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Show AMERICA'S MISSING MIS-SING MACKEREL The mackeicl was 0110 of the great stapel fish foods of tho country us far back as colonial days, and tho fish-eiy fish-eiy wns very actively prosecuted in New l-ngland, and, to some extent, In ,1... Ml. 1.11.. Atlnntlf. ol.ifu In 1CCP. uiv .hiuiiiu ,ki,(,.iv.- am.v.ii (, iuuui ufter several years or unprecedented abundance, the mackerel dropped off suddenly and has never resumed Its former plenteousncss. Tho fishery of Inst year was the poorest In the history of the country. As against a catch of about ".00,000 barrels of salted fish lu 188". tho catch of 19 to was only 2,700 ban els. There are today Invested lu tho mackerel fishery nenrlv $2,000,000, but the fishery is being pmseeutcd moro lu the way of a lotteiv than anything else. Notwithstanding tho long continued disappearance of tho mackeiel, vessels aro fitted nut every ev-ery spring In tho expectation that tho musing fish will come back in us great uumbcis as lu ISSIi. Sixteen bundled men hav been year after year holding on to this fishery with tho hopo that stun thing will turn up. If tho mnebciel wore to come back their vessels would inako tremendous piotlts. Salted mackerel mac-kerel aro worth $10 a barrel today, wherens lu 1SC0 they sold foi $1 nnd $5 a barrel. Tho diminution In tho eati h came so suddenly that It is difficult to ascribe as-cribe It to active fishing openttons. Tho bureau of flshcilcs expeit- have been Inclined to bcllovo that there nre some physical factors ou rating 011 tho eggs and the oung fish which prevent tho development of the ouiir j fish, but thoy do not know positively. J It Is hoped that Infernatlonal lnvca-I lnvca-I tlgatlon by tho forolgn ftshorv ox-I ox-I ports will detornilno whether tho mackerel has lecontly undergone 'n I decreaso in nbumlnnco or has sought other grounds nnd Is likely to return ( - United Fisheries Ilurcnu Bulletin, |