ply the Cape Ann fishing fleet with bait, although they are salted for food to a considerable extent. Ten seines and about seventy men are engaged in this fishery during its continuance, which is usually about one month-from the middle of June to the middle of July. The seines are 100 to 200 yards long and 5 to 8 fathoms deep, requiring 6 to 8 men to manage them. The boats from which they are worked are light scows, about 25 feet in length, and 8 feet in breadth of beam. The seine is set from the stern of the scow, and is worked from the shore by means of long warps. Capt. Moses Pettingell, of Newburyport, to whom I am indebted for the above facts, tells me that the seine-gangs have occasionally taken 2,000 barrels of fish in a single day. Boston and Gloucester vessels come to anchor at the mouth of the river and wait for their supplies of bait. At one time in 1877 there were 25 fishing schooners waiting. Captain Pettingell estimates that 500 supplies of bait of from 10 to 60 barrels are sold annually by the Merrimac seine-gangs. The regular price of fresh bait for the past ten years has been $1 per barrel. Probably 1,000 barrels of slivered fish were prepared in 1876; these sold for $5 per barrel. Captain Pettingell estimates the annual catch for 1876 at 2,000 barrels to a boat, making an aggregate catch of 20,000 barrels, or perhaps 6,600,000 fish. The returns are probably not far from $20,000 in a good season. The following table is from the Report of the Commissioners of Inland Fisheries for 1877 (p. 65). It is possibly not complete: TABLE.-Seine fishery at mouth of the Merrimac. Name. Menhaden. E. Thurlow... R. Pierce... B. M. Perkins.. W. H. H. Perkins N. Lattime B. Stevens 2, 013, 675 A similar fishery, though of much less extent, is carried on by Glouces ter vessels in Salem Harbor. There being no considerable body of fresh water, the schools are small and are easily dispersed. July 15, 1877, I observed six or seven gangs busily plying their seines opposite The Willows. After a day or two the menhaden were driven away, and the fishing ceased until the following week, when they returned and were soon followed by the same boats. An estimate of the total consumption of menhaden bait. 206. It is not practicable to make, from the data to which I have access, any very accurate estimate of the total quantity of menhaden bait used in one year. I have given below a number of estimates for individual ports or fisheries; C0,000 round barrels are thus accounted for. I do not hesitate to estimate the total consumption for 1877 at 80,000 barrels, or 26,000,000 of fish. Consumption by the George's Banks fleet. 207. The George's Banks cod fleet is owned entirely in Gloucester There are about 130 vessels, making usually one trip every twenty days. When they can get slivered menhaden they carry no other bait. Early in the summer they go to the Vineyard Sound for their bait, where they buy it from the pounds; later they are able to buy it from Gloucester and Newburyport seines. Each vessel carries about 40 round barrels of menhaden, iced. Mr. Joseph O. Proctor estimates the annual number of trips made with this bait at 600. This gives a total amount of 24,000 round barrels, or about 8,000,000 of fish; 24,000 round barrels are equivalent to 8,000 barrels of slivered fish. Ten years ago, according to the estimate of the same gentleman, the "Georgiamen" did not carry menhaden bait on so many trips, nor did they carry so much. He estimates 300 trips, at 30 barrels each, giving an aggregate of 9,000 round barrels, or about 3,000,000 fish. Consumption by the Grand Banks fleet. 208. Mr. Proctor estimates that the Grand Bank cod vessels of Glou cester use in all about 600 barrels of slivered menhaden bait. Major Low's statement of the outfit of the schooner "Madam Roland," copied from the trip-book, shows that she was supplied with 5 barrels of pogie slivers, at $8 per barrel, making $40; and 5 barrels of slack-salted clams, at $11, making $55. His model table, to show the cost of a new schooner fitted at Gloucester, 1875, for a four months' trip to the Grand Banks for codfish and halibut, with 14 hands, estimates for 12,000 pogies or herring, at $100.‡ Consumption by the mackerel line-fishermen. 209. Each mackerel-vessel engaged in line-fishing consumes during the course of the season about 20 barrels of salted menhaden slivers. In 1867, when the entire fleet fished with hooks, the amount consumed by Gloucester alone amounted, by Mr. Proctor's estimate, to 6,500 barrels, and the total consumption in the United States of mackerel bait must have exceeded 25,000 barrels. In 1877 the purse-seiners are in a large majority. The whole amount consumed by a seining-vessel does not exceed 5 or 6 barrels in a season. Gloucester had in 1877 about 60 "mackerel-hookers," using about 2,400 barrels of slivers, while its seining-fleet used about 2,000 barrels more. * Sailed for the Grand Banks August 26, 1873; arrived at Gloucester October 10, 1873; time absent, one month fourteen days; gross stock, $2,758.27. + Ibid., p. 362. · + Ibid., p. 368. Capt. Sylvanus Smith, of Gloucester, stated to the Halifax Commission that a vessel fitting out for a four months' trip to the Gulf of St. Lawrence would need to be supplied with 40 barrels of pogie bait, worth $6 a barrel, making $240, and 10 barrels of salt clams, worth $8 a barrel, making $80.* Major Low's statement, copied from the trip-book of the schooner Oliver Eldridge,† shows that she fitted out with 55 barrels of slivered pogies, at $6.50 a barrel, making $357.50, and 7 barrels of clams, at $6, making $42.‡ The amount of these outfits is much greater than that upon which the above estimate was made. The entire amount used in the mackerel fishery in 1877 probably did not exceed 8,000 or 9,000 barrels of slivers, or 24,000 to 27,000 barrels of "round fish." Consumption by the Connecticut smacks. 210. There are seven Connecticut smacks fishing for the flounder (Chaenopsetta ocellaris) in Long Island and Block Island Sounds. Five of these hail from Noank, one from Mystic, and one from New London. Captain Ashby tells me that these smacks average one trip every four or five days for five months (May to September inclusive). They use only menhaden bait; about one barrel each trip, or perhaps 150 barrels in the season. Sixteen Noank and four New London smacks fish for sea-bass. Each carries two or three barrels of menhaden bait each trip, making an ag gregate annual amount of about 1,000 barrels. Consumption by the New York halibut fleet. 211. The New York halibut fleet of 11 sails, owned at Noank, New London, and Greenport, uses only menhaden bait, which is iced fresh in the vessels' holds. Each vessel carries from 6,000 to 10,000 fish each trip. Each vessel makes five or six trips. The aggregate number of menhaden thus used is perhaps 480,000, or 1,400 barrels. The usual price is $4 a thousand. Annual sale of bait by the Maine manufacturers. 212. The Menhaden Oil and Guano Manufacturing Association of Maine sold for bait: In 1873.... In 1874... In 1875.. In 1876... In 1877.... Proceedings Halifax Commission, 1877, Appendix L, p. 334. Barrels of fish. 2,977 10, 400 10, 752 8,432 10, 795 + Which sailed for the Bay of St. Lawrence August 1875 (absent 2 months and 28 days), arrived at Gloucester November 2, 1875, stocking $1,771.83, or 224 barrels of mess mackerel. The Connecticut method of icing bait. 213. A peculiar method of preserving the unsalted menhaden is made use of on board of the Connecticut halibut-catchers. The fish, after being very carefully cleaned and eviscerated, are packed with pounded ice in bins holding about 125 cubic feet (about 5 feet in each dimension). A ground-layer of ice-blocks 12 inches thick is first laid, then a tier of fish consisting of two layers and about 4 inches thick, then a layer of 4 inches of pounded ice, and so on until the bin is filled, after which its sides are packed with pounded ice and covered with canvas. Seven to ten thousand fish are thus stowed in one bin. The stowing having been completed, the fish and ice freeze together in a solid mass, which is left untouched until the fishing-banks are reached. Their supply of bait being thus secured, the vessels are never obliged to make harbor in search of a new supply. They often catch their fare upon La Have or Brown's Bank, and return home without having an. chored. The bait is good for three weeks. Captain Ashby assures me that he has used it on the thirty-third day. The Cape Ann method of icing bait. 214. On board the Gloucester vessels the menhaden are not eviscer ated, nor are they packed with so much care; consequently they never last more than three weeks. Since twenty-four hours or more are usu ally occupied on both outward and home voyages, there is only a short time left for which the supply of bait can be counted upon. If by any means this time could be doubled, an important advantage would be acquired. Vessels would often be able to complete their fares on the eastern banks without going to Newfoundland for bait. Does the Connecticut method fulfill this requirement? Captain Hurlbert, one of the most experienced fishermen of Gloucester, says no. He claims that neither cod nor halibut will bite well at a fish which has had its blood removed. He says that a half-decayed fish, with the blood still in it, is better bait than a perfectly sweet one kept by cleaning it. He says, still further, that Gloucester fishermen formerly followed this method, but that it was abandoned many years ago, as early as 1866. The comparative value of various methods of icing. 215. The comparative value of the different methods of preserving bait was discussed by Professor Baird in his testimony before the Halifax Commission, which is quoted: "Question. Now will you state what observation you have made respect ing the method of preserving fresh bait from the start all the voyage through?-Answer. As a general rule it is now preserved either by salting or freezing. Of course they keep it as long as it will remain without spoiling, and when you have to carry it beyond that time either ice it or salt it. Salting, of course, is a very simple process, but it alters materially the texture and taste to such a degree that fish or other bait that under certain circumstances is highly prized by the fish is looked upon with a great deal of indifference when salted. Now, there are special methods of preserving the fish or bait by some chemical preparation, which preserves the fish without giving the saline taste. There are preparations by means of which oysters or clams or fish can be kept in solutions for six months without getting any appreciable taste, and without involving the slightest degree of deterioration or destruction. One process submitted to the group of judges, of whom I was chairman, was exhibited by an experimenter, who placed a jar of oysters in our room prepared in that way. I think about the 1st of August those were placed in our room, and they were kept there until the middle of September, for six weeks during the hottest portion of the Centennial summer, and that was hot enough. At the end of that time we mustered up courage to pass judgment upon this preparation, and we tasted these oysters and could not find them affected. We would have preferred absolutely fresh oysters, but there was nothing repugnant to the sensibilities, and I believe we consumed the entire jar. And we gave the exhibitor, without any question, an award for an admirable new method. That man is now using that process on a very large scale in New York for the preservation of fish of all kinds, and he claims he can keep them any length of time and allow them to be used as fresh fish quite easily. I don't suppose any fisherman ever thought of using any preservative except salt. "Q. That is entirely experimental?-A. It is experimental, but it promises very well. Now, borax is one of the substances that will preserve animal matter a great deal better than salt, and without changing the texture. Acetic acid is another preparation, or citric acid will keep fish a long time without any change of the quality, and by soaking it in fresh water for a little while the slightly acidulated taste will be removed. I don't believe a cod will know the difference between a clam preserved in that way and a fresh clam. "Q. Now, about ice. We know a good deal has been done in the way of preserving bait in ice. How far has that got?-A. It is a very crude and clumsy contrivance. They generally break up the ice into pieces about the size of pebble stones, or larger; then simply stratify the bait or fish with this ice, layer and layer about, until you fill up a certain depth or distance. The result is that if the bait can be kept two weeks in that method it is doing very well. They generally get a period of preservability of two weeks. The ice is continually melting and continually saturating the bait or fish with water, and a very slow process of decomposition or disorganization goes on until the fish becomes musty, flabby, and tasteless, unfit for the food of man or beast. "Q. Well, there is a newer method of preservation, is there not?-A. There is a better method than using ice. The method described by the Noank witness, by using what is equivalent to snow, allows the water |