146 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



9. EARLY LABRADOR FISHERIES FROM PORTS IN MAINE. 



During the first half of the present century, writes R. E. Earll, the Labrador fisheries were 

 extensively prosecuted from the towns of Westport and Booth Bay. 



The first vessel engaging in the business of which we get any trace was the schooner Ruby, 

 115 tons (old measurement), Capt. James Seunett, of Harpswell. The vessel was sent from North 

 Booth Bay about 1817, and was joined the next year by the schooner Union, 84 tons, Capt. Timothy 

 Kemp, from the same place. The next season (1819) there were two other vessels, the Dennis, 78 

 tons, from North Booth Bay, and one from Westport. 



These vessels continued yearly to visit Labrador, but it seems that they were about the only 

 ones from this section to engage in the business for some years. They fished in and about the 

 Straits of Belle Isle and frequently farther north, to Cape Harrison, starting about the 10th of 

 June and returning by the middle or last of September. 



The fish were generally very light salted, only 8 bushels being used to 10 quintals. The 

 vessels got full trips and frequently took a part of their fish out and spread them on the rocks to 

 partially dry them and thus lighten the vessel and save salt. They always brought full fares of 

 from 1,000 to 1,500 quintals, but the fish were small and brought a low price. Mr. Timothy Hodg- 

 don, an old man who was interested in curing at that time, is authority for the statement that in 

 those days no large fish were ever taken by these vessels, and that when thoroughly dried it took 

 one hundred and thirty in number to make a quintal. After being cured they were invariably 

 sold to Boston parties for exportation to Bilboa, and came to be known as " Bilboa fish." 



The business in later years begau to grow, and about 1840 East Booth Bay began sending ves- 

 sels, while Westport sent a larger fleet. Mr. Daniel Cameron, of South port, thinks that in 1844 

 Westport and East Booth Bay each sent four vessels, while North Booth Bay had a like number. 

 This seemed about the height of the business, and soon after it began to decline, so that by 

 1850 almost no vessels were sent, but through William T. Maddocks, we learn that his father sent 

 the Osprey as late as 1856 from South port. 



The vessels averaged about 100 tons, the extremes being 45 and 140 (old measurement), carried 

 yawl boats at first and always remained in the harbors while the men were fishing. The crew 

 were divided up into a dressing and fishing gang, the former remaining on board and dressing 

 the catch of the others. They were provided with small drag-seines and caught their bait each 

 morning before the fishing began. They used capelin wholly, which were always found in great 

 abundance in the shoal waters along the shore. The crews fished in shoal water and usually very 

 near the vessel, fished at the halves, counting their fish as they were thrown aboard the vessel, 

 and generally averaged about $140 to $160 per man for the trip. 



The fishing was always good, and we get no record of a vessel from this section returning 

 without a full fare, neither can we learn of either a man or vessel being lost. But, notwithstanding 

 the abundance of fish, they were so small that they brought even less than those classed as small 

 from other localities, and the firms were driven out of the business. 



The following additional statements concerning this fishery are made by Capt. A. P. Hodgdon: 



While fishing in the vicinity of Partridge Harbor in 1844 or 1845 the crew of the schooner 

 Dennis, Captain Hodgdon, caught 1,100 quintals in fourteen days. The fish came in great num- 

 bers after the capelin, and frequently the water would be filled with them for acres at the surface, 

 where they would make a good deal of noise splashing about in chasing their prey. They only 



