National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-08-29
The Original MackcrelvIilc.
Catching macLerei- where u IL Done
and How The Process OF Curing.

I
and How The Process OF Curing.
! The mackerel fisheries Of Massa
chusetts have gradually grown in i'm
portance until the catch of 1872 has
come 10 reach the handsome aggregate
of ISL, 1857 barrels, Of the estimated
value of ~, 900, 900 or more. A century
or so ago this industry, if such word
can properly be applied to anything in
the piscatorial line-yielded in that
State $50, 600 barrels, worth $50, 900.
Cape Ann has long been prominent ns
II headquarters for this particular school
OF fishermen, and for at least fifty years
this prominence has been maintained
The old-fashioned process of catching
mackerel in seines or weirs and by troll
ling has given way under the march OF
progress, and now swift sailing vessels
fully furnished with men, lines, hooks,
and bait do what Western men would
call land Office business in seducing
the toothsome mackcrel from his home
in the briny deep. These vessels have
a complement of from ten to sixteen
men each, and start out from Cape Ann
about the middle of April, so MS to meet
the fish when they first strike the coast
|
nership principle, and each man has his
| appointed place on board, the locality
being determined by lot. Here he
keeps his tackle, and from this one spot
he invariably sends forth his entcing
invitations to the finny tribe to meet
him alone, whether by moonlight or
daylight. Each fisherman uses from
two to four lines, according to his skill,
and the fish are inveigled to their fate
| 10y gratuItOus and discriminating sys-
TEN of trolling, whereby their tastes are
tickled into that anxiously inquiring
state which stops not to discuss the
points of danger, but gulps down hook
and bait at one fell swoop. A cores
pendent of the Boston 7rareler, who
evidently looks at matters from the
professional standpoint, thus describes
the subsequent proceedings
The fish are swiftly hauled aboard
and struck" into the "wash barrel"
which stands little to the left and rear
of each man, with peculiar twitch.
which tears the hook from the weak
cartilage of the jaw Of tile fish, and re.
turns the line to its proper position
among the thirty or forty hanging over
the side. The hooks are small, and
their shanks surrounded with lead and
pewter, cast in n rude resemblance to
the body of minnow, finished and
polished to shine like silver Several
small circular bits of the white skin
from the belly of a mackerel form n
bait very attractive, and so tough that
dozens of fish may be caught without
renewing it. 1t may well be questioned
whether even the much-extolled plea
sures of fy-fshing can exceed in inter
est and excitement the keen enjoyment
of sharp "spurt of mackerel, when
the most skillful fisher can use but two
lines, and these even are shortened to
less than couple of fathoms.
The cruise of many of these fishing |
vessels lasts till November, and includes |
the Bay of st. Lawrence, Prince Ed |
wards Island, the Madelines, Anticosti,
Gaspe, the Seven Islands, and the
northern coast of Cape Breton and |
Nova Scotia returning in November,
at the latest, the fish are landed and
put in shape for market, which process
is thus detailed by the correspondent
above referred to:
Mackerel, unlike cod, are split from
nose to tail, close to the backbone, the
cut entering the hollow of the body of
the fish. The "splitter holds the
fish on its side with the mittened left
hand and makes one clean slice to each
guiding and regulating the
varying depth of his cut with the
thumb. With the thin, small, round
pointed knife used, fifty fish per min
ute are often attained by practiced
hand. The entrails and gills are re-
moved and the fish thrown into "wash-
barrels" where they lie in sea water for
some hours until all blood is extracted,
after which they are packed, sailed
and "pickled off," If there is time and
the mackerel are large and fat, the crew
work at messing" them, which con-
sists in removing the head, and cleans.
ing the fatter portions of the fish from
the black pellicle lining the walls of the
When "packed out" in port, each
mans catch, which is kept separate in
marked barrels, is weighed, sailed,
packed, and inspected, and branded as
either No. l, 2, 3, or "mess," as the
case may be. No. 3s must measure
eleven inches from snout to base of tail;
No, Is, twelve inches, and No. Is, thir-
teen inches but certain fairness must
accompany the required length in Is
and Is. Mess mackerel and Extra Is
are OF course all "culled from No.
fish. Formerly the fairness of this fish
was tested by drawing the nail along
the inside of the ribs and bending the
fish a little, when the white fat would !
cleave something like a ripe peach, this
adding greatly to the beauty of the fish
and enhancing its value. All American
fish are now reamed," or cut with
tool with curved handle much like the
hilt of a sword, with a keen, semi cir
cular blade inserted so rs to cut about ,
of an inch deep. Com 6
plants are sometimes made that the ..
,uts are made diagonally, and too near !
The backbone, while the fat CD portion :
Of the fish is almost invisible to the !,
naked eye" There is no doubt, how '
ever, that the failure of many Canadian :,
md Nova Scotia fishermen to cream" '
lhcir fish causes loss of from two to J.
Jour dollars barrel. n
Mackerel are packed in whole, half, !.
md quarter barrels, and in exits /" 1.
holding one-eighth of a barrel, or !;
twenty-five pounds. 1t is said of a ,
great fish dealer, now deceased, that he !.
ynq pnoa TAINTED Ia, Al.