﻿432 
  KEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  L'Etang 
  in 
  winter 
  at 
  tlie 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  settlement 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  

   but 
  that 
  for 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  years 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  century 
  

   they 
  were 
  totally 
  absent 
  from 
  that 
  region 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  months. 
  

   The 
  period, 
  of 
  their 
  absence 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  about 
  twenty 
  years, 
  

   and 
  they 
  must 
  have 
  returned 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  i)rior 
  to 
  1829, 
  for, 
  as 
  

   stated 
  above, 
  they 
  were 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  regarded 
  as 
  well-established 
  winter 
  

   visitors. 
  Perley, 
  who, 
  as 
  stated, 
  regards 
  their 
  appearance 
  on 
  other 
  

   portions 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  as 
  unusual, 
  says 
  that 
  they 
  frequently 
  ran 
  into 
  

   L'Etang 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  in 
  great 
  bodies. 
  

  

  However 
  far 
  back 
  in 
  time 
  we 
  may 
  place 
  the 
  first 
  appearance 
  of 
  

   herring 
  upon 
  this 
  coast 
  in 
  winter, 
  the 
  fact 
  remains 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  

   within 
  the 
  last 
  thirty 
  years 
  that 
  a 
  consistent 
  effort 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  render 
  

   this 
  vast 
  food 
  supply 
  widely 
  available. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  century, 
  if 
  not 
  before, 
  limited 
  

   quantities 
  were 
  caught 
  and 
  prepared 
  for 
  home 
  consumption 
  or 
  to 
  serve 
  

   as 
  bait 
  for 
  the 
  line 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  fish 
  intended 
  for 
  food 
  were 
  at 
  first 
  

   usually 
  i)repared 
  by 
  smoking, 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  freezing 
  the 
  fish 
  not 
  being 
  

   adopted 
  until 
  larger 
  markets 
  for 
  winter 
  herring 
  presented 
  themselves 
  

   and 
  shipments 
  began. 
  

  

  At 
  first 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  taken 
  solely 
  by 
  torching, 
  a 
  method 
  which 
  is 
  

   elsewhere 
  explained, 
  l^o 
  gill 
  nets 
  whatever 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  herring 
  

   fishery 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  until 
  1829, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  introduced 
  into 
  the 
  

   winter 
  fishery 
  until 
  about 
  1845 
  or 
  1850. 
  About 
  that 
  time 
  Messrs. 
  

   Greenlow, 
  of 
  Deer 
  Island, 
  Kew 
  Brunswick, 
  began 
  to 
  use 
  nets 
  of 
  about 
  

   2-inch 
  mesh 
  for 
  winter 
  herring, 
  smoking 
  the 
  fish 
  for 
  market, 
  but 
  soon 
  

   afterwards 
  the 
  fishermen 
  began 
  a 
  limited 
  trade 
  in 
  frozen 
  fish 
  with 
  St. 
  

   John 
  and 
  the 
  tributary 
  region. 
  This 
  domestic 
  trade 
  in 
  frozen 
  herring 
  

   gradually 
  grew, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  limited 
  market 
  it 
  never 
  became 
  very 
  

   extensive. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  meantime 
  the 
  American 
  vessels 
  from 
  Gloucester 
  had 
  developed 
  

   an 
  important 
  market 
  for 
  frozen 
  herring 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  In 
  1854, 
  

   according 
  to 
  a 
  Gloucester 
  authority, 
  a 
  partial 
  fare 
  of 
  frozen 
  herring 
  

   was 
  brought 
  from 
  Newfoundland 
  by 
  a 
  Gloucester 
  master, 
  and 
  with 
  

   some 
  effort 
  was 
  disposed 
  of, 
  some 
  as 
  bait 
  for 
  the 
  Georges 
  men 
  and 
  some 
  

   as 
  food, 
  the 
  latter 
  being 
  peddled 
  through 
  the 
  country. 
  The 
  following 
  

   year 
  several 
  vessels 
  made 
  the 
  venture 
  to 
  Newfoundland, 
  and, 
  the 
  

   product 
  being 
  well 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  and 
  the 
  public, 
  the 
  trade 
  

   soon 
  developed 
  into 
  one 
  of 
  considerable 
  importance 
  and 
  profit, 
  and 
  in 
  

   a 
  few 
  years 
  gave 
  employment 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  fleet 
  of 
  stanch 
  vessels. 
  

  

  About 
  1864-G5, 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  winter 
  herring 
  in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy 
  

   having 
  become 
  known, 
  a 
  vessel 
  made 
  a 
  trip 
  to 
  that 
  region 
  with 
  excel- 
  

   lent 
  pecuniary 
  results, 
  and 
  the 
  fishermen 
  and 
  vessel-owners 
  were 
  not 
  

   slow 
  in 
  seeing 
  the 
  advantages 
  to 
  be 
  gained 
  by 
  developing 
  the 
  trade. 
  

   The 
  voyage 
  to 
  JSTewfoundland, 
  being 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  most 
  inclement 
  season 
  

   of 
  the 
  year, 
  was 
  attended 
  not 
  only 
  with 
  the 
  risk 
  of 
  maritime 
  disaster, 
  

   but, 
  as 
  some 
  found 
  to 
  their 
  cost, 
  there 
  was 
  always 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  a 
  

  

  