﻿406 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  the 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  sometimes, 
  after 
  storms, 
  almost 
  iucrediblo 
  quantities 
  

   of 
  eggs 
  are 
  thrown 
  upon 
  the 
  beaches. 
  During 
  certain 
  seasons 
  ice 
  is 
  

   said 
  to 
  have 
  prevented 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  spawning 
  at 
  the 
  Magdalenes, 
  and 
  

   a 
  fisherman 
  stated 
  that 
  about 
  1878 
  the 
  herring, 
  for 
  that 
  reason, 
  ran 
  

   over 
  to 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Gut 
  of 
  Causo 
  and 
  spawned 
  in 
  a 
  locality 
  

   which 
  they 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  use 
  for 
  that 
  purpose 
  before, 
  and 
  that 
  

   they 
  have 
  since 
  continued 
  to 
  resort 
  to 
  that 
  place 
  yearly. 
  It 
  has 
  not 
  

   been 
  possible 
  to 
  verify 
  this 
  statement, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  that 
  the 
  herring 
  

   spawned 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  upon 
  some 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Auti- 
  

   gonish, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  upon 
  the 
  west 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence, 
  long 
  

   before 
  the 
  year 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  In 
  tlie 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fuudy 
  both 
  spring 
  and 
  fall 
  spawning 
  schools 
  are 
  found, 
  

   and, 
  in 
  the 
  main, 
  the 
  grounds 
  resorted 
  to 
  by 
  these 
  two 
  bodies 
  of 
  fish 
  are 
  

   geographically 
  distinct. 
  

  

  From 
  Briar 
  Island, 
  Kova 
  Scotia, 
  eastward 
  to 
  beyond 
  Digby 
  Gut, 
  a 
  

   school 
  of 
  herrings 
  arrives 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  S])awns 
  upon 
  

   the 
  coast, 
  and 
  at 
  Clam 
  Cove, 
  at 
  least 
  until 
  quite 
  recently, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  

   limited 
  fishery 
  for 
  spawn 
  herrings 
  during 
  April 
  and 
  May. 
  

  

  I 
  could 
  not 
  learn 
  of 
  any 
  herrings 
  spawning 
  during 
  these 
  months 
  on 
  

   the 
  coast 
  of 
  New 
  Brunswick 
  east 
  of 
  Beaver 
  Harbor, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  

   of 
  common 
  knowledge 
  that 
  formerly 
  large 
  bodies 
  of 
  herring 
  spawned 
  

   from 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  April 
  to 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  June 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  

   St. 
  Andrew 
  Bay 
  and 
  vicinity. 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  by 
  an 
  old 
  fisherman 
  at 
  

   Eobbinston, 
  Me., 
  that 
  Oak 
  Bay 
  has 
  been, 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  memory 
  runs, 
  an 
  

   important 
  spawning- 
  ground 
  in 
  spring 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  mentioned; 
  he 
  

   stated 
  that 
  "in 
  1894 
  the 
  schools 
  were 
  as 
  dense 
  as 
  he 
  had 
  ever 
  seen 
  at 
  

   the 
  Magdalene 
  Islands;" 
  but 
  even 
  if 
  this 
  be 
  true 
  the 
  actual 
  number 
  of 
  

   fish 
  must 
  be 
  incomparably 
  smaller 
  tlian 
  at 
  the 
  Magdalenes, 
  owing 
  to 
  

   the 
  circumscribed 
  area 
  available. 
  The 
  same 
  informant 
  stated 
  that 
  for 
  

   at 
  least 
  five 
  years 
  no 
  bodies 
  of 
  spawning 
  herring 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  St. 
  

   Andrew 
  Bay. 
  Whatever 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  schools 
  of 
  ripe 
  

   herring 
  now 
  and 
  formerly 
  occurring 
  in 
  the 
  vicinit}^, 
  no 
  important 
  fishery 
  

   for 
  them 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  established, 
  and 
  the 
  estimates 
  of 
  their 
  

   great 
  abundance 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  based 
  largely 
  on 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  

   spawn 
  which 
  was 
  fi)und 
  adhering 
  to 
  the 
  rodes 
  of 
  vessels 
  anchored 
  there. 
  

   During 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1895 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  of 
  spawn 
  herring 
  in 
  Oak 
  Bay 
  

   was, 
  I 
  am 
  informed, 
  about 
  GO 
  hogsheads, 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  quantity, 
  indeed, 
  

   if 
  the 
  spawniing 
  school 
  is 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  stated. 
  

  

  Probably 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  and 
  fall 
  schools 
  is 
  at 
  Grand 
  Manan, 
  but 
  east 
  of 
  that 
  place 
  are 
  

   several 
  localities 
  whei'e 
  the 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  spawn 
  during 
  

   the 
  summer 
  in 
  limited 
  numbers. 
  The 
  best 
  known 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  Tynmouth 
  

   Creek 
  or 
  Ten 
  Mile 
  Creek, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  called, 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  St. 
  

   John, 
  where, 
  until 
  about 
  fifteen 
  years 
  ago, 
  the 
  herring 
  arrived 
  annually 
  

   during 
  June 
  and 
  cast 
  their 
  spawn 
  during 
  July 
  and 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  

   August. 
  About 
  1880 
  they 
  suddenly 
  disappeared 
  and 
  I 
  believe 
  have 
  

   aot 
  returned 
  since. 
  

  

  