The Republican journal., 1896-12-24
rlany Cod and MaCkereI.
Result of The Years Fishing al Gloucester.
Good Catches but Poor Prices. seventy-Five
Thousand 4srrels OF MaCkerel Taken.

1886 was closed. While the usual activity
in prosecuting this industry has been
noticeable, the financial result to pro-
ducer and outtitter has not been so great
as in former years. The principal cause of
this is the large and costlier vessels, which
resemble pleasure crafts more than fisher
men, beside the new and extensive de-
vices that are used in prosecuting the fish
cries.
The year opened with good stocks on
hand, and the market for all kinds of fish
fairly active, while prices ruled high. An
advance was confidently expected, and in
some cases realized, but later in the sea-
son owing to business depression through
out the country, prices on all kinds of
stock We're curtailed until they dropped
to a minimum during the summer and
early fall, and have not yet been fully
restored.
The fishing industry has always been
the pride and the sorrow of the people of
this city and vicinity, for SO surely as the
Atlantic has given them prosperity, it
has exacted yearly tribute of human
lives The records of nearly two CEN
turtles show that every season some of the
Gloucester vessels that went out to
Geol ges, Grand Banks, Labrador or the
trigid waters Of the Arctic never came
back. Disasters to the fishing fleet have
to be considered inevitable, while relatives
OF the untUrtunates are assisted out of
community funds and once a wear a pub
lie service is held at City Hail in memory
of the lost. More than that, among the
inspected citizens there are superannuated
skinners and aged widows who may be
counted ON at any time to carry the It'd
in9s OF death into fishermen S homes, OF
to act as semi professional mourners.
About this time, therefore, the Glouces-
Ter statstican begins ms work OF tabulat-
ing the story of death and disaster-how
many fishing craft and men haze gone
down, how many widows the sea has
made, how many children are left father
less and along with these items OF human
interest be counts Up the property loss
and insurance settlement.
According to the latest figures there are
364 vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of
%, 5U7. and 81 boats under 20 tons, of 800,
making total of 30, l03 tons engaged in
the fisheries from this port, a decrease
over the previous year OF 26 vessels and
1907 tons. The principal cause of this de-
cline has been the loss of 10 vessels, ag-
gregatirg los tons valued at S74, 800 and
insured for So, 3S5. Several have also
been sold and enrolled in other districts
one was recently sold to parties on the
Pacific coast and is not enumerated in
the above,
Gloucester being the important fisher
les centre Of New England. and largest
fishing port in the United States. the coast
of this district has long been the seat of
the most active operations in marine re-
search. tits carried on by the hardy and in
trepid toilers Of Cape Ann who man the
fishing fleet found from Massachusetts
bay to Greenland around the Cape of
Good Hope and along the distant shores
OF The Pacific coast and Alaska. A notice
able feature Of the fishing interest of
Gloucester is the great volume of fish an
nually landed at this port, which is the
distributing centre of salt food FISH pro-
ducts not only for New England, but for
the whole country
The largest number of vessels is engag-
ed in the cod fishery, making il the most
important branch of the industry, but re-
celptS from this source have not this wear
eqnalled those Of last There was not so
large fleet prosecuting the Grand Banks
codhShe}y us the previous season. but the
waters ot That section We're more prolific
than ion ONE years, and instead of one
trip some if lie fleet made two OF three.
The numotr et vessels was ab0u. %. and
they landed ~, 00G, 600 pounds while the
%,I Wastar,, ,li ',,'. -, ,''l'e
'n.,.r t,,,r.tbei. VIM aI'.
r}- ~ ~ ~ nus "lo'lS
.,h,..,. ~. ut ,.,,,, WI go - 800 800
1In VI q '0'F'' % 'V' wv
H.. .,3,lf,i..,, f.. .,.,4.. .,.....,
1ar6sd anI snId a+ i'l'' ,ie' mas oeeh
7sa,.,.,,,.'+tI ~ va Poi's 0i boston;
l-i'..,i',,','iil q fl'''iiU ""G ofIIdnu
II.- S''0'i as ""t''ioch, eusk'
t''''l' 'i!'! eo''ilsn' IIeSh loI ini.
i1,.,.I '''sUiHl '''H' ABOUT +9'Voo'Uo
i' Wi;Io +fsi.ia.. -. A..
i''''iiT On eHe ol- Sloie pahks
,,i ', ,. .i.''' 80 NC llSI procured at pro-
INC POI l." Vi"uole OF any conse-
I"ti'Ne ''s p " experienced by fishermen
oiI,Ii 'iI VI lht DOMINION on
,'l'Gi''HU' "tilV"6n dn a'tthPt mas
3 },,,,. i,i,,'e ~ d It" asses TO force the
1ial '''i- l9noi iieii i'lSI 10 purchase
r,ll-i9e:l. .He NesSe!' the schooner
-,,al,' -. mas peen selzed ms
sa'9Uu w "'leseu lAIiaction OF the fsh-
~ +bo ,,;i-a " s'i''',:' 9le was condemned
nc "uiillidilS court al Hallfa&,
CO.. N's taken 10 the
4. -. - g!ie .1"i!ihloh, "here IL
rTra,'-.7 nc "' Ju"l'"'!on.
Is ~ ,rI ~ Ii - ts.hce ls me mackerel
iiN H0V1 'lIs season from Lnls