﻿404 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  hake, 
  as 
  its 
  flesh 
  is 
  said 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  to 
  be 
  uncurable 
  by 
  ordinary 
  

   methods. 
  

  

  The 
  albacore, 
  locally 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  horse-mackerel, 
  feeds 
  largely 
  on 
  

   herring, 
  but 
  is 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  abundant 
  to 
  cause 
  much 
  destructiou, 
  

   although 
  it 
  sometimes 
  interferes 
  with 
  the 
  fishery 
  by 
  getting 
  into 
  the 
  

   weirs 
  and 
  chasing 
  the 
  herring. 
  This 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  sjiecies 
  which 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  call 
  the 
  ''shark." 
  The 
  mackerel 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  feed 
  

   extensively 
  upon 
  young 
  herring, 
  but 
  now 
  rarely 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  

   embraced 
  by 
  this 
  rei)ort. 
  

  

  The 
  squid 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  most 
  destructive 
  enemy 
  preying 
  upon 
  

   half-grown 
  herring 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Eastport, 
  where 
  they 
  frequently 
  

   appear 
  in 
  immense 
  numbers. 
  These 
  visitations 
  are 
  often 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  

   loss 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  not 
  only 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  destruction 
  

   wrought, 
  but 
  also 
  because 
  they 
  prevent 
  the 
  herriug 
  from 
  entering 
  the 
  

   weirs 
  or 
  even 
  drive 
  them 
  out 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  entered, 
  as 
  when 
  pursued 
  

   by 
  these 
  foes 
  they 
  pass 
  without 
  hesitation 
  through 
  the 
  numerous 
  open- 
  

   ings 
  in 
  the 
  brush. 
  Sometimes, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  the 
  squids 
  

   drive 
  the 
  fish 
  toward 
  the 
  shore, 
  and 
  thus 
  into 
  the 
  weirs, 
  in 
  such 
  cases 
  

   tending 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  catch. 
  They 
  are 
  also 
  of 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  line 
  

   fisherman 
  as 
  bait, 
  considerable 
  quantities 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  used 
  at 
  times 
  

   in 
  the 
  cod 
  and 
  other 
  fisheries. 
  An 
  effort 
  to 
  utilize 
  them 
  as 
  food 
  for 
  

   man 
  was 
  made 
  at 
  Eastport 
  several 
  years 
  ago. 
  They 
  were 
  canned 
  after 
  

   the 
  manner 
  of 
  sardines 
  in 
  both 
  oil 
  and 
  mustard, 
  but 
  the 
  experiment 
  

   was 
  not 
  a 
  success, 
  the 
  product 
  being 
  tough 
  and 
  tasteless. 
  

  

  Porpoises 
  and 
  seals 
  in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy 
  also 
  feed 
  largely, 
  probably 
  

   almost 
  entirely, 
  upon 
  herring, 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  numerous 
  to 
  

   cause 
  great 
  harm. 
  They 
  will 
  drive 
  fish 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  weirs, 
  however, 
  

   and 
  one 
  instance 
  was 
  cited 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  weir 
  was 
  eventually 
  abandoned 
  

   on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  seals 
  so 
  continually 
  driving 
  the 
  herring 
  that 
  they 
  

   deserted 
  the 
  locality. 
  Both 
  porpoises 
  and 
  seals 
  are 
  hunted 
  at 
  Grand 
  

   Manau 
  and 
  vicinity 
  by 
  small 
  parties 
  of 
  Indians, 
  the 
  former 
  for 
  their 
  

   oil 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  for 
  their 
  skins, 
  which 
  are 
  made 
  up 
  into 
  rugs 
  and 
  

   moccasins 
  and 
  sold 
  to 
  tourists. 
  

  

  Finback 
  whales 
  feed 
  upon 
  herring, 
  but, 
  though 
  occasionally 
  seen 
  in 
  

   summer, 
  do 
  not 
  appear 
  in 
  numbers 
  before 
  October. 
  A 
  letter 
  from 
  Mr. 
  

   McLaughlin, 
  dated 
  December 
  30, 
  says 
  that 
  " 
  for 
  ten 
  days 
  a 
  large 
  school 
  

   of 
  herring 
  and 
  whales 
  has 
  been 
  off 
  this 
  station 
  " 
  (Southern 
  Head, 
  

   Grand 
  Manan). 
  The 
  whales 
  sometimes 
  enter 
  the 
  weirs 
  and 
  are 
  killed, 
  

   but 
  occasionally 
  the 
  result 
  is 
  disastrous 
  to 
  the 
  weii, 
  a 
  fine 
  one 
  at 
  

   Grand 
  Manan 
  being 
  almost 
  ruined 
  by 
  a 
  whale 
  in 
  September, 
  1893. 
  

  

  Gulls 
  and 
  other 
  sea 
  fowl 
  no 
  doubt 
  feed 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  upon 
  the 
  

   herring, 
  but 
  the 
  great 
  flocks 
  occasionally 
  seen 
  hovering 
  over 
  schools 
  

   are 
  probably 
  attracted 
  more 
  by 
  the 
  herriug 
  food 
  than 
  by 
  the 
  herring 
  

   themselves. 
  

  

  Another 
  factor 
  which 
  should 
  be 
  considered 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  a 
  

   discussion 
  of 
  the 
  herring's 
  numerous 
  enemies 
  is 
  the 
  collateral 
  eftect 
  

   upon 
  that 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  disappearance 
  of 
  menhaden 
  from 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  

  

  