﻿398 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Light. 
  — 
  It 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  recoguized, 
  both 
  iu 
  this 
  country 
  and 
  in 
  

   Europe, 
  that 
  light 
  has 
  an 
  important 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  

   herring 
  and 
  upon 
  the 
  facility 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  captured. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  hours 
  of 
  bright 
  sunlight 
  the 
  herring, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  

   of 
  "brit," 
  keep 
  in 
  the 
  deeper 
  waters 
  and 
  rarely 
  come 
  close 
  to 
  shore 
  or 
  

   a])proach 
  the 
  surface. 
  Herring 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Eastport 
  

   in 
  drift 
  nets 
  near 
  the 
  surface, 
  but 
  such 
  nets 
  are 
  never 
  known 
  to 
  catch 
  

   anything 
  during 
  the 
  daytime. 
  In 
  this 
  locality 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  quite 
  clear, 
  

   but 
  in 
  St. 
  John 
  Bay, 
  in 
  l!s'ew 
  Brunswick, 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  turbid 
  and 
  

   dark 
  from 
  the 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  solid 
  matter 
  brought 
  down 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  

   river 
  St. 
  John, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  significant 
  that 
  the 
  only 
  case 
  known 
  to 
  me 
  of 
  

   herring 
  being 
  caught 
  during 
  the 
  daytime 
  occurred 
  some 
  years 
  ago 
  in 
  

   St. 
  John 
  Bay. 
  It 
  is, 
  moreover, 
  a 
  fact 
  recognized 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  and 
  

   frequently 
  observed 
  by 
  me, 
  that 
  relatively 
  few 
  fish, 
  although 
  they 
  may 
  

   be 
  playing 
  at 
  the 
  surface, 
  can 
  be 
  caught 
  by 
  drifting 
  upon 
  moonlight 
  

   nights, 
  and 
  the 
  fishery 
  is 
  not 
  usually 
  prosecuted 
  at 
  such 
  times. 
  This 
  

   is 
  to 
  be 
  explained 
  by 
  the 
  greater 
  facility 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  fish 
  see 
  and 
  

   avoid 
  the 
  nets, 
  an 
  explanation 
  which 
  appears 
  the 
  more 
  probable 
  when 
  

   it 
  is 
  noted 
  that 
  fishing 
  with 
  gill 
  nets 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  usually 
  poorer 
  when 
  

   the 
  water 
  "fires," 
  that 
  is 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  strongly 
  phosphorescent, 
  and 
  the 
  

   nets 
  suspended 
  in 
  it 
  are 
  like 
  a 
  wall 
  of 
  flame, 
  and 
  of 
  course 
  conspicuous 
  

   to 
  the 
  fish 
  and 
  easily 
  avoided. 
  

  

  Light 
  has 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  eltect 
  upon 
  the 
  weir 
  fisheries, 
  large 
  catches 
  

   being 
  rarely 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  tides 
  or 
  upon 
  moonlight 
  nights, 
  

   except 
  when 
  the 
  herring 
  are 
  driven 
  and 
  held 
  in 
  shallow 
  waters 
  by 
  their 
  

   enemies, 
  as 
  for 
  instance 
  at 
  Magaguadavic 
  in 
  1894, 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  held 
  

   inshore 
  by 
  large 
  bodies 
  of 
  squids, 
  considerable 
  quantities 
  were 
  taken 
  

   in 
  dip 
  nets. 
  The 
  best 
  fishing 
  is 
  usually 
  to 
  be 
  had 
  during 
  dark 
  nights 
  

   when 
  the 
  high 
  tide 
  occurs 
  between 
  1 
  and 
  7 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  nnorning, 
  the 
  

   time 
  appearing 
  to 
  vary 
  somewhat 
  in 
  different 
  places; 
  near 
  L'Etang, 
  for 
  

   instance, 
  the 
  later 
  tides 
  are 
  better 
  and 
  in 
  St. 
  Andrew 
  Bay 
  the 
  earlier 
  

   ones. 
  When 
  the 
  tides 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  during 
  and 
  near 
  full 
  moon 
  

   the 
  fishing 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  good, 
  but 
  should 
  a 
  cloudy 
  night 
  intervene 
  there 
  is 
  

   frequently 
  an 
  improvement 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  for 
  that 
  night 
  or 
  during 
  the 
  

   continuance 
  of 
  the 
  cloudy 
  weather. 
  

  

  Another 
  curious 
  fact 
  connected 
  with 
  this 
  subject 
  is 
  the 
  apparent 
  

   fascination 
  which 
  a 
  moving 
  light 
  possesses 
  for 
  the 
  herring. 
  It 
  has 
  long 
  

   been 
  known 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  follow 
  a 
  light 
  ujion 
  dark 
  nights 
  and 
  this 
  

   habit 
  is 
  taken 
  advantage 
  of 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  process 
  known 
  as 
  

   "torching." 
  This 
  method 
  of 
  catching 
  the 
  fish 
  is 
  elsewhere 
  described. 
  

   It 
  is 
  sometimes 
  asserted 
  that 
  the 
  rising 
  moon 
  serves 
  to 
  attract 
  herring 
  

   in 
  a 
  similar 
  manner, 
  but 
  there 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  little 
  evidence 
  to 
  supjDort 
  

   the 
  statement. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  information 
  at 
  hand 
  concerning 
  the 
  eflect 
  of 
  light 
  upon 
  

   spawning 
  herring 
  and 
  upon 
  the 
  fishery 
  for 
  them. 
  

  

  Sonnil. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  fishermen 
  and 
  to 
  all 
  who 
  have 
  studied 
  

  

  