﻿392 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  than 
  the 
  weirs 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  It 
  proved 
  very 
  successful 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  

   herring, 
  and 
  other 
  iiarties 
  soon 
  built 
  weirs 
  of 
  similar 
  size 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  purpose. 
  

  

  Growih 
  of 
  the 
  wcii- 
  fishery. 
  — 
  From 
  this 
  small 
  beginning 
  the 
  weir 
  fishing 
  gradually 
  

   spread 
  to 
  the 
  adjoining 
  section, 
  and 
  Campobello, 
  Grand 
  Manan, 
  and 
  the 
  various 
  

   settlements 
  along 
  the 
  American 
  shore 
  soon 
  had 
  extensive 
  weir 
  fisheries. 
  In 
  1835 
  

   the 
  weir 
  was 
  introduced 
  into 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Grand 
  Manan 
  Island 
  by 
  Lubec 
  parties. 
  

   In 
  1836 
  the 
  first 
  one 
  was 
  built 
  in 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Bay, 
  which 
  soon 
  came 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   principal 
  fishing-ground 
  on 
  the 
  American 
  shore; 
  and 
  within 
  fifteen 
  years 
  from 
  that 
  

   date 
  there 
  were 
  30 
  weirs 
  between 
  Lubec 
  and 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Head, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  

   3 
  or 
  4 
  miles 
  at 
  most. 
  

  

  In 
  1849, 
  according 
  to 
  Mr. 
  M. 
  H. 
  Parley, 
  there 
  were 
  27 
  weirs 
  at 
  Grand 
  Manan, 
  21 
  at 
  

   Campobello 
  Island, 
  and 
  7 
  on 
  the 
  West 
  Isles. 
  We 
  find 
  no 
  printed 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  on 
  the 
  American 
  shore 
  at 
  that 
  time, 
  but 
  the 
  older 
  fishermen 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  informed 
  

   us 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  about 
  45 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Lubec, 
  with 
  20 
  additional 
  at 
  Eastport 
  

   and 
  along 
  the 
  Maine 
  shore 
  between 
  Lubec 
  and 
  Calais. 
  This 
  would 
  give 
  65 
  for 
  the 
  

   American 
  shore 
  and 
  55 
  on 
  the 
  English 
  islands, 
  making 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  120 
  at 
  that 
  time. 
  

  

  These 
  weirs 
  were 
  all 
  small, 
  and 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  pattern 
  afterwards 
  known 
  

   as 
  "half 
  tide" 
  or 
  "hedge 
  weirs," 
  being 
  so 
  constructed 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  

   could 
  enter 
  them 
  when 
  the 
  tide 
  was 
  past 
  half 
  flood, 
  but 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  

   could 
  not 
  escape 
  during 
  the 
  later 
  stages 
  of 
  ebb 
  tide, 
  being 
  often 
  left 
  

   high 
  and 
  dry 
  at 
  low 
  water. 
  Such 
  weirs 
  are 
  still 
  employed 
  in 
  some 
  

   places, 
  but 
  rarely 
  in 
  Passamaquoddy. 
  They 
  were 
  afterwards 
  improved 
  

   by 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  a 
  leader 
  or 
  its 
  equivalent, 
  and 
  were 
  built 
  larger 
  and 
  

   in 
  deeper 
  water.* 
  

  

  In 
  1880 
  there 
  were 
  142 
  weirs 
  in 
  the 
  Canadian 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  

   with 
  which 
  we 
  are 
  immediately 
  concerned, 
  located 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  St. 
  Croix 
  district 
  6 
  

  

  Inner 
  Bay, 
  Passamaquoddy 
  10 
  

  

  Lepreaux, 
  Beaver 
  Harbor, 
  and 
  Letite 
  16 
  

  

  Deer 
  Island 
  (estimate) 
  40 
  

  

  Campobello 
  29 
  

  

  Grand 
  Manan 
  41 
  

  

  Total 
  142 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  same 
  year 
  weirs 
  were 
  located 
  in 
  United 
  States 
  waters 
  as 
  

   follows 
  : 
  

  

  Outer 
  shore 
  of 
  Lubec 
  4 
  

  

  United 
  States 
  shore 
  of 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Bay 
  10 
  

  

  Canadian 
  shore 
  of 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Bay 
  (owned 
  in 
  Lubec) 
  7 
  

  

  North 
  Lubec 
  10 
  

  

  Eastport 
  and 
  small 
  islands 
  in 
  A'icinity 
  17 
  

  

  Westshore 
  of 
  St. 
  Croix 
  River, 
  between 
  Robbinston 
  and 
  Eastport. 
  12 
  

  

  Above 
  Robbinston 
  6 
  

  

  Total 
  66 
  

  

  Those 
  on 
  the 
  Canadian 
  side 
  of 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Bay 
  were 
  probably 
  also 
  

   included 
  in 
  the 
  Canadian 
  record, 
  and 
  allowing 
  for 
  tliis 
  duplication 
  we 
  

   may 
  conclude 
  that 
  in 
  1880 
  there 
  were 
  about 
  200 
  weirs 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  

   between 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Head 
  and 
  Point 
  Lepreau, 
  including 
  Grand 
  Manan. 
  

   This 
  was 
  at 
  a 
  period 
  when 
  the 
  sardine 
  business 
  had 
  already 
  assumed 
  

   considerable 
  importance 
  and 
  gave 
  evidence 
  of 
  a 
  greater 
  growth 
  to 
  come. 
  

   In 
  1881 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  weirs 
  in 
  Canadian 
  waters 
  had 
  increased 
  to 
  240, 
  

  

  "For 
  information 
  concerning 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  weirs 
  the 
  reader 
  is 
  referred 
  

   to 
  pp. 
  501-504 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  already 
  cited. 
  

  

  