The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-01-06
The Great Cod Industry.
From the New York Times.


Undoubtedly the most profitable and
most popular of all the fnny tribe handled
in fish markets today is the Goldfish Cod
| fish delivered on the stalls of the market
| alive are worth, on an average, double the
price of the dead fish and the demand
consumes all the stock as fast as it is re-
ceived. The fish landed alive are trans
ferred from the travis on the fishing banks
into the smacks specially fitted with
wells to receive them.
The codfshing grounds visited for the
purpose of supplying the New York market
| lie between Fire island and Barnegat, and
the time consumed in making catch is
| generally from four to six days, depending
on the weather and the abundance of fish.
The Goldfish are caught on trawls-long
lines with hooks along their entire length,
at distances of four feet apart, and each
smack is provided with ten travis.
The lines are paid out from a keg or
buoy, anchored at each end. the hooks
baited with bits of clam, and left undis-
| turbed for several hours The fishing is
done in dories, containing two men each.
and is often dangerous and tedious oper-
alton, as the work is performed in all sorts
of weather The live FISH are kept in the
smacks' wells until sold. a sufficient num-
Der being taken out to supply the demand
each day.
Practically a very small portion of the
goldfish handled in the New York market
is secured by the local feet. There are
but about dozen smacks, large and small,
engaged in the codfshing, and the total
landings of these do not aggregate more
than %, 600 fish each week, a portion of
which only are kept alive,
The greater part Of the market supply
is obtained from Boston, Gloucester and
other New England fishing ports. The
average daily receipts during the year do
not fall far short of 400 boxes, holding
500 pounds of Ash each. The fish come
closely packed in the cases, and as illus
tratiug the Importance Of fresh goldfish, it
may be mentioned that sales from this
market are made Ia consumers in all the
principal cities as far West as Chicago and
south to Washington The fish are shipped
by express, and each year the scope Of the
business is increasing,
The cod is the most useful FISH in the
world As an article of food. wholesome
aud substantial, either fresh, dried or
salted. it forms one Of the most valuable
additions to the food resources Of the
world. and ia this and other ways few fish
are mere serviceable to mankind
II is an enormously prolific firsb, one
female producing upwards II so, O0G, O00 |
eggs, aad is the most widely distributed
Of any single species Of the hnny tribes.
1t is found oH this coast from Greenland /
10 Delaware, and in It's capture there are
engaged ,aoFe vessels aud men than in any /
other single branch Of the ishin. indus
Try, except, perhaps, the oyster fishery.
B1ston aud Gloucester are the two
principal ports in this country from which |
the cod fishing is carried on, aud the total |
landings at both places last year aggre-
gated nearly IS, 000, GOO pounds Of fresh
6sh. besides several hundred thousand /
pounds Of goldfish salted in the vessels /
From these figures, some iiea Of the ex
tent Of the fishery can be obtained \ /
large por1ion Of this immense yearly catch, !
i. Of oourse. salted aud dried. and dis I!
tributed to oil parts Of the country in va |
rious FERNS Yet, in spite of this, the cod |
fishery has not been a profitable one for
several year, past
IL resembles in the fish trade what the /
sale of sugar does in the srccery trade--s |
species Of business carried ON upon the {
smalles, fraction Of return, and this Is /
largely due to the ever increasing produe- /
ton Vi other varieties Of fish thar are pro |
curable in the markets. in which Goldfish /
used To be the king.
Years ago the Gloucester and Boston
fish dealers found a valuable outlet for
cared goldfish in the West Indies, but that /
market has, during late years, been won 1
over 10 the Canadian fishermen. Ship !
meuis tha, we're largely made from Boston |
are now chiefly sent from Halifax direct.
or from New York, Of Canadian fish sent
in bond This revolution has been brought |
about by reasen Of the fact that the curing |
of eod at Gloucester has undergone a
change which spoils the fish needed for
tropical climate
Years ago, said an old fish exporter
Of South street, the other day, Goldfish /
was all dry salted \ large part Of that
which is brought into Gloucester from the /
Gieor:,s and the Grand Banks now Is wet |
salted, or picked, change which does
not permit the fish, when thus prepared,
To stand the rigors of hot climate Il !
grows .mushy and soon spoils, hence, /
there is little or no sale for the greater /
par, of the New England goldfish in the /
West Indies and South America.
More than this, fish wet salted are
not as acceptable to our consumers As dry |
salted goldfish Ii is heavier fish. aud, |
until its poorer qualities are discovered,
may bring to the seller better price, but |
the effect Of this form ef cure is that IN
our own country there Is less demand for |
salted goldfish as an article Of food than
there was 10 OF 10 years ago. The in-
PRODUCTION Of refrigerator ears and other
methods Of keeping fresh the various kinds |
Of fish has, Of course, been the means OF
increasing the sale of fresh goldfish, bat the
cured Goldfish business has been seriously |
hurt. ~
Apart from its Importance as an article !
of food. goldfish furnishes to medical science |
an oil which mas won world wide reputa
ton as a medicine and food in pulmonary |
and other wasting diseases, where It's high
" nutritive properties give it great value.
The oil is tried out of the liver and goes
through several processes Of refining before
it is ready for the market
A Judge on Pardons.
n.--.-r.n,nll