Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-06-23

race for this honor, he is the proudest
man on the seacoast, and every man Of his
crew joins with him in pride.
FOLLOWING THE FISH.
But whether first or twentieth, he 10
sure OF a warm welcome. Once ashore he
ton is the market, and the captain and
members Of the crew have friends among
the dealers here to whom they wire at
once their arrival and the number of fish
they have taken.
1t it not always peaceful out on the
seining grounds, and often there is q clash
between the crews OF two or more
schooners from each OF which the same
school has been sighted. The crews make
desperate efforts to reach the school first
and take advantage OF every trick they
know to cut ont the others, and it is said
by those who have been there that at times
the crew that has been outrowed by an
other will even try to scare the fish by
striking at them with their oars, and even
to break the seine by rowing through it,
or attack the men in the successful
boat. But these are only incidents, and
when the men have gotten over the excite
ment and meet ashore they chum together
as il nothing disagreeable had ever hap
pened.
As the fish came up the coast with the
warm weather, the seiners follow them.
Other seiners join the feet, and the ex-
citement increases. The newer ones have
been worked up by the reports OF the
catches made and the big prices received
for the fish.
On and on they come until, instead Of
Norfolk and Newport News, Newport and
New Bedford are the landing places for
the mackerel New York has then ceased
to be the big market for lnackerel, and
Boston assumes the lead. At this time
seiners have fitted out for what is known
as Cape Shore, down on the coast OF Nova
Scotia. Seiners have run into Boston to
deliver their fish at 7 wharf, and the ex-
citement Of the southern. cities and those
on the southern shore of Cape Cod has
been transferred to the wholesale fish
market.
1t should be told that not all the mack
erel are brought in fresh. Some are sailed.
This is done when mackerel have become
/ so cheap that it will not pay to run in
with small catch, or the catch is SO large
that some of the fish must be sailed to
keep them.
Day in and day out, while the season
lasts, the same.ianxiety, excitement and
work areigonelthrough with on beard the
schooners. Days and even weeks may
pass without mackerel being seen, or
they may be sighted when the wind is so
strong that the seineboat cannot be sent
| out, and the disappointment OF such q
time can only be told by those who have
gone through it, or by the man who has
seen fortune at his hand, and seen it
disappear just as he was about to clutch it.
Fishing for mackerel in the old way OF
hook and line is still done in some places,
notably in spots on the coast of maritime
provinces. 1t is done with profit also, and
down at Cape Cod mackerel are taken in
the traps, and small METERS run out, and
some even fish with hook and line, and
make the work pay.
III LulS SOrt OF uSnluR the men OILeD
have to resort to a ruse TO get their fish
where they will bite, and the knowing
captain will spread ground bait on the
surface of the water to entice the fish up
ward and when thay rise he and his crew
will get busy with their hooks.
The habits Of the mackerel are mys-
terry, notwithstanding all the study that
| has been made of them. All that any one
can tell so far is that at certain season of
the year they appear in southern waters,
trail upward along the Atlantic coast to
| about Cape Cod, and then disappear. That
| is, the larger number of them disappear
But only for time, as they later appear
on the Cape shore, where they remain for
| some time, and then disappear for good,
and where they go, or where they remain
| until they again appear in the south, no
man has yet found out,
The United States government has re-
Gently become interested in the study OF
the habits Of mackerel, and it is hoped by
the fisherman that its experts will be able
to trace them to their winter quarters, in
| which case, like tropical fruits that were
| once to be had for season, luscious mac
kerel may be on the breakfast table, fresh
and juicy, every day in the year.