﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  NORTHEAST 
  COAST. 
  419 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  weir 
  fishermen 
  at 
  Bocabec, 
  New 
  Bruns- 
  

   wick, 
  the 
  iiumber 
  of 
  herrings 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  has 
  actually 
  increased, 
  not- 
  

   withstanding 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  apparatus. 
  

  

  At 
  St. 
  George, 
  Kew 
  Brunswick, 
  it 
  was 
  said 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  more 
  

   herring 
  at 
  L'Etang 
  and 
  vicinity 
  than 
  ever 
  before. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  memory 
  

   runs, 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  years 
  of 
  scarcity 
  and 
  years 
  of 
  plenty, 
  but 
  there 
  

   has 
  surely 
  been 
  no 
  decrease. 
  

  

  A 
  boatman 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  At 
  Deer 
  Island 
  (east 
  side) 
  one 
  weir 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  stocked 
  $2,500 
  to 
  $3,000 
  this 
  

   season 
  (1895), 
  the 
  fish 
  heing 
  taken 
  early, 
  when 
  better 
  prif-es 
  prevailed. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  have 
  made 
  little 
  money 
  this 
  season, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  low 
  prices 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  

   8U])ply. 
  There 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  fish 
  this 
  year 
  and 
  last 
  than 
  ever 
  before, 
  and 
  this 
  

   statement 
  is 
  made 
  with 
  a 
  fnll 
  recognition 
  of 
  the 
  elTccts 
  of 
  a 
  greater 
  nnmber 
  of 
  weirs. 
  

  

  At 
  Dark 
  Harbor 
  it 
  was 
  stated 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  great 
  decrease 
  in 
  

   the 
  herring, 
  nor 
  was 
  any 
  expected 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  extensive 
  spawning- 
  

   grounds 
  around 
  the 
  island 
  were 
  protected. 
  

  

  At 
  Lubec 
  it 
  was 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  weirs 
  in 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Bay 
  did 
  better 
  

   in 
  1S03 
  and 
  1894 
  than 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  More 
  herring 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  

   Quoddy 
  region 
  last 
  year 
  than 
  ever 
  before. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  the 
  fishery 
  

   has 
  failed, 
  and 
  in 
  others 
  it 
  has 
  improved. 
  

  

  An 
  octogenarian 
  fisherman 
  near 
  Pembroke 
  says: 
  

  

  We 
  did 
  not 
  notice 
  any 
  falling 
  otT 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  here 
  after 
  the 
  sardine 
  factories 
  were 
  

   estabijshed, 
  nor 
  do 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  any 
  material 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  herrings 
  in 
  these 
  waters. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  caught 
  so 
  many 
  this 
  year, 
  but 
  others 
  have 
  

   done 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  ever, 
  and 
  I 
  never 
  knew 
  of 
  there 
  being 
  more 
  herring 
  than 
  there 
  are 
  

   this 
  year. 
  Last 
  year 
  (1894) 
  there 
  were 
  certainly 
  more 
  herring 
  taken 
  into 
  Eastport 
  

   than 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  there 
  before. 
  

  

  Another 
  fisherman 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  region 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  catch 
  in 
  Femmamaqnan 
  River 
  fluctuates 
  very 
  much. 
  For 
  instance, 
  my 
  weir 
  

   in 
  1893 
  caught 
  but 
  one 
  hogshead 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  season, 
  and 
  last 
  year 
  (1894) 
  until 
  

   September 
  it 
  did 
  practically 
  nothing. 
  After 
  that 
  date 
  it 
  fished 
  very 
  well 
  iiuleed, 
  

   and 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  lack 
  of 
  fish 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  'the 
  season, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  weirs 
  in 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  also 
  did 
  very 
  well. 
  This 
  year 
  (1895) 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  season 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  ever 
  

   had, 
  and 
  although 
  others 
  have 
  not 
  done 
  so 
  well 
  as 
  I, 
  the 
  catch 
  is, 
  nevertheless, 
  a 
  

   very 
  good 
  one. 
  

  

  A 
  variety 
  of 
  opinions 
  have 
  been 
  cited 
  from 
  divers 
  localities 
  in 
  the 
  

   region 
  under 
  consideration, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  necessary 
  to 
  consider 
  the 
  

   question 
  from 
  an 
  historical 
  and 
  rational 
  standpoint. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  under- 
  

   stood 
  that 
  the 
  discussion 
  relates 
  solely 
  to 
  the 
  weir 
  fisheries; 
  the 
  winter 
  

   and 
  Qnoddy 
  Kiver 
  herring 
  fisheries 
  have 
  been 
  elsewhere 
  treated 
  of. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  most 
  convenient 
  to 
  first 
  consider 
  the 
  matter 
  locally, 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  at 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Bay 
  and 
  taking 
  up 
  each 
  locality 
  seriatim. 
  

  

  Prior 
  to 
  1808 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  herring 
  were 
  caught 
  in 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  

   Bay 
  and 
  Lubec 
  Narrows, 
  but 
  for 
  some 
  reason 
  the 
  fishery 
  failed 
  about 
  

   that 
  time 
  and 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  weirs 
  fell 
  into 
  disuse. 
  In 
  1805 
  the 
  

   herring 
  appeared 
  in 
  West 
  (Quoddy 
  Bay 
  about 
  July 
  15, 
  the 
  usual 
  time, 
  

   and 
  although 
  the 
  run 
  was 
  very 
  heavy, 
  it 
  lasted 
  but 
  six 
  weeks, 
  the 
  fish- 
  

  

  