﻿418 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  In 
  1893 
  tlie 
  opinions 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  were 
  practically 
  the 
  

   same 
  as 
  set 
  forth 
  in 
  the 
  foregoing, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  noticeable 
  that 
  such 
  

   views 
  were 
  less 
  prevalent 
  in 
  1895. 
  

  

  A 
  fisherman 
  at 
  Perry, 
  Me., 
  said: 
  

  

  I 
  do 
  not 
  believe 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  as 
  abundant 
  now 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  fifteen 
  to 
  twenty 
  years 
  

   ago, 
  but 
  even 
  now 
  they 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  scarce. 
  That 
  the 
  fish 
  have 
  become 
  much 
  

   less 
  abundant 
  on 
  this 
  shore 
  is 
  certain. 
  

  

  A 
  fisherman 
  at 
  Campobello, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  in 
  the 
  region, 
  says: 
  

  

  The 
  herring 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  Lave 
  been 
  decreasing 
  for 
  the 
  past 
  sixty 
  years, 
  and 
  I 
  

   attribute 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  many 
  weirs 
  catching 
  young 
  fish. 
  

  

  Another 
  man 
  at 
  Campobello, 
  who 
  has 
  been 
  fishing 
  sixty 
  years, 
  states 
  

   his 
  views 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  I 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  herring 
  have 
  decreased. 
  At 
  one 
  time 
  every 
  cove 
  and 
  creek 
  was 
  

   full 
  of 
  them. 
  Mr. 
  Treat 
  used 
  to 
  catch 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  such 
  as 
  we 
  get 
  now, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  

   known 
  him 
  to 
  get 
  100 
  hogsheads 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  times 
  on 
  a 
  single 
  haul. 
  

  

  At 
  Eastport, 
  a 
  man 
  who 
  has 
  had 
  wide 
  experience 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  and 
  

   who, 
  as 
  captain 
  of 
  a 
  fishing 
  tug, 
  has 
  of 
  late 
  had 
  unusual 
  opportunities 
  

   for 
  observations, 
  very 
  emphatically 
  contended 
  that 
  there 
  had 
  been 
  a 
  

   heavy 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  herring. 
  He 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  weirs 
  do 
  not 
  average 
  

   as 
  large 
  catches 
  as 
  formerly, 
  and 
  thait 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  is 
  

   due 
  to 
  the 
  relatively 
  greater 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  weirs 
  and 
  to 
  

   their 
  larger 
  size. 
  

  

  The 
  owner 
  of 
  a 
  weir 
  at 
  Kendall 
  Head 
  says: 
  

  

  My 
  weir 
  here 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  had 
  the 
  reputation 
  of 
  being 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  steadiest 
  and 
  

   best, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  an 
  utter 
  failure. 
  I 
  own 
  an 
  interest 
  in 
  four 
  weirs 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  

   of 
  Deer 
  Island, 
  New 
  Brunswick, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  noticed 
  no 
  decrease 
  there 
  in 
  ten 
  years. 
  

   They 
  have 
  about 
  held 
  their 
  own. 
  The 
  weir 
  at 
  Indian 
  Point, 
  New 
  Brunswick, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  used 
  to 
  catch 
  lots 
  offish, 
  but 
  it 
  failed, 
  utterly, 
  five 
  years 
  ago. 
  

  

  Similar 
  opinions 
  were 
  expressed 
  by 
  other 
  weir 
  fishermen 
  at 
  various 
  

   places, 
  and 
  the 
  net 
  fishermen 
  at 
  Grand 
  Mauan 
  stated 
  the 
  ca^tch 
  of 
  her- 
  

   ring 
  was 
  growiug 
  smaller, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  young 
  herring 
  being 
  caught 
  up 
  

   in 
  the 
  weirs. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  many 
  men 
  held 
  either 
  that 
  there 
  had 
  been 
  an 
  actual 
  

   increase«or 
  that 
  the 
  decrease 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  slight. 
  This 
  opinion, 
  which, 
  

   of 
  course, 
  excepts 
  the 
  winter 
  herring, 
  was 
  especially 
  prevalent 
  in 
  1895, 
  

   a 
  fact, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  heavy 
  catches 
  which 
  were 
  being 
  made 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  the 
  investigation 
  was 
  being 
  conducted. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  packer 
  at 
  Eastport 
  says: 
  , 
  

  

  More 
  herring 
  have 
  been 
  caught 
  here 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  years 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  similar 
  

   period 
  preceding. 
  I 
  doubt, 
  however, 
  if 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  actual 
  increase 
  lu 
  the 
  fish 
  ; 
  

   there 
  are 
  probably 
  fewer 
  than 
  formerly, 
  but 
  the 
  decrease 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  great. 
  The 
  

   greater 
  catch 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  fishermen 
  and 
  weirs. 
  

  

  A 
  fisherman 
  at 
  Eobbinston 
  thinks 
  that 
  the 
  weirs 
  on 
  the 
  American 
  

   side 
  of 
  St. 
  Croix 
  River 
  have 
  this 
  year 
  (1 
  895) 
  done 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  ever. 
  Her- 
  

   ring 
  were 
  caught 
  steadily 
  between 
  liobbinston 
  and 
  Gleason 
  Cove 
  from 
  

   June 
  15 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  September. 
  

  

  