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Page 37
The Shoal Ground, stretching easterly from Thacher Island, has depths
from 20 to 30 fathoms over a bottom of sand and gravel. This area is
about 15 miles long by 5 miles wide and is an important pollock ground
in their spawning time as well as a good fall cod-fishing ground. It is
about 12 miles E. by N. from Thacher Island to its center and 21 miles
SE. by S. from the Isle of Shoals. Flounder draggers also operate here
on the shoal ground and all around Thacher Island but mostly to eastward
& southeastward.
Tillies Bank. [13] This bears E & S from Eastern Point Light just
dropping Thacher Island Light, then 3 miles farther for best fishing:
and E. by S. � S. from Thacher Island, Cape Ann, from which the shoal on
the center of the ground is distant 18 miles. This is a small rocky spot
with depths of from 25 to 28 fathoms, outside of which the water deepens
to 40 fathoms over a considerable area. The length of the entire ground
is about 10 miles in an E. and W. direction and the width about 5 miles.
At the edge it falls off rapidly to depths of 50 to 60 fathoms before
reaching the mud at still greater depths but an area of shoal water
connects this ground with West Jeffreys. The bottom is rocky and rough
over the greater part of the bank. Tillies was formerly regarded as one
of the best fishing grounds off Cape Ann and is still resorted to for
cod and haddock in the spring and fall; for hake in the spring, summer,
and fall, and for pollock in the spring and fall. The fishing is mainly
by trawling, with the gillnetters operating on the shoal grounds in less
than 50 fathoms.
Stellwagen Bank also called Middle Bank. This separates Massachusetts
Bay from the open water of the Gulf of Maine and extends from near Cape
Ann nearly to Cape Cod. The center of this ground bears S by E � E from
Thacher Island and N by W � W from Highland Light, Cape Cod. The
Southern Part of the Bank is distant 5� miles from Race Point Cape
Cod, and its northwest prong reaches to within 12 or 15 miles of Eastern
Point Cape Cod. The shoaler portion, with depths from 9� to 19
fathoms, is 17� miles long in a N by W and S by E direction and has a
width of 4 miles. This part is sandy but the eastern slope, in depths of
from 25 to 55 fathoms, consists of coarse sand gravel and pebbles. On
this gravelly slope cod and haddock have been taken plentifully over a
long term of years, the cod in the fall and spring and the haddock in
the winter months. On the southern end of the bank and between this and
Race Point cod abound in fall and winter. The whole bank is also a
mackerel ground when the fish are in these waters, the best in the
season averaging to be from July 15 through September.
This bank is now mainly an Italian boat ground and is used by small
craft from Boston and Gloucester. Gill-netting here is especially
extensive in November and December, mostly for pollock. Netters operate
about 22 miles SSE. from Eastern Point in 22 to 25 fathoms on a hard
bottom. Good pollock catches are made in 25 to 40 fathoms on the eastern
and southeastern slopes in the latter part of November and early
December. Haddock are here from November 1 to March 1 and from April 20
to May 15. Cod are present all the year, the largest school occurring
during August, September and October. It is a cusk ground from November
to March in the deeper water. What seems a somewhat unusual occurrence
in these later years was the appearance of a considerable school of
halibut on the northern slope of Stellwagen during the last half of
April 1926, several small craft getting from 2,000 to 3,000 pounds in
their fares.
Wild Cat Ridge. Very heavy tides sweep over this ground, making it
difficult to haul gear in fishing upon it, whence, it is said, comes the
name. It lies NNE from Highland Light, Cape Cod, 18 miles to its
southern edge; SE � S from Thacher Island 31 miles; and is about 7�
miles long in a north and south direction by about 3� miles wide. The
bottom is hard, of broken shells and sand, and depths are from 45 to 60
fathoms. There are 100 fathom depths inside of the ground and from 100
to 110 fathoms outside of it. Apparently, this is an all the year
ground for cod, cusk, and haddock, although but little fished at any
time other than the winter seasons.
[Table 3--Outer Fishing Grounds, showing the principle species taken
upon them.]
[Footnote 13: There has been some speculation as to the origin of the
somewhat unusual name of this bank. The writer would note that there was
an Edward Tillie in the Company of Captain John Smith when he explored
this region in 1614 and a Tilly (perhaps the same person) who operated a
fishing station at Cape Ann during the years 1624 and 1625.]
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