The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-04
NEW YoRK,s FISHING FLEET.
Seventy.nve smacks Engaged In the Pursuit.
OF BlueAsh and Cod.

New York's fishing fleet is composed Of about
seventy-hve smacks. varying from ten to sixty
tons burden. They are nearly all owned by
wholesale dealers. They sail from the foot Of
Fulton street, East River, where the New York
Fish Market is situated. and cruise along the
coast as far south as North Carolina nine or ten
months of the year. They carry provisions for
three weeks, as they generally have a good catch
within that time. The crew Is composed OF
about ten men, who are all fishermen. Some OF
them receive S35 a month and one cent extra for
each fish they catch. Others engage on specu-
lation. and receive a percentage of the amount
OF money made on the trip.
After a smack gets outside the Jersey coast
the anchor Is dropped and the crew begin to
look for fish. Some OF the men are sent out in
small boats and go in different directions to
search for a good spot. II one Is found they re-
turn anu make preparations TO work in earnest.
All the small boats are launched and a goodly
supply of bait is put in them. The men remain
in sight of the smack and fish for about Ave
hours; then they return and the catch of each Is
counted. Then the men begin cleaning the fish.
When this is done they start out as before until
biting gets bad. when they raise anchor and sail
for another spot.
Previous to 1855 fishermen never ventured
further south than Barnegat, off New Jersey.
and then thought they were travelling a great
distance from New York. Two thousand five
hundred fish was considered a good catch then.
In the year 1888 Capt. Cal smith OF, the josie
Reeves, with a crew of eight men, sailed below
the Delaware Breakwater. and. toi his surprise,
discovered the waters OF the Atlantic in that
region swarming with the hnny tribe. Thereat-
ter all the vessels went south. and, as q result,
the following year the market was Sintted WIN
sent To the city dumping scows. Vow from
5000 to 1000 fish is considered good catching.
In winter. the majority Of these vessels
appear. IL is supposed by old timers
that they seek the warm waters OF the ,'ulf
Stream. where they remain till spring. IN their
absence some OF the craft engage In codfshing.
This is an entirely different branch OF the bust
ness. Bluetsh are caught In the regular man
ner, with hook and line, near the surface OF the
trawl is a line about 500 feet long. provided
with hooks about two feet, apart, SO that each
each trawl has about 400 hooks. These are all
baited, and the travis are laid along the bottom
of the sea, with a floating buoy attachment az
each end. After they have been set for several
hours the fishermen haul them In, and often
die rapidly out of water. while goldfish live for
hours. u l.,
hunting these two kinds of sea food. Their
calling is a perilous one, for not a year passes
that does not bring with IL a tale OF loss OF life.
In the midsummer hurricanes OF last year nye
smacks and thirty-twO men were lost.
Hazardous as the calling OF New York fish
hunters may appear. their occupation Is safety
itself In comparison with the risk down East
fishermen run. They follow up cod fishing the
wear round. Gloucester is the great fishing port,
and Is sometimes called the Town OF Tears"
The vessels are much larger than those running
about seventy-iye tons; They are proyisloned
for a fOur-mOnths' cruise. The fishermen re-
ceive no regular pay. but work on shares. The
yearly loss OF life among them Is sppailing; IN
fewer than seyenty-hye men and nineteen YES
sells were lost.