﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  NORTHEAST 
  COAST. 
  420 
  

  

  even 
  the 
  contaminated 
  weir 
  itself, 
  will 
  fish 
  as 
  usnal, 
  while 
  all 
  weirs 
  

   downstream 
  will 
  fail. 
  Southeast 
  of 
  Grand 
  Manan 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  weirs 
  

   are 
  built 
  in 
  the 
  tideways 
  between 
  the 
  islands, 
  and 
  I 
  was 
  told 
  by 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  credible 
  persons 
  that 
  the 
  facts 
  above 
  stated 
  were 
  frequently 
  

   observed. 
  

  

  The 
  importance 
  of 
  careful 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  weirs 
  is 
  conceded 
  by 
  the 
  

   Canadian 
  fisheries 
  regulations, 
  and 
  penalties 
  are 
  imposed 
  upon 
  those 
  

   whose 
  carelessness 
  permits 
  fish 
  to 
  die 
  in 
  the 
  weirs. 
  The 
  latter 
  are 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  with 
  gates, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  surplus 
  fish 
  may 
  be 
  liberated 
  should 
  more 
  

   be 
  caught 
  than 
  can 
  be 
  utilized. 
  It 
  is 
  customary 
  for 
  the 
  fishermen 
  to 
  

   visit 
  the 
  weirs 
  at 
  about 
  half 
  ebb, 
  when 
  the 
  tide 
  serves, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   probable 
  catch 
  may 
  be 
  estimated 
  and 
  exit 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  surplus 
  should 
  

   it 
  promise 
  more 
  than 
  is 
  desired 
  for 
  immediate 
  use. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  at 
  Grand 
  Manan 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  lobster 
  and 
  

   trawl 
  fisheries 
  are 
  prejudicial 
  to 
  the 
  shore 
  fisheries 
  for 
  herring. 
  The 
  

   former 
  was 
  particularly 
  objected 
  to 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  alleged 
  i^ractice 
  

   of 
  using 
  putrid 
  bait 
  in 
  the 
  traps. 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  opportunity 
  of 
  judging 
  for 
  

   myself, 
  as 
  my 
  visit 
  was 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  close 
  season, 
  but 
  I 
  was 
  told 
  

   that 
  the 
  waters 
  all 
  alongshore 
  are 
  sometimes 
  polluted 
  by 
  the 
  decaying 
  

   bait, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  constant 
  hauling 
  of 
  gear 
  tends 
  to 
  frighten 
  herring 
  

   and 
  keep 
  them 
  off 
  shore. 
  My 
  own 
  imj)ression 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  require 
  

   many 
  more 
  lobster 
  pots 
  than 
  are 
  now 
  fished 
  in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy 
  to 
  effect 
  

   any 
  serious 
  pollution 
  in 
  a 
  region 
  where 
  the 
  volume 
  of 
  water 
  is 
  so 
  large 
  

   and 
  the 
  currents 
  so 
  swift. 
  The 
  same 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  the 
  trawl 
  lines. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  weir 
  owners 
  and 
  others 
  state 
  that 
  the 
  gill-net 
  fishery 
  

   aids 
  materially 
  in 
  driving 
  the 
  herring 
  from 
  the 
  shore 
  waters, 
  and 
  in 
  

   Machias 
  Bay 
  a 
  township 
  ordinance 
  prohibits 
  entirely 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  

   taking 
  herring. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  and 
  at 
  some 
  times 
  the 
  gill-net 
  fishing 
  

   is 
  of 
  a 
  character 
  to 
  warrant 
  opposition. 
  In 
  September, 
  1893, 
  herring 
  

   were 
  spawning 
  at 
  Moosabec 
  Reach 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  and 
  many 
  gill 
  

   netters 
  resorted 
  there. 
  The 
  gill 
  nets 
  over 
  night 
  became 
  laden 
  beyond 
  

   their 
  strength, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  attempt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  haul 
  them 
  in 
  they 
  

   parted, 
  and 
  the 
  pieces, 
  with 
  hogsheads 
  of 
  herring, 
  were 
  left 
  to 
  rot 
  on 
  the 
  

   bottom. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  herring 
  are 
  sometimes 
  driven 
  from 
  their 
  

   spawning-grounds 
  by 
  this 
  means, 
  and 
  that 
  after 
  such 
  an 
  event 
  they 
  often 
  

   remain 
  away 
  for 
  years. 
  

  

  A. 
  J. 
  Meloon 
  and 
  others, 
  of 
  Cutler, 
  Me., 
  say 
  that 
  about 
  1873 
  (treat 
  

   Head 
  was 
  noted 
  for 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  spawn 
  herring, 
  but, 
  presumably 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  dead 
  fish 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  in 
  pieces 
  

   of 
  nets, 
  they 
  forsook 
  the 
  locality', 
  and 
  have 
  since 
  then 
  only 
  occurred 
  in 
  

   small 
  numbers 
  until 
  1803, 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  again 
  abundant. 
  The 
  same 
  

   informant 
  said 
  that 
  eight 
  years 
  ago 
  spawn 
  herring 
  occurred 
  in 
  great 
  

   schools 
  at 
  Ingalls 
  Island, 
  Machias 
  Bay. 
  He 
  took 
  50 
  barrels 
  out 
  of 
  one 
  

   50-fathom 
  net, 
  which 
  was 
  torn 
  all 
  to 
  pieces. 
  Barrel 
  after 
  barrel 
  of 
  

   herring 
  could 
  be 
  hauled 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  bottom 
  by 
  grappling 
  for 
  the 
  torn 
  

   nets, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  consequence 
  of 
  this 
  destruction 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  again 
  appear 
  

   in 
  numbers 
  until 
  1893. 
  Libby 
  Island, 
  also 
  in 
  Machias 
  Bay, 
  was 
  given 
  

  

  