The sun., 1899-04-23
FIRST SCHOOL OF MAcKEREL.
Due Here Early in May, and Will Arrive in
Time in Spite of the Backward Senson.

Time IN spite or the backward season.
According to all previous calculations. the
first appearance OF the mackerel schools off
our coast will be in the first week OF May, and
the first catch Of the season will come into
Fulton market somewhere between May 10
and May 20. Last year the first mackerel we're
brought to market on May II. which was ten
days in advance OF the first cargo OF the year
before. and only Ave days behind the earliest
catch on record So accurately do the schools
OF packerel time their coming and going
that fishermen know almost to the day
when to expect them and when to pre-
pare for their advent. For half a CEN
tury mack erel have thus regularly appeared at
various points of our coast at certain times.
and they have lot once been two weeks late or
ahead OF time in this long period OF years,
Their punctuality has excited the wonder and
admiration of veteran fishermen and scientists.
The appearance OF the grounding. the birds Of
spring and the alternating animals Of all kinds
IS timed more by the condition Of the weather
with the mackerel. 1t matters little whether
the season is early or backward. the schools Of
ana the sSermen of the sne VIII reoce ene
The experts connected with the Fishery De-
partment are no better Informed than the old
fishermen as to the habits and nature OF the
less is known. about them than of any other
fish migrate northward in the spring and south
ward in the autumn. and that they coma from
experts, They strike our coast near Cape
Henry in the Sarly part Of March
s GSHe nf IN 'hSSt MSS hev FSasn are
Baoeeat and sandy Hook, about the same
time apG3ther . epoTmous s., school strikes the
| separate from the southern army that advan noes
from the, southern, coast. From the size, and
mouth coast. i is believed that as they have no
connection whatever with the great schools
OF the deem sea to the ca ST. When the south ern
| schools have advanced as far as Nantucket
hSS t5 soe
bays ndepting the Msssaehusetts coast: for it
where they stay In more or less numbers until
The rowing habit OF the mackerel is thus
shown. Besides these general movements
they have certain erratic habits S, that confound
f from s one pac" lace and nd reappear in the the % strancest
manner. There is no accounting for these
9nn ga rs in paRo
are the most mystifyins Of ali our our salt water ish.
them. nor can they aceount. tor their habits.
may become good fisherman Of other deni-
gems Of the deep in short time. but to capture
Ut twas was in 1890 that the mackerel Industry
ha and hS e9RSodt
s Tn nround e. Tnf
coast that the, fishermen made big .hauls with
se out 9m o s2ns sspe ap2
capture the mackerel. and during the season
@ Was MT necessary to &C, FAR tqr the ash
They literally w., sTSsrmed warm ,ig H,iHng the coast in
from Maine to SnGdy Hook. The, latter
! rAsOrtS nf the mApEar Even lar
as The seventies school discovered % on Block
Island was estlmated to contain upward OF 9
! met with to-day. There are millions of mack.
erel in the sea. but they do not begin to flock
merly. The banner year Of the mackerel in,
dustry was in ISL In that year The tota
The number q fishermen engaged IN catch.
i5E them in that early PERIOD n %%Tp"d rap
adopted so that In the tortes there was an ap.
nr"chble decline in the size Of the schools
In late years, however, the diminution in the
size Of the schools has been so PRONOUNCED
well known that their power Of reproduction
is senormouSI. but despite this the SIZE of the
that some other catisa than tho ishePrmnea' nj
depredatnns upon the schools is the real rea,
s the dsGns &c 6Gt 9a h and
Last year the combined landings of the large
New England fleet aggregated only 1874 bar
rCs, and the present seasons output vii
probably not amount to much more. The
comparatively small supplies OF mackere
causing prices to advance, Formerly the
largest consumers of salt mackere were founc
steady advance IN the prices the fsh are really
leyond the r reach. Salt mackerel are becom
ing Injuries. and. II the diminution OF tn,
schools continues. by another decade mackere
will he food for the rich only,
| Under these circum mstances the keenest in
tercst is centred in the mackerel industry
The first appearance OF the schools on Sandl
Hook and BarnrEat will he studied closely III
it is believed that the seasons catch can h,
partly estimated by the size OF the ilrst school
Not only the old fishermen but the experts o
the Fish Department will be on hand to gree
the foreruppers Of the mighty army Of ish.