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When we think about Cape Cod in relation to fishing we inevitably think of cod, haddock, striped bass, oysters, steamers and lobsters. For a long time mackerel was also one of the area’s primary catches. Mackerel is a migratory fish that arrives in the Cape’s waters in the summer months. It is a very fatty and oily fish, unlike a whitefish like cod. Cod was a major catch because it could be salted and dried which made it easy to transport. The same process could not be used for mackerel so the fishery took longer to develop than the whitefish industry. For mackerel in order to preserve it and bring it to market the mackerel was salted as soon as it was caught and immediately put in barrels. There the mackerel would sit in its own brine and pickle Yummm. Find out about how salt was made on Cape Cod before the railroad.