The Portland daily press., 1895-02-09

of affairs. They were in so great hurry to
would not wait for the fish to be inspected
and sold, but wanted the yoya4e immedi-
ately settled, and in some cases have forced
settlements by taking legal proceedings.
1T was common at one time in the his
tory of the mackerel fishery to see every
wharf filed with mackerel. with old men
and boys busy inspecting and packing
them. This gave employment to labor and
good wages were made. Wholesale dealers
from the West as we'll as from Boston. New
York and Philadelphia came here and pur-
chased large rec eipts. then the law of sup
ply and demand governed the trade, and
that is what I am willing to be governed by
| to-day.
ION close examination l find with this
small catch at the present time the fisher
men are not receiving as high a price as 80
years so. when 900 or 100000 barrels were
| caught By the Bay State fishermen in one
season. Under the method in vogue the past
few years, if such large catches were made
as formerly, it would be almost impossible
to sell them.
Portland has struggled hard to keep up
| LILO luSpoCliOn BY EL6lD. DQL 5OIn0 worthy
men there have been forced out of business
by so many mackerel in other places being
| sold in fisbermens order. Two years ago |
carried e trip of mackerel to that city for
market. where they were inspected by Mr..
8'ernald and sold to a Mr.. Emery of the
same place. The trip netted me $I8 per
barrel. when all that could be obtained at
Gloucester for mackeIel without inspection
was $685..
Previous to that trip carried fare in
to Gloucester. and, on arriving. found the
last sales made We're Sic per burrel. Ex-
pecting to get somewhere near that p1ice.
passed and repasSed a number of the To-
cal buyers. and they never made me an
offer for three or four days, and then the
fEaf and only offer was $40. which [ was
forced to sell FOR OF let them spoil, as the
weather was quite hot.
Another vessel that caught trip on the
Same ground and at the same time went in
to Portland. inspected and sold her fish
there. at the time mine was disposed of at
Gloucester, and they netted Sl4 and better
per barrel. do not blame the local buyers
for buying fish as cheap as they can, but
dc blame the fishermen and vessel owners
for selling their fish in such away.
when No. l mackerel is worth more
than No. 2. or other inferior grades, the
fishermen should see that they are inspect
ed and sold accordingly. When mackerel
are sold out of pickle. find that the pur-
chaser buys on sure basis, and generally
pays about the price of the poorest grade of
fish in the trip. which would be about a
number 3. And this il fair sample of my
experience in selling mackerel when not
culled or inspected.
expect to engage in the macKerel fish
Ing another season. and should fortune
Smile upon me as it has in the past, shall
SEQ that my fish are nspected before offered
for sale, If have to carry them to the north
pole to do it. The fishing interest," of Massa-
chUsefts should adhere to the same customs
as those of the state of Maine. and see
that every mackerel is properly Inspected
before offered forssale. And if they do not,
1 trust that every mackerel caught by the
hshermen of Cape Ann will be carried to
Maine for oulltng and inspection.
Another needless work the fishermen
do, not only detrimental to themselves. but
an injury to the fish as well. This is called
roaming the mackerel. 1t is done by cut
ting the fish on the inside in the latest
place. and is done to make poor mackeral
look fat. and is a deception in the first
degree. and any man with common sense
and practical experience cannot deny it,"