No. G.] WIIITEAVES — 31ARINE FISHERIES. 341 



Grand Manaii Kips, Captain Purdy informs mc, the useofbrubli 

 weirs has destroyed one of the most valuable herring fisheries in 

 the Gulf. The herrings once caught tliere were the largest and 

 fattest, and fetched the best price of any in the Dominion. In 

 the opinion of Captain Purdy, the use of drag seines and of 

 bru^^h weirs should be prohibited. At Grand Manan, Campo 

 Bello, and Deer Island, the destruction of young herrings by 

 brush weirs has driven the cod from those localities. The New 

 Brunswick winter fisheries are, or were, an important source of 

 wealth to that province. As many as eighty vessels loaded with 

 fish at West Isles, New Brunswick, for United States Ports, 

 from October, 1872, to April, 1873. In April, 1873, forty sail 

 of United States fishermen came to St. Andrew's Bay, New 

 Brunswick, to buy herring for bait on the inshore bank fisheries. 

 It is feared that the use of purse seines v/ill either destroy or 

 materially injure the herring fishery. In winter the Ncav Bruns- 

 wick herring frequent river estuaries and harbors with muddy 

 b')ttoms. The rigorous protection to spawn herring at Grand 

 Manan and St. Andrew's Bay is undoubtedly a great public 

 benefit. For many of these details I am indebted to Captain J. 

 N. Purdy. 



Menhaden, or ''Pogy.'' — CUipea menhaden, Mitch. Gun 

 ther. Breuoortla menhaden, (Mitchell) Gill. A fish of very 

 rare occurrence in Canadian waters. 01* late years none have 

 been found in New Brunswick or to the north of Gra.nd Manan. 

 Menhaden are largely used as bait for mackerel, cod, and halibut. 

 The head, tail, backbone, and offals of this fish are converted into 

 manure by grinding, pressing, and adding a little salt to them so 

 as to make a kind of guano. In the United States this prepara- 

 tion is worth from $16 to $20 per ton. Iced menhaden is used 

 as bait for cod and halibut, and the meat of the same fish salted 

 and subsequently finely ground is employed to bring mackerel 

 to the surface. The United States method of fishing for mack- 

 erel is greatly disliked by fishermen resident along the coast. 

 The effect of it seems to be to draw mackerel •further out to sea? 

 and it seems tolerably certain that in many bays, as in some of 

 those of the East coast of Cape Breton, for example, no mackerel 

 are found now where they formerly used to be plentiful. At the 

 same time the use of menhaden is not illegal, and United States 

 fishermen ahva3's were idlowed to take mackerel (except inshore) 

 b -fore thi- )i<lury elaiisos ol' the 'fi* aty ."i" W'^ashiiigtoii came into 



