The Lake Trout (Cristivomer namaycush) is next to the whitefish in importance in the Great Lakes fisheries. The disposition of these is much like that of the whitefish, and they are taken by gill-nets, pound-nets, hook and line, and in winter through the ice by spearing.
The Smelt (Osmerus), although the smallest of the salmonoids, is of great importance. The annual catch in the United States is about 1,700,000 pounds, with a value of $125,000. The eh in the Canadian fisheries aggregated nearly $300,000 in the year 1889. They are largely taken by seines. Smelt are canned to some extent, but the great bulk of them are marketed fresh, being extensively preserved in cold storage.
The Mackerel is one of the most valuable food-fishes in the Atlantic, and great fisheries for it are carried on in Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, Canada, and the United States. Lines, purse-seines, and gill-nets are the principal apparatus used. The most important of the several species, the common mackerel (Scomber scombrus), is found on both sides of the Atlantic and appears near shore in enormous schools. Trustworthy estimates by fishermen have placed the quantity of fish in some of the larger schools at 1,000,000 barrels. They appear in the spring, coming shoreward earlier in the more southern latitudes, and in autumn they return to the deeper waters. The European catch is usually limited enough to be mostly marketed fresh, but in the United States and Canada large quantities are cured. In North America most of the mackerel fisheries are on the east coast. For the ten years ending in 1886 the annual catch in the United States was over 300,000 barrels, with a value of about $2,450,000. The catch during the succeeding ten years averaged about 48,000 barrels, no year exceeding 89,000 barrels. The catch in Canada for the year 1893 was valued at $1,096,000. The quantity taken in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Norway in 1895 amounted to 399,361 barrels. Of these 46,500 barrels were salted. In 1898 the European product of salted mackerel was 50,000 barrels. The Canadian product of pickled mackerel in 1893 amounted to 67,912 barrels, worth $904,832. In the United States the proportion of salted mackerel to the total catch was in former years above 80 per cent., but in recent years it has been less than 50 per cent. The increasing demand for fresh mackerel is in part responsible for this decrease.
The Spanish mackerel, one of the choicest food-fishes, is taken in considerable quantities along its entire range on the east coast of the United States, but principally south. The yearly catch amounts to about 1,700,000 pounds, with a value of $130,000. It is taken in seines, gill-nets, pound nets, and lines.
The tunny or horse-mackerel, which may reach a weight of 1000 to 1500 pounds, is a mackerel of most excellent flavor, and is the object of extensive fisheries in Southern Europe.
Cod Fishery. One of the world's greatest fisheries is that relating to the several species of the cod family (Gadidæ). These are common in the northern regions of both oceans. The more important species are the common cod, haddock, pollack, and hake. The countries principally engaged in the cod fisheries are Newfoundland, Canada, the United States, France, Great Britain, and Norway and Sweden, with a total annual product worth about $20,000,000. In the United States the number of vessels of not less than five tons burden which are engaged either wholly or largely in cod fisheries is not less than 600, with a total tonnage of 25,000 tons, representing a capital of over $3,000,000. Besides these there are many smaller vessels. The number of men engaged is over 7000. The common cod (Gadus callarias) is the most important, and is found on both sides of the Atlantic. It is taken with hand lines and trawl lines from rather deep waters—20 to 70 fathoms. The annual catch for the United States has in recent years averaged about $3,000,000, first value. The catch in 1893 for Canada amounted to $4,028,448. The haddock is extensively taken in both Europe and America. The product of Canada amounted to $466,319 for the year 1893. In the United States the annual yield is about 50,000,000 pounds, with a value of about $1,115,000. The pollack is found on the east coast of North America north of New Jersey. The annual catch in the United States amounts to about $100,000, the Canadian product amounting to about one-half this sum.
The various species of cod are marketed fresh, dried, pickled, and smoked. Very small quantities are pickled in the United States, and almost the only species smoked is the haddock. The principal form in which they are cured is by salting and drying. The world's annual product of dried codfish aggregates 600,000,000 pounds, representing 2,500,000,000 pounds of the uncured fish. The chief markets are France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Brazil. The bulk of this trade is carried on by Norway, Newfoundland, and Canada, and it has been steadily increasing in these countries, while in the United States the reverse is the case. Our exports of dried cod in 1804 amounted to $2,400,000. while the average annual export for the ten years prior to 1894 was 16,260,000 pounds, worth $737,084. The total amount of dried codfish prepared in the United States annually is about 80,000,000 pounds. Haddock are extensively smoked, appearing on the market as ‘finnan haddie.’ The United States product of smoked haddock is valued at about $200,000 annually. The secondary products of the cod are of considerable importance. These are oil, isinglass from the air-bladders, glue, etc.
Halibut, etc. Nearly related to the Gadidæ, and like them of great importance, are the flatfishes (Pleuronectidæ). The fisheries are extensive in both Europe and America. Flatfishes are bottom fishes, and many of them are found in deep waters. The principal means of capture, therefore, are the hook and line, haul seines, pound-nets, and the beam-trawl. The latter method is almost exclusively used by the North European countries. The most important and one of the most toothsome is the large halibut, found in all northern seas. It may attain a weight of 400 pounds, though the commoner weight is less than half this. The great fishing grounds for the Atlantic trade of the United States are Grand Bank, Western Bank, Iceland, and Greenland. They are iced, and upon arrival are further prepared for sale either fresh or smoked. The most of the halibut are cured by smoking. The annual product, larger in former years than now, averages about 1,600,000 pounds, with a value of about $160,000. The Canadian catch of halibut in 1893 amounted to 215,000 pounds, with a value of $59,800. Two other
