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Table showing the fluctuations of several of the leading varieties of fish at Boston for five years, commencing January, 1880.

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Table showing the fluctuations of several of the leading varieties of fish at Boston for five years, commencing January, 1880—Continued.

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ELEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOSTON FISH BUREAU, JANUARY, 1886.

OFFICE OF BOSTON FISH BUREAU,
Boston, January 1, 1886.

In reviewing the fish trade for the past twelve months it is with a feeling of satisfaction and pride that we are able to point to the fact that, in face of a large decrease in the catches of fish by the fleets, the receipts at Boston have held their own, proving beyond question that as a market for the different varieties of fish and as a distributing point its facilities are unequaled.

Table showing the fluctuations of several of the leading varieties of fish at Boston for fire years, commencing January, 1880.

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Table showing the fluctuations of several of the leading varieties of fish at Boston for five years, commencing January, 1880—Continued.

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ELEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOSTON FISH BUREAU, JANUARY, 1886.

OFFICE OF BOSTON FISH BUREAU,
Boston, January 1, 1886.

In reviewing the fish trade for the past twelve months it is with a feeling of satisfaction and pride that we are able to point to the fact that, in face of a large decrease in the catches of fish by the fleets, the receipts at Boston have held their own, proving beyond question that as a market for the different varieties of fish and as a distributing point its facilities are unequaled.

Low prices have been the rule in most lines during the year, bringing fish on a par with most food products.

The early Potomac herring fishery was fairly successful, but not as large as that of the year previous. The catches of mackerel and codfish have been fully up to the average, but when compared with the large catches of the year previous considerable shortage is noticed.

The falling off in the codfish catch we attribute, in a great measure, to the withdrawal of several large bank vessels from the cod-fishing business, on account of the poor encouragement offered by the low prices at the beginning of the season, and not on account of the scarcity of these fish, vessels arriving from Grand and Quereau Banks with fares averaging larger than those which arrived from there during the previous season. While this is true in regard to the catch of codfish, the shortage in the catch of mackerel is attributable to the fact that they were not as abundant in our waters as during the season of 1884. While the catch of mackerel on our New England shore has not been as large in 1885 as in the previous year, the catch in North Bay, or Bay St. Lawrence, has been larger, showing the mackerel were more abundant there the past year than in 1884.

During the past season there have been 44 vessels from New England ports engaged in the North Bay mackerel fishery, as against 108 during the season of 1884, the number of barrels of bay mackerel inspected during the past season being 27,672, as against 19,637 for the season of 1884. The catch of mackerel by the provincial fleet, on the Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island shores, has been below an average in quantity, and this, in connection with the duty, accounts for the large shortage noticeable in the receipts of foreign mackerel, which shortage has been mainly on the poorer and smaller grades of fish, which could not well afford to pay the heavy duties exacted, and which have been used for the West India markets, in place of sending them to the States. All fat mackerel have been wanted and readily taken by the trade. According to the most reliable authorities the catch of cod at Newfoundland has been up to the average in quantity. The receipts of codfish from Newfoundland, however, are not much of a factor in the fish trade of Boston, the most of their business being with Spain, Portugal, and Brazil, to which countries they send yearly enormous quantities of codfish.

The Labrador herring fishery has been an exceptionally good one, large quantities of herring of good size and excellent quality having been taken. About 15,000 barrels of them reached this market, and sold from $3.75 to $4.75 per barrel.

Mackerel.-The fleet made its usual early start for the southern fishery, the first vessel to start being the schooner Mollie Adams, of Gloucester, on March 4. This is the earliest departure for the southern mackerel fishery on record. The first fare of fresh mackerel for the season (125 barrels) was taken in by the schooner Emma Brown, of Gloucester, at New York, on the afternoon of March 28, she being followed, a few minutes later, by the schooner Nellie N. Rowe, of Gloucester, with about the same amount of fish. Great rivalry exists among the fishermen as to who shall land the first fare of mackerel. The Rowe was successful in 1883 and 1884, landing the first fare at New York on March 31, 1883, and March 24, 1884.

During the subsequent mackerel fishing in southern waters enormous quantities of very small and inferior fish were taken into New York and Philadelphia, large quantities of which were sold for merely nothing, and many fares were taken to sea again and thrown overboard, resulting in a general loss to the fleet, although a lucky few did fairly well. We hope to see the bill prohibiting the importation or catching of mackerel between the 1st day of March and the 1st day of June become a law. This would put a stop to the catching of large quantities of very small mackerel, and would unquestionably be a benefit to all parties interested, whether dealers, fishermen, or consumers. The general run of the mackerel taken this season by our shore fleet has been better in size and quality than that of the year previous, there being but little difference between 2's and 3's, making dealers ready buyers of 3's as placed on the market. Prices have hardly ruled even with those for the year 1884, especially when quality and cull are considered. The first sale of new salt mackerel for the season was at New York, on April 6, at $3 per barrel, from pickle, with barrel; selling in cargo lots at Boston, in May, at from $2 to $2.75, from pickle, with barrel; in June, at from $2.75 to $3.75, from pickle, with barrel; in July, at from $3 to $4.25, from pickle, with barrel, for shores, and $9.75 to $13, from pickle, with barrel, for Block Islands; in August, at $2.50 to $3 for 3's, $5 to $5.50 for 2's, and $10 to $12 for 1's, packed from vessel, for Massachusetts Bay; in September, at $5.50 to $6.25, from pickle, with barrel, and $3.25 to $4 for 3's, $6 to $6.50 for 2's, and $13 to $14 for 1's, packed from vessel, for Massachusetts Bays and Eastern Shores; in October, at from $6.25 to $7.50, from pickle, with barrel, for Massachusetts Bays and Eastern Shores, and in November, at $6 to $6.50, from pickle, with barrel, for Eastern Shores. Nova

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