﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  FISHERIES 
  OP 
  THE 
  NORTHEAST 
  COAST. 
  417 
  

  

  select. 
  The 
  matter 
  was 
  given 
  considerable 
  attention, 
  however, 
  and 
  

   large 
  numbers 
  of 
  specimens 
  were 
  measured, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  reasoning 
  

   just 
  given 
  partakes 
  largely 
  of 
  speculation, 
  the 
  conclusions 
  are 
  believed 
  

   to 
  be 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  truth. 
  

  

  ALLEGED 
  DECREASE. 
  

  

  The 
  complaint 
  of 
  the 
  decrease 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Pas- 
  

   samaquoddy 
  Bay 
  and 
  vicinity 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  new 
  one. 
  In 
  1850, 
  when 
  Mr. 
  

   Perley 
  wrote 
  his 
  report* 
  upon 
  these 
  fisheries, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  were 
  already 
  

   much 
  concerned 
  about 
  this 
  species, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  followiug 
  

   quotations 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  smaller 
  herrings, 
  such 
  as 
  are 
  generally 
  cured 
  by 
  smoking, 
  were 
  formerly 
  very 
  

   abundant 
  on 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Deer 
  Island. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  of 
  Campobello 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  

   people 
  of 
  Deer 
  Island 
  had 
  broken 
  up 
  the 
  schools 
  and 
  driven 
  the 
  fish 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  

   excessive 
  use 
  of 
  small-mesh 
  nets. 
  (Op. 
  cit., 
  p. 
  115.) 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Chaffey 
  (Indian 
  Island) 
  said 
  that 
  herrings 
  were 
  not 
  so 
  abundant 
  now 
  aa 
  

   twenty 
  years 
  ago; 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  the 
  quantity 
  has 
  fallen 
  off 
  greatly 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  now 
  

   much 
  smaller. 
  He 
  did 
  not 
  consider 
  the 
  weirs 
  injurious 
  to 
  the 
  fishery, 
  but 
  thought 
  

   that 
  the 
  mischief 
  was 
  done 
  at 
  Grand 
  Manan. 
  When 
  Mr. 
  Chaffey 
  first 
  went 
  to 
  

   Indian 
  Island 
  brit 
  were 
  very 
  abundant 
  ; 
  they] 
  averaged 
  about 
  5 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  

   These 
  little 
  fish 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  valuable 
  as 
  food 
  for 
  larger 
  fish, 
  but 
  from 
  some 
  unac- 
  

   countable 
  cause 
  they 
  have 
  altogether 
  disappeared, 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  specimen 
  having 
  been 
  

   seen 
  for 
  ten 
  years. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  This 
  locality 
  (Campobello; 
  was 
  revisited 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  

   part 
  of 
  October. 
  Mr. 
  Patch 
  then 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  herring 
  season 
  was 
  over 
  and' 
  that 
  

   the 
  quantity 
  in 
  the 
  weirs 
  was 
  only 
  about 
  half 
  the 
  usual 
  or 
  average 
  catch. 
  The 
  quality 
  

   of 
  tlie 
  fish 
  was 
  good 
  ; 
  not 
  many 
  small 
  fish 
  had 
  been 
  caught 
  — 
  he»had 
  only 
  thrown 
  away 
  

   3 
  barrels, 
  Avhile 
  his 
  whole 
  catch 
  amounted 
  to 
  3,000 
  boxes. 
  (Op. 
  cit., 
  ]>. 
  116.) 
  

  

  In 
  1880, 
  when 
  the-volumes 
  upon 
  the 
  Fishery 
  Industries 
  ot 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  were 
  being 
  prepared, 
  it 
  seems 
  that 
  the 
  same 
  complaints 
  were 
  

   heard. 
  We 
  find 
  on 
  pages 
  505-50G 
  of 
  section 
  v, 
  vol. 
  i, 
  the 
  following: 
  

  

  Are 
  the 
  sardine 
  herring 
  being 
  exterminated 
  ? 
  For 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  

   establishment 
  of 
  sardine 
  canneries 
  the 
  weir 
  fishery 
  was 
  less 
  important 
  than 
  formerly. 
  

   This 
  was 
  by 
  some 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  fish, 
  but 
  i 
  fc 
  seems 
  more 
  probable 
  

   that 
  it 
  was 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  low 
  price 
  both 
  of 
  oil 
  and 
  smoked 
  herring, 
  which 
  made 
  the 
  

   prosecution 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  unprofitable. 
  Many 
  fishermen 
  claim 
  that 
  the 
  herring 
  are 
  

   rapidly 
  decreasing, 
  and 
  they 
  cite 
  the 
  large 
  quantities 
  taken 
  in 
  former 
  times 
  and 
  the 
  

   present 
  small 
  catches 
  at 
  Lubec 
  as 
  proving 
  their 
  tlieoiy. 
  The 
  fish 
  are 
  undoubtedly 
  less 
  

   abundant 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Lubec 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Cobscook 
  Hay 
  than 
  formerly; 
  

   but 
  this 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  explained 
  by 
  the 
  peculiar 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  at 
  that 
  place. 
  

  

  Though 
  the 
  Aveir 
  fishery 
  had 
  been 
  extensively 
  prosecuted 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  the 
  

   catch 
  had 
  not 
  percej)tibly 
  diminished 
  u]) 
  to 
  18(15, 
  when 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  deeji-water 
  

   weirs, 
  wliich 
  extended 
  so 
  far 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  channel 
  as 
  to 
  nearly 
  meet 
  from 
  the 
  oppo- 
  

   site 
  shores, 
  effectiially 
  shut 
  out 
  the 
  herring 
  from 
  their 
  usual 
  entrance 
  to 
  Cobscook 
  

   Bay, 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  spawning-ground. 
  The 
  herring, 
  thus 
  practically 
  

   debarred 
  from 
  this 
  entrance, 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  moved 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  farther 
  east, 
  and 
  are 
  

   now 
  more 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Deer 
  Isle. 
  In 
  other 
  sections 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   suflicient 
  evidence 
  to 
  show 
  any 
  permanent 
  decrease, 
  though 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  one 
  year, 
  

   for 
  various 
  reasons, 
  may 
  vary 
  coosiderajbly 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  or 
  preceding 
  

   one. 
  

  

  * 
  Perley, 
  M. 
  H., 
  Report 
  upon 
  the 
  Fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fnndy, 
  Fredericton, 
  

   New 
  Brunswick, 
  1851. 
  

  

  ¥ 
  E. 
  90 
  27 
  

  

  