The Osceola times., 1879-05-03

world All the year round the catch !
good about Newfoundland and Nan
tucket shoals. Immense quantities ar,
also caught near the Dafoden islands
Norway. Goldfish are caught with |,
hook and line, batting with clans o.
herring, at depth Of eighteen to fifty
fathoms OF water. Cod has no connec
tiun with the commercial @ o. d., al
though cod ia q commercial article
Large quantities are rent to the Medi'
terranean countries, and 10 Brazil II il
relished by Spsnisrds, Italians, Portu
gueso, Sicilians and Greeks. To ths
natives of the West Indies the cod is =
toothsome addition to their vegetable
diet. The cod fishery has been carried
on for more than four centuries without
any interruption; yet the supply at t,e
present day is something stupendou..
The fecundity of this fish is wonderful,
BY those who have taken tie trouble To
satisfy themselves, it has been calculated
that when one devOurs Gods roe he
sls0 devouis no less than about 1e0,-
900 600 pounds Of food, supposing il
were allowed to arrive at maturity. Ones
brain reels at the bare idea OF reckoning
what might be the condition Of coddom
If these fishes were lett alone for lew
years. There are more than 1000 yes,
sells, with tonnage OF over 100 900
tons, and employing upward of 10000
men and boys, engaged in the bank or
cod fisheries OF the United States.
The hslibut is one OF the largest fishes
Of the founder family, attaining the
length of six or seven ieet aud weighing
from three 10 five hundred pounds TIE
habits of the halibut and cod are nearly
alike, enly the former live on the latter
when men do rot live on them, and they
are always to be found where cod most
do congregate. The halbut is q good
eating fish. The meat is nice and white
and solid.
There Is no fish more highly priced for
food than the salmon, and there Is no.
finer salmon than that found In the
rivers of Oregon. This luxurious fish
visits the rivers Of both continents II is
caught by running wire fences across the
streams, into which the foolish fish run.
its head and remains caugbt--impsltd,
as it were, looking "psle around the
gills." Large numbers are also caught
by hook, while in some sections harpoou
ing is practiced. The salmon is from
twenty,'our TO thirty.six inches long,
and attsius weight OF thirty pounds or
more. During the fishing season OF 1877
eighteen establishments on the Colum-
bia river put up 42S, ,730 cases, each case
containing four dozen one-p0und cans
The salmon fishing in the Gulf of St
Lawrence is estimated as worth $500, 900
q year.
The waters Of Massachusetts, bay are
full of this fish. Its colors are beautiful
when alive, but no sooner is il caught
than its luster begins to disappear. It
is a voracious feeder, aud its growth IL
rapid. Msckerel run IN schools from
the 10th OF May through the summer,
and when vessel has the luck to meet
one OF these, lines with bait are lowered,
and the fish may be drawn In as fsst SIS
the arm can move. The first half hour
Of msckerel fishing is fun 1--WE once went
msckerel fishing and forgot the world
and its cares), especially to persons who
fish for the iun of the thing. There is
no chance for the use OF unhallowed in
terjections in msckerel fishing; no pro.
fane expletives Tor ministeIing spirits to
report TO heavens cbaDcery, Ne in the
case OF angling when fish are scarce, for
the recording angel to put into the saue
category with Uncle 1oby's oath, to be
wiped out with a sympathizing tear. A
"sslting" trip takes some two months;
fresh trip about three dsys. From
5000 to 10000 barrels are sold fresh
every year in Boston, and 200 900 10
800, 900 worth about 8, 100000, are ex-
ported, the pootest quality 10 the Wet
and East Indies, and the better qualities
to New York, Phisdelphis, and other
towns OF tae Union. In som. years t e
number OF vessels from Massachusetts,
alone has been 1000, employing in the
various processes OF catching, sailing aud
packing about 5000 perons.
Bluefish belong to the msckerel family
and are found in almost al seas. They
congregate in shoals and are caught by
purse seines in the following mapner; A
small boat sets out from the vessel with
one end of the net and quickly rows
around the shoal weights are attached
to the net, and slso long strings, which
drop to the bottom, one end being re-
tained. When this is accomplished and
the boat gels back to the vessel, the ne;
is slowly drawn from the bottom, and
thus the fish find themselves unexpect-
edly caught-if they think anything
about it at the time, and provided they
can think at all. Bluefish are prized ss
food, and often considered quite deli>
cacy.
A strong prejudice sometimes exists
against the eel In Scotland an Argyle
shire or Lanark plowmsn would as
soon cook q veritable viper as the "ioul
sarpent creature" which in England
would be reckoned plump silver eel
worth four shilings in the market. The
Neapolitan has his winter dish of roasted
sea eel when bis summer dish OF sliced
melon goes out OF season. The eel Is u
the lszzsroni what solid beet is 10 the
Englishman. Great quantities of eels
caught at Commachio, in Corsica. are
sent across ID the Naples market. FIei'
erick Mather has examined an cells roe
under the microscope, and has computed
that the number of eggs in this particu>
lar roe was fully 5000 900.
Then there are the bass, porRies, pike
blackfsh, whitefisb mullet, founders
fatfsh, roach, bullhesds, sleeps head,
paIlock, cusk, trout, bloaters, hsddies,
smelts, perch, swordfish, ETC., sill OF
which have their particular merits and
peculiarities would occupy too
L.