﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  NORTHEAST 
  COAST. 
  403 
  

  

  take 
  large 
  food 
  — 
  are 
  filled 
  with 
  copepods, 
  while 
  the 
  latter 
  contain 
  

   shrimps 
  alone. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  state 
  that 
  shrimps 
  are 
  rarely 
  seen 
  

   during 
  the 
  winter, 
  but 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  specimens 
  caught 
  at 
  that 
  

   season 
  at 
  Grand 
  Manan 
  shows 
  that 
  even 
  then 
  they 
  form 
  an 
  important 
  

   item 
  in 
  the 
  herring's 
  diet, 
  although 
  my 
  observations 
  lead 
  me 
  to 
  think 
  

   that 
  they 
  are 
  relatively 
  less 
  important 
  than 
  during 
  the 
  summer. 
  In 
  

   the 
  winter 
  the 
  shrimps 
  doubtless 
  frequent 
  the 
  surface 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  

   summer, 
  which 
  of 
  course 
  explains 
  why 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  observed 
  by 
  the 
  

   fishermen. 
  

  

  The 
  stomachs 
  of 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  herring 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  

   weirs 
  are 
  emiity, 
  this 
  being 
  no 
  doubt 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  food 
  in 
  the 
  

   weirs, 
  and 
  the 
  rapid 
  digestion 
  of 
  that 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  fish 
  previous 
  to 
  

   their 
  capture. 
  When 
  food 
  is 
  abundant 
  in 
  and 
  around 
  the 
  weir 
  the 
  fish 
  

   are 
  difficult 
  to 
  hold, 
  in 
  eager 
  pursuit 
  of 
  their 
  prey, 
  passing 
  tlirough 
  

   openings 
  which 
  at 
  other 
  times 
  wouki 
  be 
  unnoticed. 
  

  

  The 
  remarkable 
  abundance 
  of 
  herring 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Passama- 
  

   quoddy 
  Bay 
  is 
  doubtless 
  in 
  direct 
  relation 
  to 
  its 
  rich 
  supply 
  of 
  nutri- 
  

   tious 
  food. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  great 
  spawning-beds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  is 
  also 
  

   favorable; 
  but 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  these 
  must 
  also 
  be 
  largely 
  conditioned 
  

   by 
  the 
  lavish 
  provision 
  which 
  nature 
  has 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  support 
  of 
  the 
  

   progeny 
  in 
  aLl 
  stages 
  of 
  th^ir 
  career. 
  

  

  ENEMIES. 
  

  

  Upon 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Maine 
  and 
  New 
  Brunswick, 
  as 
  elsewhere, 
  the 
  

   enemies 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  are 
  numerous 
  and 
  voracious, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  

   of 
  great 
  commercial 
  importance. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  cod 
  family, 
  

   at 
  least 
  the 
  larger 
  members, 
  feed 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  extensively 
  upon 
  the 
  

   herring 
  and 
  its 
  eggs. 
  Cod 
  and 
  haddock 
  are 
  frequently 
  taken 
  with 
  

   their 
  stomachs 
  full 
  of 
  herring 
  spawn, 
  and 
  at 
  Cross 
  Island, 
  Maine, 
  during 
  

   September, 
  1893, 
  they 
  were 
  found 
  gorged 
  with 
  both 
  the 
  herring 
  and 
  its 
  

   eggs. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  place 
  pollock, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  following 
  the 
  herring 
  

   in 
  great 
  schools, 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  about 
  G 
  full-grown 
  

   and 
  ripe 
  herring, 
  together 
  with 
  quantities 
  of 
  spawn. 
  Cod, 
  liaddock, 
  

   and 
  hake 
  feed 
  extensively 
  on 
  the 
  spawn 
  of 
  herring 
  at 
  Grand 
  Manan 
  

   and 
  doubtless 
  sculpins, 
  sea-ravens, 
  flounders, 
  and 
  other 
  bottom-feeding 
  

   species 
  secure 
  their 
  share 
  of 
  the 
  harvest. 
  

  

  Dogfish 
  and 
  silver 
  hake 
  are 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  much 
  annoyance 
  and 
  loss 
  to 
  

   the 
  gill-net 
  fishermen, 
  the 
  former 
  being 
  particulary 
  destructive 
  to 
  the 
  

   nets, 
  biting 
  the 
  entangled 
  herring 
  in 
  two 
  and 
  cutting 
  and 
  tearing 
  the 
  

   twine 
  in 
  their 
  eftbrts 
  to 
  pull 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  meshes. 
  They 
  api)ear 
  in 
  

   great 
  schools 
  during 
  August 
  and 
  soon 
  drive 
  all 
  other 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  

   vicinity, 
  causing 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  an 
  almost 
  total 
  cessation 
  of 
  fishing 
  with 
  lines 
  

   and 
  nets. 
  Fortunately 
  their 
  stay 
  is 
  of 
  short 
  duration, 
  lasting 
  usually 
  

   about 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  weeks. 
  When 
  no 
  other 
  fish 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  had, 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  sometimes 
  catch 
  the 
  dogfish 
  for 
  its 
  liver 
  (which 
  is 
  converted 
  

   into 
  'k'od-liver 
  oil"), 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  being 
  often 
  spread 
  upon 
  

   the 
  soil 
  for 
  fertilizer. 
  No 
  use 
  whatever 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  silver 
  

  

  