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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  shores 
  of 
  North 
  Amorica 
  is 
  entirely 
  a 
  shore 
  fishery. 
  With 
  the 
  excep- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  occasionally 
  taken 
  for 
  bait 
  by 
  the 
  line 
  fishermen 
  on 
  the 
  

   banks, 
  our 
  herring 
  are 
  all 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  shore, 
  

   and 
  it 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  an 
  undesirable 
  innovation 
  when, 
  in 
  the 
  later 
  

   years 
  of 
  tbe 
  winter 
  herring- 
  fishery, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  set 
  

   their 
  nets 
  or 
  8 
  miles 
  from 
  land. 
  

  

  The 
  lack 
  of 
  an 
  offshore 
  fishery 
  on 
  our 
  coasts 
  is 
  due 
  not 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  

   of 
  the 
  fish, 
  but 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  shore 
  fisheries 
  are 
  amply 
  able 
  to 
  

   supi)ly 
  the 
  somewhat 
  limited 
  demand. 
  Bodies 
  of 
  herring 
  are 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  seen 
  far 
  out 
  at 
  sea 
  by 
  vessels 
  engaged 
  in 
  other 
  branches 
  of 
  

   the 
  fishery, 
  and 
  large 
  hauls 
  are 
  sometimes 
  accidentally 
  made 
  by 
  mack- 
  

   erelmen 
  in 
  their, 
  purse 
  seiues. 
  The 
  herring 
  fishery 
  has 
  never 
  assumed 
  

   the 
  importance 
  here 
  which 
  has 
  long 
  characterized 
  it 
  in 
  Europe, 
  although 
  

   in 
  abundance 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  probably 
  not 
  inferior. 
  

  

  HISTORY 
  AND 
  GENERAL 
  CHARACTER 
  OF 
  THE 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  herring 
  fisheries 
  in 
  the 
  Passaraaquoddy 
  region 
  are 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  brush 
  weirs, 
  gill 
  nets, 
  and 
  torching. 
  The 
  latter 
  method 
  is 
  

   the 
  one 
  of 
  most 
  ancient 
  usage 
  and 
  was 
  practically 
  the 
  only 
  method 
  

   employed 
  prior 
  to 
  1820, 
  when 
  Aveirs 
  were 
  introduced. 
  This 
  method 
  

   of 
  catching 
  the 
  fish 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  effectual 
  only 
  after 
  the 
  weather 
  has 
  

   grown 
  cool, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  Lubec 
  it 
  usually 
  begins 
  

   during 
  the 
  " 
  September 
  darks" 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  about 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  new 
  moon 
  

   during 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  September. 
  Formerly 
  a 
  torch 
  of 
  birch 
  bark 
  

   was 
  used, 
  but 
  with 
  increasing 
  scarcity 
  of 
  that 
  material 
  and 
  the 
  appear- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  kerosene 
  in 
  the 
  markets 
  as 
  a 
  cheap 
  illuminant 
  the 
  latter 
  was 
  

   substituted. 
  A 
  mass 
  of 
  cotton 
  or 
  similar 
  material 
  is 
  wound 
  about 
  a 
  

   stick 
  several 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  and, 
  when 
  saturated 
  with 
  kerosene 
  and 
  

   ignited, 
  makes 
  a 
  rude 
  but 
  cheap 
  and 
  serviceable 
  torch. 
  This 
  is 
  fixed 
  

   to 
  the 
  bow 
  of 
  a 
  boat, 
  which 
  is 
  rapidly 
  rowed 
  through 
  the 
  water 
  by 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  fishermen, 
  while 
  another, 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  dip 
  net, 
  is 
  stationed 
  

   in 
  the 
  bow. 
  The 
  fish 
  rise 
  toward 
  the 
  light 
  in 
  numbers 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  

   speed 
  of 
  the 
  boat 
  is 
  maintained, 
  but 
  when 
  the 
  motion 
  ceases 
  they 
  sink 
  

   back 
  into 
  the 
  depths. 
  They 
  are 
  usually 
  simply 
  bailed 
  into 
  the 
  boat 
  as 
  

   they 
  rise, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  large 
  quantities 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  this 
  way. 
  At 
  

   other 
  times 
  the 
  torch 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  weirs, 
  the 
  fish 
  being 
  

   tolled 
  in 
  by 
  their 
  blind 
  pursuit 
  of 
  the 
  light, 
  which 
  is 
  then 
  extinguished, 
  

   and 
  the 
  operation 
  repeated 
  as 
  often 
  as 
  maybe 
  necessary. 
  This 
  method 
  

   is 
  adopted 
  when 
  the 
  fish 
  for 
  some 
  reason 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  deeper 
  water 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  weirs, 
  and 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  profitable 
  when 
  sardine-herring 
  are 
  

   scarce 
  and 
  in 
  demand. 
  

  

  Torching 
  in 
  its 
  simjiler 
  form 
  is 
  still 
  somewhat 
  extensively 
  followed 
  in 
  

   the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Lubec, 
  and 
  before 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  i:)ounds 
  into 
  this 
  

   region 
  was 
  the 
  principal 
  source 
  of 
  supply 
  for 
  smoking-herriug. 
  Through 
  

   the 
  instrumentiility 
  of 
  the 
  weir 
  fishermen 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  prohibited 
  by 
  the 
  

   law 
  of 
  New 
  Brunswick, 
  the 
  objections 
  urged 
  against 
  it 
  being 
  that 
  it 
  tends 
  

   to 
  break 
  up 
  and 
  scatter 
  the 
  schools, 
  and 
  that 
  dropping 
  oil 
  upon 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  wntor 
  tends 
  to 
  drive 
  the 
  fastidious 
  herring 
  from 
  its 
  haunts. 
  

  

  