ON THE ECONOMICAL USES OF FISHES. 175 



shore, engaged in preparing the fish. Cod is there 

 preserved in two ways, and is called respectively 

 green^ or pickled^ and dried cod. Most of the dried 

 fish exported from Newfoundland by British sub- 

 jects, is sent to Spain, Italy, and other Catholic 

 European countries ; the rest goes to the West Indies 

 and Great Britain. 



The British Government have now discontinued 

 the plan of giving bounties to those engaged in the 

 cod fishery, but the French, as late as 1829, in 

 which year 400 ships were sent out by them to pro- 

 secute this fishery, gave bounties to the amount of 

 ^60,000. In order to describe the manner in which 

 this fishery is conducted, we cannot do better than 

 give an abstract of an account by Mr. Audubon of 

 " Cod Fishing at Labrador." The American vessels 

 used for this purpose, are commonly either schooners 

 or " pickaxes," of about one hundred tons or so, 

 manned by twelve men ; and each vessel is provided 

 with a small boat for every two of the crew. The 

 wages of the fishermen vary from sixteen to thirty 

 dollars a month, and spirituous liquors are seldom 

 allowed on board. The baits used, are at first mus- 

 sels salted for the purpose, then capelins, and often 

 the flesh of gannets, and other sea-fowl. The vessel 

 being in a convenient harbour, at three o'clock in the 

 morning the boats proceed to the fishing banks 

 several miles ofi", and anchor in a depth of from ten 

 to twenty feet. Each man has two lines, and the 

 fish ai*e unhooked when drawn up, by throwing 

 them across a bar of iron. The boats, after being 



