CHAT. xix. HERRING SEINES. 3'29 



made their appearance in the spring on the coasts of 

 Newfoundland, of the Magdalen Islands, and in the Bay of 

 Chaleurs, returning to the main ocean or making their 

 way to the arctic seas. 



During the summer season large numbers of herrings 

 are to be met with along the coast of Gaspe, and even 

 along the north shore of the St. Lawrence and throughout 

 the gulf, but they are not in shoals. 



No sooner in the spring has the first shoal of herrings 

 been observed at any place along the coast, than all the 

 fishermen in the neighbourhood repair to the beach with 

 their nets, seines, and other fishing tackle. They spread the 

 nets so as to intercept the shoals of herring when seeking to 

 approach the shore at night for the purpose of spawning. 



At the Magdalen Islands and in the Bay of Chaleurs, 

 as well as along a portion of the coast of Gaspe, immense 

 numbers of herrings are taken in the spring. At Pleasant 

 Bay more than 50,000 barrels are taken with nets and 

 seines every year in the space of fifteen days at the most.. 

 The same thing happens on the coast of Gaspe, although 

 there the seine is used less. 



The nets, which are generally thirty fathoms long by 

 five or six wide, are set in the afternoon, and in the 

 morning the fishermen visit them and take out the fish, 

 generally to the extent of from five to ten barrels out of 

 each net when the fishing is good. The nets remain set 

 as long as the fishing lasts, although they are sometimes 

 taken up to be cleaned. 



Seines for the purpose of taking herring must be of 

 large dimensions - - say from 100 to 130 fathoms long- 

 by from eight to eleven fathoms wide, with braces 200 



