New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-23
MACKEREL FISHERIES.
EUGENE G. BLACKBOARD TALKS ABOUT
THEIR DECREASE.

LEGISLATION IS USELESS FOR THE PIoTEC'
TIoy or DEEP SEA FIsII-LOPSTERs AND
SALMON SHOULD DE CARED FOR.
For MANY years the condition Of our National
deep sea fisheries has been subject OF grave as
cussion BY those who are most Interested IN us"
from scientific economical and commercial points
OF view The general public has not. probably.
taken any particular interest in the subject as II
Is too remote to excite popular interest yet many
citizens can recall the time, not many years ago.
when fresh mackerel were three times as piehuIui
and as cheap as they have been recently. Inc
question Of the crippled condition Of our mackerel
and other deep sea fisheries Is far from a remote
subject to fish dealers and to the hardy fisher
mon who brave the dangers Of the deep In order
to earn q livelihood for the support OF their tami-
lies and II IL subject that should interest AT least
to some extent every loyal citizen OF the 'hi'e'
States The American fisheries are among the lead
ing industries of the United states The product Is
n staple food. both delicious and nourishing' ana
under ordinary and proper conditions all kinds OF
deem sea fish should be sold at a price that would
easily place them within the reach OF all classes.
A great many men are employed III catch'hs anu
handling fish. more in number than ma employ
ment in many other leading Industries. and they
are OF a class that with difficulty adapt themselves
to other vocations: and for these reasons alone II
for no others our fisheries are prominent as
National industry.
Eugene G. Blackford. speaking on the present
condition of the fisheries. said: For number OF
wears deep sea fisheries have been in an extremely
uncertain condition as regards their future. me
catch of mackeIel has varied from year TO year.
changing from an average catch to one that was
pitifully small, and then again as In 1881. jumping
no TO the enormous catch of 100000 barrels. There
appears no reason why mackerc should not be as
plenty along our Atlantic coast as anywhere ELSE
in the world. and at one time. not very far dis-
tant. they probably were. l;ut 1t Is different now
The annual catches have decreased; fishermen have
been forced into other branches Of their Calling
or out Of fishing entirely. and there
are many towns along Eastern coast,
especially in Maine. that have so seriously
felt the effect OF the condition OF affairs
as to have been practically depopuated More than
this the United States has Of late years been forced
to import mackerel extensively from foreign couh-
tries and thousands of good American dollars hav"
been sent to Canada. Norway and to Ireland In
purchase of a fish that should be as plentiful along
our coast anywhere in the world
''The causes TO which this remarkable decrease
Of mackcrc Is attributed are many ana varied
according to the different views taken OF the SUB
iect. Some attribute it to the purse net some to
the traps and pounds. and others argue that the
fish have for time at least taken another course
and rcsorted to other waters. AS far as ! have
been able to observe the subject OF the plenty ana
scarcity of mackerel in our waters is unaccounta-
bic. ;y referring to the statistics OF the Nhtiohai
rnacerel catch compiled annually since 1915, 1t Is
found that there have been both periods of plenty
and periods Of Unusual scarcity, and for these re-
markable variances no satisfactory reason can be
ascribcd
In January 1885, a National law was passed pro-
hbiting the catching OF mackere in United States
waters between January and June !. Up TO this
time mackerel had been caught early as April,
while they passing along the coast Ihls law
aid bv M be a wise piece OF lcgiS
laton. but what was the result? The fish began to
move northward and eastward early In the
spring as usual. and when the open
season began they were so far to the
eastward that all but the tail end of the procession.
so 10 speak were In Canadian waters and out OF
the reach OF American fishermen. The Canadian
fishermen were not slow in taking advantage OF
the situation. and the result was that quantities
OF what were ir sense American mackerel were
expressed to New-York and other cities from Cana
dim ports and were retaied at double and treble
the price consumers could have bought them for
had they been caught by American fishermen
During the five years OF oppression as many
termed the period during which the law was In
force. mackerel extremely scarce In our
waters The law expired by limitation last Janu-
airy. and the result OF its having become a DEAD
letter is interesting. By referring TO the annual
reports of the entire National catch of No. mack
erel II is found that for four years, as an exam
plc the catch was follows:
1854 -nVo parres
iSsy .................. 10000 barrels
1891 VpWV Darres
so far up to date this year the total catch has
been only 1000 barrels. and the season Is now prac-
ticallv over 1t is that during the one year
freedom AS some term the period since the law
became obsolete the mackerel catch has not even
what it might reasonably be expected
Il IA