﻿14 
  OTTER-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  THE 
  AMERICAN 
  BANK 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   GENERAL 
  CONSIDERATIONS. 
  

  

  In 
  comparatively 
  recent 
  years 
  the 
  fishing 
  fleet 
  of 
  the 
  banks 
  has 
  

   undergone 
  a 
  great 
  change 
  in 
  both 
  model 
  and 
  rig. 
  The 
  introduction 
  

   of 
  a 
  new 
  class 
  of 
  vessels, 
  having 
  greater 
  speed 
  and 
  superior 
  sea- 
  

   going 
  qualities 
  than 
  were 
  possessed 
  by 
  the 
  old 
  type, 
  has 
  made 
  it 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  to 
  prosecute 
  the 
  fisheries 
  on 
  a 
  larger 
  scale 
  at 
  all 
  seasons, 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  months. 
  In 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  increased 
  

   size 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  type 
  of 
  vessels, 
  much 
  more 
  fishing 
  gear 
  is 
  now 
  

   operated 
  per 
  vessel 
  than 
  was 
  customary 
  30 
  or 
  40 
  years 
  ago. 
  At 
  

   that 
  time 
  fewer 
  vessels, 
  in 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  fleet, 
  were 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  the 
  market 
  fishery 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  landing 
  their 
  catch 
  in 
  a 
  fresh 
  

   condition 
  — 
  and 
  more 
  attention 
  was 
  paid 
  to 
  what 
  is 
  termed 
  salt 
  fish- 
  

   ing 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  dressing 
  and 
  curing 
  of 
  fish 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  where 
  

   caught. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  fresh 
  fish 
  increased, 
  more 
  vessels 
  became 
  en- 
  

   gaged 
  in 
  supplying 
  the 
  market, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  a 
  

   large 
  fleet 
  was 
  permanently 
  employed 
  in 
  fishing 
  for 
  cod, 
  haddock, 
  

   and 
  other 
  species 
  throughout 
  the 
  entire 
  year. 
  These 
  vessels 
  fish 
  

   chiefly 
  on 
  Georges, 
  Browns, 
  and 
  Western 
  Banks, 
  arid 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  

   Channel, 
  although 
  at 
  times 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  inshore 
  grounds 
  are 
  visited. 
  

   Quick 
  trips 
  are 
  usually 
  made, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  times 
  when 
  a 
  continu- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  gales 
  interrupts 
  fishing 
  for 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  more. 
  Fish 
  that 
  are 
  

   over 
  two 
  wrecks 
  old, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  do 
  not 
  command 
  the 
  price 
  that 
  is 
  real- 
  

   ized 
  for 
  those 
  more 
  recently 
  caught; 
  in 
  consequence 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  in- 
  

   centive 
  for 
  the 
  fishermen 
  to 
  land 
  their 
  catch 
  in 
  as 
  fresh 
  condition 
  

   as 
  possible. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  early 
  years 
  of 
  the 
  haddock 
  fishery 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  haddock 
  grounds 
  were 
  resorted 
  to, 
  but 
  as 
  more 
  vessels 
  were 
  

   added 
  to 
  the 
  fleet 
  and 
  competition 
  arose 
  the 
  accessible 
  grounds 
  were 
  

   more 
  thoroughly 
  exploited 
  and 
  larger 
  catches 
  resulted. 
  

  

  On 
  Grand 
  Bank, 
  Western 
  Bank, 
  Quereau 
  Bank, 
  and 
  other 
  

   grounds 
  where 
  halibut 
  were 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  very 
  plentiful, 
  there 
  has, 
  

   in 
  recent 
  years, 
  been 
  a 
  decided 
  falling 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  catch, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  

   places 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  formerly 
  found 
  in 
  abundance, 
  it 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  

   considered 
  profitable 
  to 
  fish 
  for 
  them. 
  This 
  condition 
  is 
  thought 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  brought 
  about 
  by 
  overfishing. 
  Grounds 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  

   depleted 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  require 
  "rest"; 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  

   that 
  localities 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  abandoned 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  length 
  

   of 
  time 
  furnish 
  a 
  fairly 
  good 
  supply 
  of 
  halibut 
  when 
  again 
  visited. 
  

   Taken 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  however, 
  the 
  halibut 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  

   Atlantic 
  are 
  less 
  productive 
  than 
  they 
  were 
  15 
  years 
  ago 
  (1899), 
  

   when 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  fresh 
  and 
  salted 
  halibut 
  amounted 
  to 
  9,025,182 
  

  

  