30 cents a barrel for fertilizing purposes. Thirty gill-uets are used by the fishermen at the Point. The catch consists of bluefish, tautog, scup, squeteagne, dogfish, and sharks. Two shore-seines and one purse-seine are used for the capture of menhaden. The catch for the past season was 750 barrels, all of which was sold to the farmers at 30 cents a barrel. Clains and quahangs are plentiful almost the entire distance of the west side of Buzzard's Bay from Cohasset- Xarrows to Scouticut Neck. Twenty-seven men dig them at various points, some going up the bay a short distance, and others, with teams, driving along the shore and filling their wagons, and selling the contents in the neighboring towns. The catch of lobsters here is small in size and amount. Most of it is used for bait in the capture of tautog, scup, and squeteague. Fourteen men with ten boats dredge for scallops from the middle of October to the middle of January. Great quantities are found in the Acushuet River, as well as along all the western shore of the bay. A small dredge, holding about a bushel, is used. It is made with an oval shaped iron frame 3 feet in length. Wire netting is used in the front part and twine at the back. Small sail-boats, each with two men, lish with from one to twelve of these dredges in tow, sailing with just enough sheet to allow a slow headway. As soon as a dredge is filled, the men "luff up," haul in, empty, and go on. These little boats take from 1(1 to 75 bushels a day. If the breeze be unfa- vorable, one man takes the oars while the other tends the dredges. The total number of persons employed in the Fairhaven fisheries in 1880 was 18li. The capital invested in vessels, boats, weirs, and other apparatus was $22,725, and the value of the fishery products was 831,289. The catch of the vessels was 410,000 pounds of fish; of the weirs 375,000 pounds of fish. Twenty boats took 2,100 bushels of scallops. 2,800 bushels of clams, and 3,000 bushels of quahaugs. The other shore-boats, the seines, and gill-nets caught 30,000 lobsters, 200,000 pounds of menhaden, and 215,000 pounds of other fish. In the Fairhaven Star of December 14, 1880, is the following historical review of the wli: business of that town : " I will give the readers of your paper an account of the whaling business. I have made a list of the whaling vessels that have been owned and fitted from Fairhaveii since the war England. Peace was proclaimed on the 18th of February, 1815, and the ship Herald and schooner Liberty were fitted on a whaling voyage in the North and South Atlantic in the following July, of 1815; the only whaling vessels belonging to Fairhaven at that date. The next whalers added \\ere schooner President, brig Ageuora, ships Stanton, Pindus, Leonidas, and Amazon; these, with the schooner Talemacus, were the whaling tleet of Fairhaveii in 1821, being eight in number. From 1821 they increased gradually until 1837, when there were thirty-seven vessels in the busi- ness, the tonnage being 11,054 tons. Value of sperm and whale oil imported, 8296,958.56; whale- bone, valued $25,312.86; total, $322,271.42; men employed, 945; capital invested, $957,000. Popu- lation at the above date, 3,049. From 1837 to about 1850 the ships and barks increased to fifty that were fitted and hailed from Fairhaveu. Averaging 28 men to each ship would be 1,400 men in the service; the tonnage of the ships, averaging 315 tons, would be 15,750 tons ; capital invested, averaging $20,000 to a ship, would be, $1,300,000. The largest number fitted in any year were 270 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. twenty-three ships and barks, and one brig in 1838. Allowing 165 feet from after end of spanker boom to end of fly-jib boom, fifty ships in line would be over li miles in length ; 7 boats to a ship, would be 350 boats ; 2,500 barrels cask each, 125,000 barrels. " From 1835 to 1850, Fairhaven was a busy, thriving town. Persons not acquainted with the place at that time can have very little idea of the number of people employed in the ship yards, shops on the wharves, and about the village. Over one hundred mechanics and laborers were from their labor at noontime from Union wharf, and probably a larger number were employed on other wharves and in the village. In 1841 sixteen ships and three barks were fitted. In 1S45 fourteen whalers arrived, with 15,525 barrels sperm oil, 11,625 barrels whale oil, and 100,300 pounds bone. The price of. speiiu oil in 1845 was 85 cents ; whale oil 31 cents per gallon, and whalebone 33 cents per pound; value of sperm oil, $415,681.87 ; whale oil, $113,518.12; whalebone, $33,099 ; value of importations in 1845, $562,298.99. ''There have been some very good voyages both in sperm and whale oil. The most costly ship of the fleet was the ship South Seaman, costing $65,000 ; several others costing about $50,000 each. The last two owned in Fairhaveu were ship General Scott and schooner Ellen Rodman. The ship Herald made twenty-five voyages, probably the largest number of any ship from this port, averaging 1,200 barrels each ; total, 30,000 barrels. Ship Amazon made seventeen voyages, obtain- ing 5,014 barrels sperm oil and 28,980 barrels whale oil ; total, 33,994 barrels. Ship William Wirt's largest cargo of sperm oil was 2,900 barrels. Ship South Seaman sent home 70 barrels sperm, 3,560 barrels whale oil, and 21,027 pounds bone. Lost on French Frigate Shoal March 13, 1859. "In 1765 sloops Industry and Dove were engaged in the whaling business. In 1767 sloops Myriad, Sea Flower, Rover, and Supply were added. "Before the war of 1812 ships Juno, President, Columbia, Herald (Samuel Borden, agent), Exchange (John Aldeu, agent), schooner Swan (John Aldeu, agent), were included in the whaling fleet of Fairhaveu. When peace was declared in 1815 only one ship and one schooner fitted for whaling ship Herald, agent Samuel Borden; schooner Liberty, agent John Aldeu. * * * Since 1815 one hundred and eight vessels hailing from Fairhaveu have engaged in the whaliug industry, classified as follows: eighty-eight ships and barks, eight brigs, and twelve schooners." 87. NEW BEDFORD TO WESTPORT. NEW BEDFORD. New Bedford is built on high ground, and the cross streets, running east and west, have an easy slope, affording a fine view of the Acushnet River and the harbor with its forest of masts of the whaling vessels. Fairhaven on the east and Buzzard's Bay in the distance on the south, make the view complete. New Bedford is the most important city on Buzzard's Bay, and in proportion to its population of 26,845, it is said to be the richest city in the United States. In 1877 its valuation in real estate was $12,609,200, and in personal property $10,854,900, or a total of $23,464,100. The home fisheries have never been prosecuted with very great interest, although both scale and shell fish are in great abundance and close at hand. Considerable attention is now paid to supplying New York, Philadelphia, and cities nearer home with fresh fish, clams, quahaugs, and scallops. A small amount of fish is also sent to Boston. The vessels engaged in fishing are of small size, sloop or schooner rigged. They fish in Buzzard's Bay and the Acushuet River near home, where a great variety, similar to that spoken of in the report for Fairhaven, is taken. Scaled fish are caught with hand-lines, eels in box-traps, and scallops with dredges. The menhaden fishery has been prosecuted from here for a number of years and has brought MASSACHUSETTS: NEW BEDFORD DISTRICT. 271 iu a large profit. Most of the catch was taken off the coast of Maine, where the fishiug was carried on through the entire season. The fish have not been seen on their usual summer grounds for the past two years in any large numbers, and neither the early spring nor southern catch has paid expenses. The usual manner of running the steamers is as follows: The owners of the steamer furnish the vessel, engineer, fishing-gear, water and coal for the motive power, and the, crew furnish their provisions, wages of cook, and board of fishermen. The captain hires his crew by the mouth or they go on shares. The owners receive one-half of the catch and the crew the other half. The master also receives an additional commission of from 5 to 7 cents a barrel. Steamers on Long Island Sound usually pay so much a thousand for the fish, 3 barrels of fish to the thousand count. During 1879 the fleet from this port caught 55,700 barrels of menhaden, which were sold at the factories of Long Island Sound and Maine at 25 cents a barrel. During 1880 five of the steamers report a catch of 45,925 barrels of menhaden and 1,800 barrels of mack- erel. The former sold at 30 cents a barrel and the latter sold fresh in the Boston market. Scallops are plenty in the Acushnet River and large quantities are taken with dredges from October through the winter. The business has of late years greatly increased. When the season opens iu the fall, about 2 bushels iu the shell are required to make 1 gallon of solid meats, which weighs about 7 pounds. Scallops are always sold by the gallon. Eels are found very plenty in the river and near creeks and bays. They are mostly caught in a box-trap of simple and cheap construction. This is 4 feet long, 10 inches wide, with slatted sides. There is a hole in each end 4 inches square. In the aperture are placed two small wooden slats. The eels slide in with ease, the slats opening as they glide in and immediately closing. The box is weighted with stones and baited with clams. Thirty small sail-boats of sloop or schooner rig, of less than 5 tons each, and therefore not under license, are used by forty-five fishermen in the near home fishery. They catch their fish chiefly in Buzzard's Bay; it consists of tautog, scup, flounders, and eels, with a small amount of the other large species found in the bay. Many swordfish are caught in their season. The average amount of scallops taken every fall and winter is about 4,000 bushels. No fishing is carried on in midwinter. The food-fish fishery of New Bedford employs fourteen vessels, aggregating 189.75 tons, and valued, with gear and outfit, at $13,990. In the menhaden fishery there is a fleet of seven steamers and one schooner, aggregating 520.46 tons, and valued, with their gear and outfit, at $69,276. Several vessels which obtained licenses in the general fisheries did not engage in that industry. They were mostly yachts that under those licenses were entitled to certain privileges not otherwise granted. Une vessel of 84.65 tons, valued, with outfit, at $13,000, sailed in 1880 for the Antarctic fur-seal fishery. New Bedford has for many years been the chief whaling port of the United States. The whale fishery was pursued here as early as 1755, and in 1765 four vessels were engaged in it. At the period of the Revolutionary war there were fifty to sixty vessels, but most of them were destroyed. After the war the business revived, but was again prostrated by the war of 1812. It was renewed iu 1818, and the number of vessels gradually increased till 1857, when the New Bed- ford fleet numbered 324 sail, aggregating 110,867 tons. Various causes have led to a decline in this industry, among which were the panic of 1857, the destruction of thirty vessels by Confederate cruisers during the late war, and the loss, in 1871, of twenty-four vessels in the Arctic Ocean. Another and perhaps the chief cause of a decline was the substitution of cotton-seed oil and petroleum for whale oil. The great quantities in which these oils could be obtained made them so cheap tlat whale-oil dealers could not enter into fair competition for the trade. New Bedford 272 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. merchants have persistently continued tins fishery and have managed to make it generally suc- cessful. The demand for sperm oil and -whale oil, as well as for whalebone, will never entirely cease, for there are uses to which these products can be put that cannot be met by other oils or substances. There are in this city several large oil refineries and caudle factories, where the oils are refined and the spermaceti made into large cakes for use in the arts or molded into caudles. The whalebone, is sent to the bone-workers in Boston and New York, where it is made into whips, corset and dress bone, and adapted to many other uses. The whaling fleet of New Bedford at present numbers 123 vessels, aggregating 31,508.83 tons, valued, with outfits, at $2,414,000, and manned by 3,220 men. The catch of the New Bedford vessels and of the five vessels belonging to other ports in this district in 1879 was valued at $1,897,009, and included 1,135,200 gallons of sperm oil, 595,0(18 gallons of whale oil, 242,470 pounds - -I 1 whalebone, 18,100 pounds of ivory, and G2^ pounds of ambergris. In 1 SSO the oil aggregated about 1,805,262 gallons, and the bone about 380,364 pounds. The slate of this industry in the city of New Bedford at different periods during the past forty years has been as follows: Tear. Number of vessels. Tonnage. Hunt-Is ut' SJH'MLl nil. Bnnvls me. 11-40 . ... . 174 ra, 465 75 411 249 M 44" in c,"7 1 081 500 1853 . . . 318 107 512 14 '.I '3 iln I'/?:; 2, 835 800 1857 824 110 267 48, 108 127 362 1 350 850 ''91 98 7CO 13 716 90 450 111" COO 1665 163 50 403 "1 "'.r' 51 693 ;7ii .I.MI 1870 . 176 r iO "VI 4 9 886 49 563 "n't .-.i;! 1S73 110 '1 I':' 34 430 25 OC7 159 973 Exclusive of the whale fishery, the products of the fisheries for 1879 included 61,000 barrels of menhadr. I lobsters, 1,800 barrels of fresh mackerel, S24,200 pounds of tautog, flounders. and other lisli, and 2, 500 gallons of scallops, having a total value of about >'50,000. Clark's Point forms the southerly part of the city of New Bedford, the Acushnet River on the east and Clark's Cove on the west. Its length is about 2 miles. Ou the end of the point are alight- house and Government fortifications. Four pounds or traps are fished here. They caught in isso 125.000 pounds of various species of fish valued at $2,200. The value of the traps is !?2,<;00, and the number of persons employed is eight. Concerning the oyster business in this vicinity, Mr. Ingersoll reports as follows: "The Acushnet River, just above New Bedford, has been found wanting in the qualities neees sary to make it good planting ground for oysters. The experiment has been tried, but has failed. No cultivation exists there, therefore. "The principal dealers in the town buy yearly a superior stock of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay, bringing one- cargo of ;>,5oo bushels for beddiug, and another cargo for winter use; the schooner Hastings, of nearly 100 tons burthen, is the vessel used at present. These oysters cost 65 cents when laid down, but grow very little on these bids, since there is no fresh water to start them. In addition to this, one firm furnishes oysters from Providence River, Wareham, and else- where. The rest of the town, as calculated by them, use about 200 bushels and 100 gallons a week for five months. This makes New Bedford's estimated consumption, annually, about 13,000 bushels. Five men are employed six mouths as openers, at 17 cents a gallon. "Just west of New Bedford is a, little stream and inlet, known as Westport River. This was the locality of an ancient bed of native oysters, which lias now nearly disappeared through too great raking. They are said to be very large and of good quality, but not more than 50 bushels MASSACHUSETTS: NEW BEDFORD DISTKICT. 273 a year cau now be caught throughout the whole 3 miles from the "Point" up to the bridge, which sell at $1.50 to $2 a bushel in New Bedford. There is reputed to be good planting ground near the bridge. "A few miles west of Westport is the Dartmouth Eiver, where, it is said, an oyster-bed has recently formed, but, as yet, is of little account. The bottom there, however, is regarded as very suitable for planting upon. Fifty bushels a year would cover the whole supply from here." DARTMOUTH. This port is situated on the western side and about half-way of the length of Buzzard's Bay. Four vessels of 1G3.03 aggregate tonnage fish from this port two of them, on Banquereau and Western Banks for cod, and the other two near home, off Block Island and the New England shore, for cod and swordfish. Eight men are engaged in the lobster catch, setting their pots to the west of Cuttylmnk Island, 12 miles from home. Funnel-pounds (or bass-traps, as the fishermen call them) are set along the shore as follows: Apponagausett Bay, two; near Dumpling light, two; 1 mile west of Dumpling light, two; Mishaum Point, three. These pounds cost from $200 to $400 each, according to size, and are made of twine, with the exception of the end of the funnel, which is of wood. Some large pounds are in use at Dumpling light from April until August. They are owned by Mr. George Suell. By August the season is considered over and the pounds are taken up. The twine is made fast to poles driven into the ground. The poles are replaced each year, and the twine is not good for much after having been used for two or three seasons. The fish caught are alewives, menhaden, flounders, scnp, and tautog, proprotionately iu the order mentioned, with a few bluefish and shad. A State law forbids the taking of salmon. They are very seldom seen. At Dumpling light only two have been observed during the past five years. Menhaden are sold to the farmers at the rate of 30 cents a barrel for fertilizing purposes. Large quantities of unmarketable fish, such as skates, sharks, dogfish and others are taken and sold to the farmers for the same purpose at the rate of 85 cents a hundred fish, large and small. The livers of the dogfish, however, are removed and saved for their oil. The eatable fresh fish are sold fresh at New Bedford, New York, and Philadelphia, and the cured fish at Boston. The catch, by the pounds, during 1880, has been fully 75 per cent, larger in amount and value than that for 1879. The lobsters taken are shipped to New York. There are salt works at South Dartmouth which manufacture 12,000 bushels of salt yearly from the water of Buzzard's Bay, which is pumped by windmills to the evaporating works. A much larger amount has been produced in past years. Most of the salt is used for home consump- tion, selling for 35 cents a bushel. Dartmouth once owned a number of whaling vessels, but there is now only one vessel in this business. This vessel measures 231.59 tons and is valued, with outfits, at $20,000. The total amount of capital invested in the fisheries of this place in 1879 was $3S,CG8, including the value of 1 whaling vessel, 2 bankers, 2 shore-fishing vessels, 4 shore boats, 9 traps and pounds, 238 lobster pots, and $4,100 iu salt works. The products, exclusive of the whale fishery, were worth $20,050 and consisted of 598,000 pounds of fish, 50,000 lobsters, and 12,000 bushels of salt. WESTPORT POINT AND WESTPORT. Westport Point, situated on the western side, and near the mouth of Buzzard's Bay, was formerly of some note in connection with the whale fishery, and had a fleet of seventeen vessels engaged iu it. Since 1870 that fishery has been abandoned at this place. Previous to the last three years more attention was paid to the near-home fishery than at present. The people here now engage in both fishing and farming. From April 15 to November 1, twenty-eight men, including the minister, fish between Sakonnet Point and Gooseberry Neck. They fish with hand-lines from the deck of small, sloop-rigged sail-boats, 13 to 20 feet long. From 18GRF 274 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. September 15 to November 15 these men are joined by forty others, farm- work then being over foi the season. The catch is composed chiefly of tautog, with a small proportion of bluefisb, squeteague, rock-bass, striped bass, and others. In 1879 the first tautog was caught on June 21. During that season the largest striped bass captured weighed 00 pounds. For the past few years no salmon, Spanish mackerel or bonito, and but few squeteague, cod or hake and less frequently still, a haddock have been taken. Tautog have always been plentiful. Bluefish, striped bass, and menhaden show a decrease in the past 2 years' fishing. Eels are abundant and are caught chiefly at night with torch and spear. Lobsters are not numerous, and but little time is devoted to catching them. The fish are sold at Fall River and New Bedford. On both sides of the Acoakset River clams are plentiful. Six men were engaged in working the beds during parts of seven months in the year 1879. Seven hundred bushels of clams were that year sent to market, and fully 1,000 bushels were used in home consumption. The abundance of clams has varied since 1870, being sometimes large, at others small. The yield of 1879 was not up to the average. The fisheries of this place in 1879 gave employment to 71 men, and the amount of capital invested in 20 boats, 100 lobster traps, and other apparatus was $1,350. The value of the catch was $5,054, and included 3,000 pounds of striped bass, 47,900 pounds of tautog, 100 barrels of alewives, 17,200 pounds of eels, 35,500 pounds of assorted fish, 8,000 lobsters, and 1,700 bushels of clams. Most of the catch is sold at New Bedford and Fall River. Mr. David H. Bradley, who has been engaged in the fishing business at this point for twenty years, reports that not as many men are employed, nor as many fish caught, as when he first began business. The following item from the Barnstable Patriot, June 21, 1859, shows tue extent of the fisheries here at that date: "GREAT FISHING. Our correspondent at Westport Point writes us that the largest quantity of fish ever taken with the hook in one day at that place was taken on Friday. The fish num- bered 1,333, and when dressed weighed 4,000 pounds. Two hundred and thirty-six fish, weighing 1,200 pounds, were also taken from gill-nets on same day, making in all 5,200 pounds. Those taken with the hook average 3 pounds each; those taken with the nets 5 pounds. There were 20 boats out, and the largest number taken by a boat was 122. The boats averaged about 50 fish." At the western side of the bay from Westport Point, and distant from the point 1 mile by water and S by land, is the harbor of Westport. At one time a small fleet of fishing vessels and whalers sailed from here. At present there is no fishing vessel, though one whaler is owned here and fits at New Bedford. The only attention paid in 1880 to fishing was by two fishermen during the summer. They used 500 fathoms of gill-net. The catch consisted almost wholly of bluefish, which were abundant until the 1st of August. In 1879 the catch of three men amounted to $045.50, and consisted of 10,020 pounds of bluefish, 700 pounds of striped bass, and 50 barrels of menhaden. The. boats and nets used were worth $550. In 1880 two men with boats and nets worth $500 caught 17,500 pounds of bluefish, valued at $437.50. MASSACHUSETTS: FALL RIVER DISTRICT. 275 L. THE DISTRICT OF FALL RIVER. 88. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE DISTRICT. IMPORTANCE OF THE FISHERIES. The fisheries in this part of Massachusetts arc confined to the capture of menhaden, shad, alewives, and a few other species, and shell-fish. In this district, which includes the neighboring town of Swansea, the fisheries of the Taunton and adjacent rivers, and, for convenience, the shad fishery at Holyoke on the Connecticut River, there is invested a capital of $104,930. The value of the product is $63 3 903, and the number of persons employed is 280. The oyster fisheries of Taunton River and Cole's River are of considerable importance, and for a few days during the height of the season, give employment to 400 men. About 52,000 bushels of oysters, valued at $23,000, are annually sold from the beds in this district. These are mostly seed oysters, which are sold for transplanting, and have not been considered as an actual product of the fisheries. The amount of native eatable oysters produced is 1,000 bushels, worth $1,200. STATISTICAL SUMMATION FOR 1879. The following statements show in detail the extent of the fishing interests of Fall River district: Summary statement of pa-sons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 101 $40 585 149 9 345 Number of curera, packers, fitters, &c 15 a 55 000 Number of factory hands 15 Total . . 280 a Cash capital, $15,000: wharves, shorehonses, and fixtures, $10,000; factory buildings and apparatus, $30,000. Detailed statement of capital invested in vessels, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. No. Tonnage. Value. Value of gear, excla- siveofhoats and nets. Value of outfit. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. Nets. In menhaden fishery 22 410.04 $21, 900 $i?80 $6, 600 $29, 380 Purse-seines : Boats. In vessel fisheries 11 $5,000 Haul-seines: 24 2,340 2 340 In boat fisheries 20 4,000 61 2 885 360 5 620 8 865 Total Total 85 5 225 360 5 620 11 205 Traps. C 325 Lobster and eel pots 20 20 Total 26 345 Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value, prepared. Grand total $63 903 Fresh fish. 135 000 1 320 2 580 258 Eels ... 19, 200 9CO 276 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. Detailed statement of tJie quantities and values of tlie products Continued. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Bulk. Value, prepared. 3 000 45 Meuhaden 12 800 000 19, 200 Shad 83 134 4,157 10 000 50 Total 13,052,914 25, 990 Pickled fish. 550 000 440, 000 8,800 Misedfish 3,000 2,000 50 Total 553. 000 442, 000 8,850 Smoked fish. Alowives 150, 000 90, 000 2,250 Shell fish. 1, 000 bush els 1,200 Clams, for food 3, 375 bushels 3,121 Total 4,321 Miscellaneous. 800 gallons 400 50, 400 gallons 17,640 Fish guano 1,971 tons 4,450 Total 22, 492 a Includes 53, C30 pounds taken in the Connecticut lliver at Uolyoke, Mass. 89. THE GENERAL FISHERIES OF FALL RIVER AND NEIGHBORING TOWNS. FALL RIVER AND VICINITY. Fall River is on Mount Hope Bay, an arm of Narragausett Bay, at the mouth of Tauutou River, 45 miles from Boston. Its population in 1870 was 26,766; iu 18SO, 48,961. It is extensively engaged iu the manufacture of cotton goods, and its factories contain more spindles than those of any other city in the United States. Railroads furnish communica- tion with Boston, Providence, New Bedford, and other points, while daily lines of steamers run to Newport, Providence, and New York. The harbor is large and easy of access, and is deep enough for the largest vessels. The foreign and coastwise trade of Fall River is important. In 1873 thirty-seven vessels, aggregating 554 tons, were employed in the cod and mackerel fisheries, but in 1879 there were none. In former years whaling vessels were sometimes fitted here, but that fishery was abandoned many years ago. From 1840 to 1847 the whaling fleet numbered seven vessels, and from 1848 to 1860 two or more vessels were annually sent out; the last one in 1861. The only fishery now carried on from here is for the capture of menhaden. In this business there are employed twenty-two vessels, including one steamer, aggregating 410.04 tons, and valued with outfits at $36,720. The catch of these vessels in 1879 was 12,800,000 pounds of menhaden, worth $19,200 in the fresh condition, and was sold to the oil and guano factories in this vicinity. The shad and alewife fisheries of the Tauuton River are carried on by 108 men, who use 29 boats, 15 seiues, and 1 weir, worth, with their fixtures, about $7,500. The catch in 1879 was 1,718,000 alewives, equal to about 4,000 barrels, and 6,615 shad weighing 21,498 pounds. The value of these products was $12,090. A portion of the alewives were sold fresh, the rest pickled or smoked. The shad were sold fresh in Boston and other markets. In Cole's River, iu the town of Swansea, 4 miles west of Fall River, at the northern end of Mount Hope Bay, there is a small fishing station. The northern and northwestern ends of Mount MASSACHUSETTS: PALL RIVER DISTRICT. 277 Hope Bay arc valuable for tbeir scallop and clam beds, which extend from Kickamuit River on the west to Taunton River on the east, a distance of 5 miles. From 1875 to 1880 scallops were very plentiful. In 1880, however, grown scallops were quite scarce, while the beds were well supplied with the young shell fish, thus giving promise of a good supply in the future. Nineteen men are engaged in the business, giving most of their time to catching shell-fish. When these are scarce, the fishermen visit the beds near Greenwich, on the opposite side of the bay. When these beds are yielding abundantly, other fishermen, from the Greenwich side, join in the business. In this industry small cat-rigged boats are used, each of which is equipped with four to eight dredges. The catch is opened at Swansea and forwarded principally to New York. During the summer Rocky Point and other resorts are supplied by these fishermen with clams of the summer yield, and Fall River and the local trade are furnished with clams from the winter digging. Eels are plenty in Cole's river, and are taken in a conical basket-work trap, 2 feet long. The catch is sent to New York. A few fyke-nets are used in the winter, the catch flounders being used at and near home. Clams are worth $1 a bushel in summer, and 70 cents in winter. At the present time as many clams are used in summer as in winter. The fisheries of Cole's River in 1879 gave employment to 19 men. The capital, invested in G small sail-boats, 40 scallop dredges, and 100 dories, amounted to $960. The products were worth $5,332, and consisted of 900 bushels of scallops, 3,375 bushels of clams, 19,200 pounds of eels, and 3,000 pounds of flounders. Besides these products there were about 1,000 bushels of oysters dug in this vicinity, valued at $1,200. 90. THE OYSTER INTERESTS OF TAUNTON RIVER AND VICINITY. The oyster interests of the Fall River district, as reported by Mr. Ingersoll, are as follows : "TAUNTON RIVER. There lies in the Tauutou River, at Dighton, a large rock, well known to archffiologists, on account of some inscriptions which it bears; these, though untranslated, are supposed to be the work of Norse voyagers who early visited these waters. The foundation for this supposition is very fully and attractively stated in Thoreau's Cape Cod, to which the reader is referred. These earliest comers were pleased to find shell-fish abundant in the region, and the English settlers, three or four centuries later, record their thankfulness on similar grounds. From time immemorial, then, oysters have been natives of this district, and no such mistake as has been made north of Cape Cod could ever be put forward to deny that they are here indigenous. "It was long ago recognized that the Tauntou River was a valuable oyster-property, and legal measures were early adopted looking toward its preservation. The present plan of opera- tions came into effect about thirty years ago, and though differing slightly in the various towns bordering the river, consists, in general, of the leasing of the ground for raking and planting pur- poses, during a term of years, at a fixed rental. Most of the towns do this under the general law of the State, but Somerset had a special act iu her favor, passed by the legislature in 18-47. "The oysters from all parts of Taunton River (the producing extent is about 12 miles long) are known as 'Somersets.' Formerly they were considered extremely good eating, and grew to a large size. Within the last twenty five years, however, they have assumed a green appearance and lost quality. It is popularly asserted, locally, that this is owing to the influence of the impuri- ties discharged by the copper-works, by the rolling-mills, and by the print-works, which are situated some miles above the oyster beds. But this has been denied, on the ground that not enough of the mineral matter thus thrown into the current could get down there to afi'ect the oysters so seriously, and also on the better ground, that chemical analyses fail to show the presence of any- 278 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. thing to account for the greenish stain, which is precisely that so highly esteemed a few years ago in the French oysters of Marennes, and other districts. I was assured that this greenness varied in different parts of the river, and with different seasons, and that if any oysters happened to have grown high up on the bridge-piers, or elsewhere off the bottom, they were not green at all. Just how deleterious to health these green Somerset oysters are, I could not learn satisfactorily. No- body pretends that their effects are fatal, and some say they are as good as any other inferior oyster. The general opinion, however, is, that eating a dozen raw ones is certain to be followed by violent sickness at the stomach. No doubt prejudice has much to do with it, for there is no food which the imagination would more quickly influence the stomach to reject, than the soft, slippery, and somewhat insipid fresh-water oyster. The same green appearance occurs of late in the oysters of Seekonk River, to be spoken of later on ; and in both cases transplanting entirely removes the stain and elevates the quality, which is said to be slowly improving. In consequence of this stain, the eating of Somerset oysters, in their natural state, has been nearly given up, and the whole trade of the river is devoted to the production and sale of f-eed. Of course no planting of any sort, beyond the occasional transference of 'set' from one part of the river to another, has ever been undertaken. "The number of young oysters born every fall in Taunton River varies, but there is never a year wholly without them. The season of 1877 was a good one, and about ten years previous, the autumn of 'the great September gale,' saw an extraordinary production, or 'set,' as the appearance of the young oysters is termed here. The rocks and gravel along both shores are covered to a greater or less extent, but in addition to this every owner spreads down great quantities of clean shells every summer, in the hope of catching spawn. Generally, they are successful, and some- times extremely so. Some experiments have been tried with sunken brush; but though the spawn attached itself well enough, the currents and winds are so strong and uncertain as to drift it all away and lose it to its owner. Perhaps 25,000 or 30,000 bushels of shells are spread in this river annually. The favorites are scallop shells, because they are thin and brittle, so that the young oysters anchored to them are easily broken apart or di'tached. Scallop shells are somewhat scarce, and 3,000 bushels put down at Assonet in 1878 cost $300. The result, nevertheless, is often very gratifying. Mr. S. R. Higgins told me that from 500 bushels of shells placed near Fall River he took up the following year 3,500 bushels of youitg oysters. The annual product, in seed, of the different town fronts along the river is given approximately as follows: Bnahels. Bnshela. Bushels. 11 000 6 000 13 000 3 000 10 000 Fall River 8 000 51 OOC "Putting an average value of 45 cents a bushel on this (the sales of the Somerset Oyster Company in 1879 netted them 42 cents), gives the sum of $22,950 as the value of the yearly crop of Tanuton River seed. Of this, $5,400 is paid as revenue to the towns, and the balance mainly to native assistants in dredging, tonging, and transportation. The river towns may therefore be said to derive about $20,000 as the annual value of their fisheries to them, besides the oysters needed 'for family use.' This money is widely distributed. While the law permits the raking of the river during nine months of the year, it is nevertheless the fact that the main part of the work must be done iu a much shorter time. As soon as the weather permits, or about April 1, the pro- prietors put gangs of men at work, and keep at it until the end of May, The catch is nearly all MASSACHUSETTS: PALL RIVER DISTRICT. 279 contracted for before it is caught, and every owner is straining to fill bis orders at the promised time. The water is from 3 to 20 feet deep, and the tongiug not very difficult. The tongs used do not work by the twisting of the grain of an oaken pivot, but on a brass swivel-pivot, known as the 'Somerset' tongs. All, however, do not approve of the invention, averring that it wears out the tongs. During the months of April and May about sixty persons are employed in Somerset alone, and in other towns in proportion perhaps four hundred along the whole river who, as a rule, live along the bank, and often own the boats they operate; if not owned, one is hired from their employer at 25 cents a day. The catching is all done by the bushel. Now from 10 to 15 cents a bushel is given, according to the scarcity of the inollusks, and a smart man might make $2 a day, though the average will not exceed $1.50. Formerly wages were higher, and perhaps the lowering has induced that constant effort on the part of the catchers to cheat the buyers, through false measures, &c., which is so freely charged against them. "The ground is cleaned up pretty thoroughly by the time the 1st of June is reached, and in the fall little raking is done, it being considered poor policy. A well-known lessee on the Freetown shore, however, thinking, at the expiration of his lease a few years ago, that he would be unable to renew it, resolved selfishly to dredge his whole land in the autumn, leaving as barren a ground as possible for his successor a proceeding quite characteristic of the locality. He did so, but suc- ceeded in renewing his lease, and returned to his raking the ensuing spring rather ruefully, expecting to find little or nothing. To his astonishment, he picked off an area that had usually yielded him 6,000 to 7,000 bushels no less than 12,000 ! Hence he concluded that the thorough scraping had done the bottom good, though where he got the spawn at that late day is a mystery. This small seed, less than a year old and about the size of your thumb-nail, is widely distributed, going to beds on Cape Cod, in Buzzard's Bay, along the southern shore, and in all parts of the Narra- gansett. It is highly esteemed on account of its hardiness. Wonderful stories are told of the cold and heat, drought and exposure, water too salt and water too fresh, which it has survived and prospered under. There is no difficulty about selling to planters all that can be raised, and the present high prices are due to the rivalry which has been brought about between buyers. The vessels which come to carry it away are small sloops and schooners of 30 or 40 tons, which carry from 300 to 1,000 bushels. None, I think, is sent anywhere by rail. Starfishes nowadays are few in Taunton River; but the borers (Urosalpinx cinereus) are growing more and more numerous and troublesome. "SWANSEA. After leaving Taunton River, pointing westward, the first point at which oysters of any commercial consequence are met with is in Cole's River, which flows into Mount Hope Bay, almost on the boundary between Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was known long ago that oysters had inhabited this stream, and also Lee's River, near by, and immense dead shells are occa- sionally brought to light, but it had almost been forgotten until a few years ago, when there was suddenly discovered near the mouth of the inlet a large bank of living oysters of fine quality. Everybody at once rushed to rake them up, evading or discarding the special law enacted in 1867 for the protection of the oyster-beds in these very rivers. "The result of this onslaught was, that two or three seasons of it nearly extirpated the colony, and the few to be obtained now are only got by hard effort on the part of a few professional river- men, who peddle them in the neighborhood or take them to Fall River. "The extensive banks and tide flats of this river, however, have long abounded in young oysters, which were buried by the digging for clams, which is extensively carried on here, or frozen by the winter weather, so that few, if any, survived, and none to speak of were gathered. Lately a large gravel bank has been thrown up by the changed currents against the pier of the railway 280 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. bridge, aud the number of infant mollusks attached to the pebbles here became so great as to attract the attention of Providence oysterrnen, who have created a demand for this seed. It is therefore gathered and sold now; about 1,000 bushels, it is estimated, having been collected during 1879. This is hardy, of good shape, and produces a round and remarkably fine oyster. Some attempts have been made at Cole's River to plant and rear its own oysters, and the town granted areas for this purpose, but they have not been successful thus far. Litigation has resulted in several cases from a clashing of alleged rights, and anchor-frost and starfishes, or drifting sand, have done the rest. I fear it is not a favorable locality for this purpose." Statistic of oyster interests in Fall River district. Number of planters (not counted elsewhere) 10 Extent of producing area acres.. 13 Number of men employed (a few days in spring) 400 Value of shore property and cultch $5,000 Number of boats employed 250 Value of same $5,000 Annual sales of native oysters bushels.. 52,000 Valuo of same $23, 000 R T IV. THE FISHERIES OF RHODE ISLAND. By A.. HOWARD CI.ARK. NOTES ON OYSTER INDUSTRY GATnERED BY ERNEST INGERSOLL ; ON GENERAL FISHERIES, BY W. A. WLLCOX AND LUDWIG KUMLIEN. ANALYSIS. A. GENERAL REVIEW OF RIIODE ISLAND AND ITS FISH- ERIES : 01. Description of the State and extent of its fisheries. B. THE OYSTER INTERESTS OF RHODE ISLAND: 92. Origin and importance of the oyster in- dustry. 93. The planting grounds of Narragansctt Bay. 94. Business in Southern, native, and seed oysters. 95. Extent of the oyster business in 1879. C. GENERAL FISHERIES OF NEWPORT COUNTY, INCLUD- ING BLOCK ISLAND : 96. Adamsville, Little Compton, Tiverton, and vicinity. 97. The fisheries of Newport. 98. Block Island and its fisheries. D. GENERAL FISHERIES OF BRISTOL, PROVIDENCE, AJJD KENT COUNTIES : 99. Fishing towns from B" ; stol to Warwick Neck. 100. The fisheries of Apponaug and East Green- wich. E. GENERAL FISHERIES OF WASHINGTON COUNTY: 101. Fisheries from Wickford to Narragansctt Pier. 102. Point Judith to Pawcatuck River. 281 THE FISHERIES OF UIIODK ISLAND. A. REVIEW OF RHODE ISLAND AND ITS FISHERIES. 91. DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE AND EXTENT OF ITS FISHERIES. GENERAL REVIEW. The State of Rhode Island is about 50 miles long and 35 miles wide Its continental shore-line is only 45 miles, yet, with its numerous bays, 320 miles of shore are. washed by the tide. It is divided into two unequal parts by Narragansett Bay, which extends inland some 30 miles from the ocean. Throughout the State there are fresh-water ponds, and in the. southern part some large ponds of salt-water. The bays embraced within the State limits are l.ountifully supplied with fish; some species are fit for food, others only for the manufacture of manure. The ponds contain abundant shell-fish. The State derives its name from the island called Rhode Island in the middle of Narragansett Bay, and upon which are the towns of New- port and Portsmouth and the village of Bristol Ferry. It is claimed by geographers that Rhode Island is the Viulaud of the Northmen, and that the famous Dighton Rock, on Taunton River, bearing some strange hieroglyphics is a memorial of the visit of Thorfiu, in the tenth century. The celebrated stone mill at Newport is by some supposed to be another monument left by very early visitors to these shores. Into Narragansett Bay empty the Tauuton, Providence, and other rivers. The city of Provi- dence, an important manufacturing and commercial center, is on the Providence River, some 15 miles from the bay. Here is an excellent harbor. No fisheries are now carried on at Providence, though when the whale fishery was at its height this place, in common with Warren, Portsmouth, and Newport, had its whaling fleet. The colonial records of Rhode Island give evidence that the early settlers were engaged in carrying on the fisheries, especially for the capture of shad and shell-fish, and frequently whales were "cast up on the shores, and being cut in pieces were sent far and near as a most palatable present." The Indians were accustomed to use nets made of hemp, and to shoot the bass as they became entangled in the meshes of the net. Sturgeon were taken with harpoons, and were very highly prized for food. In 1731 the authorities passed an act for the encouragement of the cod and whale fisheries, and granted a bounty of 5 shillings a quintal for codfish caught by Rhode Island vessels ; 5 shillings a barrel for whale oil, and 1 penny a pound for whalebone. As a result of this encouragement the fisheries increased in importance, and at the period of the Revolution- ary war were very profitable to the inhabitants. In 1789 one hundred and one vessels, many of them wlralers, were owned at Providence. The war of 1812 caused the decline of the whale fishery ; after the war it revived and from 1840 to 1850 a number of whaling vessels were owned at several ports in the State, but the business is now entirely abandoned. In 1860 the general fisheries of the State yielded 118,611 barrels of menhaden and other fish for manure and oil, worth $27,817; about $25,000 worth of food fish; and $11,692 worth of clama 283 284 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF TDE FISHERIES. and other shell-fish. Besides these productions of the waters there were gathered from the shore 34,927 cords of sea-drift, valued at $37,604, and 1,540 tons of salt hay, worth $12,320. The Rhode Island State Census for 18C5 gives the following figures to show the products of the fisheries for that year: Fish seined for manure and oil, 154,468 barrels, worth $120,035; fish caught for food, 2,462,360 pounds, $121,094; clams, 31,697 bushels, quahaugs, 9,241 bushels, scallops, 9,653 bushels, oysters, 72,895 bushels, and lobsters 42,900 pounds, having a total value of $118,655; sea-drift, 34,146 cords, $38,083; and salt hay, 2,116 tons, $18,545. The aggregate value of the products of the waters and shores of the State was $422,412. STATISTICAL SUMMATION OF RHODE ISLAND FISHERIES FOR 1880. The following state- ments show the statistics of the Rhode Island fisheries in 1880. The number of persons employed is 2,310, the capital invested is $596.678, and the value of products is $880,915. The menhaden industry employs 608 men, some of whom are also engaged in the capture of food fish; the capital invested is $304,300, and the value of products is $221,748. In the oyster business 650 persons are employed; the capital invested is $110,000, and the value of the products is $356,925. Summary statement of persons employed and capital invested. Persons employed. Number. Capital invested. Amount. 536 $9G 775 1,066 95 053 708 a204 850 Total ... 2 310 Total 596 078 a In menhaden factories, $77,900; in other fishery industries, $126,950. Detailed statement of capital investtd in vessels, boats, nets, and traps. Vessels and boats. No. Toiinage. Value. Value of gear and out- fit, exclusive of boats aud nets. Total value. Nets and traps. No. Value. Vessels. Nets. Gill-nets 70 $3 7CO 31 314 19 $20 800 $3 600 $'6 400 50 GI 2, 188. 68 171,050 24, 600 195, 650 52 5 070 Total 92 2, 502. 77 191, 850 30, 200 222, 050 Total 172 28, 8nO Boats. 150 11 410 11 410 Traps. 166 5G 613 584 49 835 13 480 63 315 Fykes 865 7 530 Total 734 01,245 13, 480 74, 725 Lobster and eel pots 2,857 2,060 Total 3 888 66 9 23 Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products. Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Pounds, prepared. Balk. Value. $880 915 Fresh fish. For food alO 838 328 184 482 1 355 000 2 432 Total 12, 193 328 186 914 and natnsn, 352,400 pounds ; mackerel, 89,000 pounds ; white aud yellow perch, 30,000 pouuda ; salmon, 400 pounds ; scup or porgy, 6, pounds ; shad, 48, 100 pounds ; smelts, 95,000 pounds ; squeteague, 326,000 pounds ; awordfish, 90,000 pounds ; mixed fiah, 356,750 pounds. RHODE ISLAND: GENEIiAL REVIEW OF ITS FISHERIES. Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products Continued. 285 Products specified. Pounds, fresh. Ponmls, prepared. Bulk. Value. Cured fah. 1 931 800 768 720 505 000 404 000 2 333 000 1 400 000 Total 4 709 800 2 572 720 SheU fish. 43 250 539 GOO 124 600 17 800 "allons 8 900 1 305 GOO 1G3 200 bushels 6356 9' lf > Total 2 393 050 430 60 Miscellaneous. 68 C93 800 21 748 Cod oil 1 300 400 163 400 barrels 1 200 Total 24 411 b Includes $131,425 enhancement on 274,300 bushels of southern oysters. B. THE OYSTER INTERESTS OF RHODE ISLAND. EXTRACTS FROM REPORT BY ERNEST INGERSOLL. 92. ORIGIN AND IMPORTANCE OF THE OYSTEE INDUSTRY. LAWS; STATISTICS POE 1860 AND 1865. When the people of "The Colony of Rhode Ishaid and the Providence Plantations" felt themselves sure of future stability, they applied to the king, Charles II, to grant them a charter, which he graciously did iu the year 1GS3. This charter was A wonderful document for those days, because of the well-nigh perfect liberty it embraced, and its hospitality to every conscientious belief, whatever the name of the religious banner it rallied under. Among the privileges and liberties it insisted upon was the right of free-fishing in every shape. The relations of the fishermen to the owners of the shores were defined with great minuteness, and were calculated to make all the fish of the sea and all the molluscous denizens of the muddy tide-flats as available as possible to every citizen. Thereafter they were jealously preserved for public benefit. In 1734-'35, for instance, the first session of the assembly at East Greenwich was distinguished by an act for the preservation of oysters, which the thoughtless inhabitants were burning in large quantities for lime; and in October, 17GG an "act for the preservation of oysters" was passed, forbidding them to be taken by drags, or otherwise than by tongs, under a penalty of 10. Parents and masters were held liable for the violation of this law by their children or servants, and the owners of boats engaged iu evading it were subject to a double fine. When (and it was not many years ago) the State constitution was adopted, no clause was so scrupulously worded against possible evasion as that which declared that in respect to the rights of fishing and of taking clams, &c., everything should remain precisely as decreed in the old charter. The oyster-law, therefore, is based upon the principle that between high-water mark and the public highway of the ship-channel the laud and water are controlled by the State as public 286 GEOGKAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. property, to be administered for the greatest good to tlie greatest number. Ehode Islanders are extremely tenacious of these shore and water rights, and there has been no little quarreling over some actions of the legislators and decisions of the courts with respect to this subject ; but, upon the whole, there has been little alteration of the original law. The general statute, in substan- tially its present shape, came into force in 1864. Previous to that time the State had let oyster- grounds at $1 rent per acre, and not much business was done. Five out of the thirty-two towns that compose the State are situated on islands. The bays embraced within the State and the extensive salt ponds near the southern coast abound with shell- fish. To ascertain the extent and value of these fisheries thellhode Island Society for the En- couragement of Domestic Industry made great exertions, but without success, at the time of the general census of 1860. A statement, nevertheless, exists in the report of I860 that the oysters of Ehode Island were valued at $382,170, out of a total of about $600,000 for all the fisheries, excluding whales. In 1865 this point was made a special feature, and much fuller information was gathered. " These statistics," says the report of the general assembly's committee, " must, from the nature of the case, depend to some extent upon estimates. For example, the clams on the shores are free to all the inhabitants of the State who choose to dig them. Persons come to the shores from all quarters, and often from distances of several miles, and dig as many clams as they choose to eat or carry home. Nothing is exactly known of the quantities thus removed. The only estimates which could be made were from the opinions of the owners of shore farms." The following, is the table of the product of the shell fish industry as presented by the committee in 1865 : Towns. Clams. Quahangs. Scallops. Oysters. Total vohioof all shell-anil. Bushels. 962 Bushels. 457 Bushels. Bushels. $2 313 Bristol 200 200 1 215 10 1 225 1 415 339 6 635 13 6 313 9 1"7 2 953 1 627 242 13 949 162 6 98 119 232 2 200 4 200 1 680 7 715 145 500 4 331 576 55 468 200 200 3 405 830 12 100 19 602 404 2 966 3 50 450 54, 122 200 1 812 1 515 5 740 1 4SO 870 6 791 57 18 3 070 3 345 Westerly 7 11 Total 31 697 9 9 41 9 653 71 894 118 655 Although the amounts in the above table ought to have been doubled to represent the truth in each case, on the average, yet they show that when the new law, putting a rent of $10 an acre and organizing the oyster interest under careful control by the State, went into operation, the whole value of the industry was very small, compared with the present. Since the passage of this statute the oyster interest has steadily grown in importance. Nevertheless, there has always been more or less grumbling on the part of the owners of leases; who pleaded that they are paying an exorbitant rent. The general financial depression of 1873-'76. RHODE ISLAND: THE OYSTER INTERESTS. 287 heightened this discontent, and iu tbe winter of 1878-'79 it came to the surface in a contest before the legislature, which brought up several mooted points. The great bone of contention was the construction put by the commissioners upon who were suitable persons to receive leases. It was notorious that many Boston dealers planted oysters and operated business generally in Narragan- sctl Bay, upon ground leased in the name of some " inhabitant of the State," who might or might not act as their agent at the scene of operations. This practice was deemed by many native fish- ermen an infringement of law and an injury to them. They, therefore, endeavored to procure the passage of a bill through the legislature making it a misdemeanor for any lessee of oyster-beds to be interes