THE EASTERN COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND. 13 



water feodiDg-giouiids again. The coast luigratious duriug tlie summer months appear to be of 

 equally limited extent, and shoals of cod frequenting any particular coast may be said to be 

 indigenous to it. On the Labrador, ^nd especially in such known deep bays as Hamilton Inlet, 

 the coast movements of the fish appear to be very regular, and determined to a large degree by 

 the tidal currents. The capelin generally precede the cod by a few days, and these fish are known 

 to approach the coast and enter the sandy coves for the purpose of spawning. The same law 

 which guides the movement of the cod afiects also the spawning of the capelin. I saw numerous 

 shoals of this fish spawning in Trinity on the 27th of June. A month later they siiawn in 

 Kyi^okok Bay, and still later further to the north." 



Presknt Status of the Noutuern Labrador Fishery.— "About four hundred fishing 

 craft, from eighteen to ninety tons burden, are supposed to have passed Cape Harrison this 

 season (187G). Taking the average of the entire fleet, they carried each eight men, three fishing- 

 boats and one shore boat. Out of the thirty-two hundred hands we may assume that twenty-four 

 hundred were actually engnged in fishing. The estimated catch was sixty quintals per man, or 

 in the aggregate one hundred and forty-four thousand quintals. This work was accomplished in 

 an average aggregate of twenty-four fishing days, and to a large extent with the jigger, that is, 

 without the use of bait. The average weight of the fish is about three pounds fresh. Allowing 

 one hundred and thirty fish to the quintal, the number taken would be about eighteen millions; 

 the number wounded and lost about four million five hundred thousand, although some 

 fishermen consider that one fish out of three is wounded by the jigger and lost when the fish are 

 very numerous." 



We have quoted this report of the Labrador fi.shing-bauks so much in detail mainly for its 

 many valuable suggestions bearing upon several of the more southern fishing regions, which have 

 not yet been so carefully studied. It is not probable, however, that American vessels will resort 

 to these distant grounds for some time to come, or until forced to do so by the scarcity of cod in 

 regions nearer home. The size of the Labrador cod is also below the standard recognized in 

 United States markets. 



Herring occur at various points along the coasts of Labrador, between the Straits of Belle Isle 

 and Cape Harrison, and are principally taken in the vicinity of the bays and harbors resorted to 

 by the vessels engaged in the cod fisheries of that region. This fishery is in season duriug the 

 summer, but has at no time been very extensive. 



3. THE EASTERN AND SOUTHERN COASTS OF NEWFOUNDLAND. 



THE eastern coast. 



The eastern coast of Newfoundland furnishes a vast area of boat fishing-ground for cod, 

 extending from Cape Eace to the Straits of Belle Isle. Along the same side of the island, squid, 

 capelin, and herring abound to a greater or less extent, and are taken for use as bait principally. 

 There are no fishing-banks off this coast excepting at the southeast corner, just oS which the 

 Grand Banks are located. According to Prof Henry Y. Hind, the extent of the shore codfishing- 

 grounds on the eastern side of this island is as follows: 



[In geographical square miles.] 



Cape Eace to Cape Boiiuvista, 294 miles, 3 miles deep 882 



Cape Bouavista to Cape Saint John, 225 miles, 3 miles deep 675 



Among the islands in Bunavista Bay and Bay of Notre Dame, 120 miles, 7 miles deep 840 



Capo Saint John to Cape Bauld, French shore, 300 miles, 3 miles deep 900 



Total 3,297 



