Fish Catch, Schooner Pioneer

Capt. J.W. Lunt of the schooner Pioneer of Tremont kept a log while fishing during the year 1861. The log was used to support a bounty claim from the federal government. This part of the log shows what each fisherman caught each day in September and provided the basis for their federal subsidy. These logs have helped to reconstruct the historic cod catch before good statistics. At this time the schooner was probably hand-lining with the fishermen lining the rail, each with a pair of baited lines.

The Gulf of Maine Cod Project is using logs like this to reconstruct historical fish populations. There are a number of these in the Penoboscot Marine Museum collection.

The original log is in the National Archives Waltham, Massachusetts branch.