The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-03-31
SEA FOOD SUPPLY.
HOW nEWYoRK's FISH MARKET
is STOCKED.
Meth DDS ef Catching Various Kinds
Of Fish Bait Used.

market Is stocked, swarm along the
coast from Florida 10 the banks OF
Newfoundland. Whence they come
and whittier they 90 is still an un-
unsolyed problem. All We know is
that these migrations occur annual
ly, in regular order, and that the
amount Of the catch varies from year
TO year.
The feet OF fishing smacks that
leaves New York, about the middle of
March, TO meet the northward NOV
ing swarmS, numbers from 10 TO 90
sails. Each takes out a crew of four
10 six men, and is provisioned for a
two weeks voyage. These crews are
composed chiefly Of Swedes, Norwe-
gians and Portuguese. The captains
or men in command are, as rule,
down Casters.
The smacks are divided into two
classes, called respectively wet"
and dry. The wet smack il one
equipped with wells for keeping the
fish in water and bringing them into
port alive. There are some dozen or
fifteen Of this class. The dry smack
has no wells. Many Of them are alb
sent from New York for months. in
which case their eaten is delivered
and their provisions renewed at the
nearest large port on the coast. The
boats that 90 south do not return
with their fish from points south Of
| Cape May, and the boats that 90
east, from points east Of Block Is
land, their catches are shipped to
the city by rail.
Smacks leaving about the middle of
March make for Cape Hatteras di-
rect They reach there generally just
as the advance column of the great
the cape. 1t is from half a mile to
three-quarters Of a mile wide and
moves at distance Of two or three
miles from shore. The movement is
so slow that the boats can follow
the fish until Thanksgiving day with
out need Of going any further east
than the coast of Massachusetts.
A smack is considered to have had
good average luck if it gets 5000
blue fish, or 30, 600 pounds. AS wells
are not used for this fish, the catch
is preserved in ice-houses. The bait
they like most is moss bunker and
herring. As the season advances and
the weather gets colder, the boats de-
sert the trail Of the blue fish, run into
port, change their gear and fishing
tackle, and 60 out after cod.
The mackerel stream is pursued
pretty much in the same fashion
from Hatteras to New Foundland, al
though it does not begin until a
month later. But the method Of
catching them is different from that
adopted in the case Of cod or blue
fish. Mackerel journey in big schools
or groups. They are comparatively
small, and are not game in the
sense of showing fight. Hence seines
are used exclusively for their cap
ture. Goldfish. on the other hand,
would tear "A seine all TO pieces. As
some Of them weigh from 90 to 20
pounds, the resistance they are ca
pable Of makiag is very great 1t is
a singular fact, however, that the cod
does not show fight when he is being
drawn through the water until he
reaches the surface. He can be taken
with an ordinary fishing line, provid-
ing you are quick enough to disable
him with your knife just as he comes
to the top of the water All the large
cod require TO be captured in this
way The smaller ones have not
weight or strength enough to break
line.
The migration Of the cod is such
that fishing for them east OF Sandy
Hook continues good until the mid
die OF January. They are the most
prolific and the most persistently
hunted Of all deep sea food tribes.
The bait used for them is skimmers,
q specie Of sea clam Of which they
are voraciously fond. When the
smacks that go TO Hatteras in the
beginning Of the year TO meet the
streams Of fish moving north from
equatorial waters finally quit the
pursuit, they can generally find prof
liable occupation by turning their
attention 20 the cod. 1t is saying
among the fishermen that cod are
like the poor-you always have them
with you.
In catching haddock, that peculiar
! device known as a trawl is used II
consists OF strong line some 500
| feet in length. To this are attached
400 hooks, IS inches apart. When
/ the hooks have been baited the line is
| cast overheard and secured TO buoy
| From time TO time il is hauled in.
rebaited and thrown out again. The
haddock is a sedate sort Of fellow
who takes his meals leisurely and il
prepared TO suffer the consequences
with resignation.
All the fish above referred TO be-
long to the deep sea groups and con-
stitute the staple fish Of this and all
| other northern markets. In compar-
ison with them the supply obtained
from our bays. inlets, estuaries and
other inshore fisheries. is small.
The yield Of Holsters has for sever
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