﻿424 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Others 
  added 
  testimony 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  character, 
  but 
  the 
  gill-net 
  

   fishermen 
  at 
  Whale 
  Cove 
  stated 
  that 
  there 
  had 
  been 
  a 
  decrease, 
  owing, 
  

   as 
  they 
  suppose, 
  to 
  the 
  pounds 
  catching 
  young 
  fish. 
  

  

  During 
  my 
  visit, 
  early 
  in 
  September, 
  1893, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  fair 
  run 
  

   of 
  net 
  herring, 
  but 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  occur 
  in 
  1895. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  Canadian 
  side, 
  judging 
  from 
  both 
  observation 
  and 
  testimony 
  

   there 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  no 
  decrease 
  in 
  herring 
  since 
  the 
  establish- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  sardine 
  factories, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  Campobello? 
  

   where 
  perhaps 
  a 
  slight 
  decrease 
  may 
  be 
  noted. 
  

  

  Taking 
  into 
  consideration 
  the 
  entire 
  Passamaquoddy 
  region, 
  more 
  

   herring 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  1894 
  and 
  1895 
  than 
  ever 
  before. 
  This 
  was 
  

   esijecially 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  sardine-herring, 
  many 
  more 
  being 
  caught 
  than 
  

   could 
  be 
  utilized 
  by 
  the 
  factories, 
  and 
  this, 
  too, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  the 
  pack 
  was 
  unprecedented. 
  In 
  consequence 
  of 
  this, 
  many 
  

   of 
  the 
  weirs 
  were 
  not 
  seined 
  for 
  several 
  weeks, 
  although 
  containing 
  an 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  herring. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  objected, 
  however, 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  increase 
  in 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  weirs; 
  that 
  an 
  unwarranted 
  number 
  have 
  been 
  con- 
  

   structed, 
  and 
  that 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  this 
  increase 
  there 
  is 
  still 
  an 
  overplus 
  

   in 
  the 
  herring 
  supply, 
  despite 
  an 
  actual 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   that 
  species. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  

   catch, 
  while 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  average 
  catch 
  per 
  weir 
  has 
  decreased. 
  

   This 
  objection 
  has 
  been 
  urged 
  with 
  some 
  plausibility, 
  but 
  an 
  examina- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  records 
  shows 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  unwarranted. 
  As 
  compared 
  with 
  

   1879, 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  proportionately 
  greater 
  than 
  the 
  

   increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  weirs. 
  According 
  to 
  the 
  estimates 
  made 
  

   in 
  "The 
  Fishery 
  Industries 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States," 
  the 
  weirs, 
  on 
  Deer 
  

   Island 
  averaged 
  100 
  hogsheads 
  per 
  annum 
  in 
  1879 
  and 
  1880; 
  those 
  on 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  shore 
  above 
  Lubec 
  caught 
  75 
  hogsheads 
  each, 
  while 
  

   at 
  Lubec 
  the 
  average 
  was 
  between 
  60 
  and 
  65 
  hogsheads 
  in 
  the 
  years 
  

   mentioned. 
  The 
  estimates 
  are 
  affirmed 
  to 
  include 
  the 
  total 
  catch, 
  and 
  

   presumably 
  take 
  into 
  account 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  herring 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  manu- 
  

   facture 
  of 
  sardines, 
  but 
  also 
  those 
  larger 
  ones 
  which 
  were 
  smoked. 
  

   Statistics 
  show 
  that 
  in 
  1893 
  the 
  average 
  catch 
  per 
  weir 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  waters 
  

   between 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Head 
  and 
  Beaver 
  Harbor 
  was 
  148 
  hogsheads, 
  

   and 
  in 
  1895 
  the 
  average 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  region 
  was 
  171 
  hogsheads. 
  These 
  

   figures 
  include 
  only 
  such 
  herring 
  as 
  were 
  utilized 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  

   and 
  do 
  not 
  take 
  into 
  account 
  those 
  Canadian-caught 
  fish 
  which 
  were 
  

   smoked 
  and 
  pickled 
  in 
  New 
  Brunswick 
  or 
  which 
  were 
  sold 
  as 
  fertilizer. 
  

  

  Distinguishing 
  the 
  weirs 
  by 
  their 
  location, 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  that 
  in 
  1893 
  

   those 
  in 
  United 
  States 
  waters 
  caught 
  196 
  hogsheads 
  on 
  the 
  average, 
  

   while 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  Canadian 
  side 
  are 
  credited 
  with 
  but 
  134 
  hogsheads 
  

   each. 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  catches 
  were 
  181 
  hogsheads 
  and 
  166 
  hogsheads, 
  

   respectively. 
  In 
  both 
  years, 
  but 
  especially 
  in 
  1895, 
  the 
  Canadian 
  weirs 
  

   caught 
  more 
  than 
  indicated 
  in 
  the 
  returns 
  cited, 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  

   failing 
  to 
  secure 
  a 
  market 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  balance 
  being 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  

   home 
  production 
  of 
  smoked 
  and 
  pickled 
  tish 
  and 
  as 
  fertilizer. 
  

  

  