﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  NORTHEAST 
  COAST. 
  399 
  

  

  the 
  subject 
  that 
  herring 
  are 
  affected 
  by 
  loud 
  uoises. 
  I 
  have 
  frequently 
  

   noticed 
  that 
  a 
  sudden 
  blow 
  upon 
  tlie 
  thwarts 
  of 
  a 
  boat 
  will 
  cause 
  

   herring 
  swimming 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  to 
  suddenly 
  disappear, 
  but 
  they 
  will 
  

   soon 
  reappear 
  if 
  the 
  noise 
  be 
  not 
  continued. 
  My 
  observations 
  at 
  St. 
  

   Andrews 
  indicate 
  that 
  such 
  noises 
  as 
  the 
  sounding 
  of 
  a 
  ship's 
  horn 
  

   or 
  the 
  distant 
  report 
  of 
  "small 
  arms 
  are 
  unnoticed 
  by 
  herring 
  at 
  the 
  

   surface, 
  but 
  the 
  heavy 
  detonations 
  of 
  cannon, 
  as 
  one 
  would 
  naturally 
  

   suppose, 
  produce 
  a 
  greater 
  eflect, 
  and 
  at 
  Bar 
  Harbor 
  the 
  frequent 
  

   firing 
  of 
  small 
  cannons 
  on 
  the 
  yachts 
  scare 
  the 
  fish, 
  although 
  they 
  do 
  

   not 
  seem 
  to 
  go 
  very 
  far 
  and 
  soon 
  recover 
  from 
  their 
  fright. 
  The 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  at 
  Seal 
  Cove, 
  Grand 
  Manan, 
  say 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  Gaunot 
  Eock 
  fog- 
  

   gun, 
  9 
  miles 
  distant, 
  is 
  fired 
  all 
  the 
  herring 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  go 
  down 
  at 
  

   once, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  was 
  noticed 
  at 
  Eastport 
  some 
  years 
  ago 
  when 
  

   warships 
  were 
  stationed 
  in 
  those 
  waters. 
  

  

  These 
  facts, 
  well 
  established, 
  have 
  been 
  ofiered 
  in 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  

   failure 
  of 
  fisheries 
  at 
  different 
  places, 
  fog 
  alarms 
  and 
  whistles 
  having 
  

   been 
  sui^posed 
  to 
  exert 
  a 
  very 
  bad 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  catches 
  of 
  the 
  weirs. 
  

   Mr. 
  W. 
  B. 
  McLaughlin, 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  light-house 
  at 
  the 
  Southern 
  

   Head 
  of 
  Grand 
  Manan, 
  an 
  intelligent 
  man, 
  to 
  whom 
  I 
  am 
  much 
  in- 
  

   debted 
  for 
  assistance, 
  is 
  a 
  firm 
  believer 
  in 
  the 
  pernicious 
  effect 
  of 
  loud 
  

   noises 
  upon 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  In 
  a 
  conversation 
  in 
  1893, 
  he 
  stated 
  that 
  

   a 
  weir 
  on 
  Big 
  Duck 
  Island 
  had 
  been 
  known 
  for 
  forty 
  years 
  as 
  a 
  very 
  

   successful 
  fishery. 
  The 
  owners, 
  as 
  a 
  safeguard 
  to 
  their 
  shipping, 
  were 
  

   desirous 
  that 
  the 
  Government 
  should 
  place 
  a 
  fog-horn 
  upon 
  the 
  island 
  

   and, 
  although 
  advised 
  not 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  made 
  successful 
  application 
  for 
  its 
  

   establishment. 
  Soon 
  after 
  it 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  operation 
  the 
  fishery 
  began 
  

   to 
  fail 
  and 
  was 
  eventually 
  completely 
  ruined. 
  I 
  afterwards 
  heard 
  of 
  

   this 
  case 
  from 
  others. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  McLaughlin 
  offers 
  the 
  same 
  hypothesis 
  in 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  

   failure 
  of 
  the 
  weirs 
  in 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Bay. 
  He 
  says 
  that 
  they 
  began 
  

   to 
  fall 
  off 
  in 
  their 
  catch 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  fog-alarm 
  was 
  placed 
  on 
  

   Quoddy 
  Head, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  porpoises, 
  which 
  prey 
  upon 
  the 
  herring, 
  

   made 
  off 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  Indians 
  engaged 
  in 
  porpoise 
  fishing 
  

   were 
  unable 
  to 
  confirm 
  this 
  statement, 
  and, 
  moreover, 
  the 
  weirs 
  referred 
  

   to 
  have 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  years 
  again 
  begun 
  to 
  be 
  profitable 
  fisheries, 
  a 
  

   fact 
  which 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  explained 
  by 
  stating 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  have 
  become 
  

   "educated'' 
  to 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  recognizing 
  the 
  harmlessness 
  of 
  the 
  whistle. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  explain 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  weir 
  fisheries 
  at 
  

   Lubec 
  and 
  Treats 
  Island 
  by 
  the 
  terror 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  steamboats 
  have 
  

   inspired 
  the 
  herring. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  constant 
  churning 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   and 
  the 
  blowing 
  of 
  whistles 
  has 
  driven 
  the 
  herring 
  away, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  

   found 
  that 
  the 
  same 
  causes 
  do 
  not 
  produce 
  the 
  stated 
  effect 
  upon 
  other 
  

   weirs. 
  Those 
  in 
  Friar 
  Bay 
  are 
  exposed 
  to 
  these 
  disturbances 
  as 
  much 
  

   as 
  or 
  more 
  than 
  is 
  Treats 
  Island; 
  the 
  ferry 
  boats 
  plying 
  between 
  East- 
  

   port 
  and 
  Lubec 
  pass 
  many 
  times 
  a 
  day 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  rods 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these, 
  

   yet 
  good 
  catches 
  are 
  frecjuently 
  made, 
  and 
  the 
  owner 
  expresses 
  himself 
  

  

  