﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  NORTHEAST 
  COAST. 
  433 
  

  

  bad 
  season 
  and 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  a 
  fare 
  even 
  after 
  the 
  outward 
  voyage 
  had 
  

   been 
  successfully 
  accomplished. 
  The 
  trip 
  to 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy 
  was 
  

   shorter, 
  and 
  the 
  vessels 
  beiug 
  always 
  within 
  reach 
  of 
  a 
  sheltered 
  har- 
  

   bor, 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  attempted 
  in 
  inferior 
  crafts. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  first 
  fare 
  of 
  winter 
  herring 
  ship^jed 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  from 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Quoddy 
  was 
  carried 
  by 
  a 
  Captain 
  McCrea, 
  

   of 
  Gloucester. 
  Be 
  that 
  as 
  it 
  may, 
  he 
  was 
  soon 
  followed 
  by 
  many 
  

   others, 
  and 
  frozen 
  herriug 
  from 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy 
  soon 
  largely 
  sup- 
  

   ])lanted 
  the 
  Newfoundland 
  herring 
  in 
  the 
  markets 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

   The 
  fleet 
  sailing 
  to 
  the 
  former 
  region 
  was 
  steadily 
  augmented, 
  while 
  

   that 
  in 
  the 
  Newfoundland 
  trade 
  as 
  steadily 
  declined. 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  

   the 
  severe 
  weather 
  they 
  had 
  to 
  encounter, 
  the 
  Newfoundland 
  vessels 
  

   were 
  stanch 
  and 
  able 
  seagoing 
  craft, 
  while 
  uiany 
  of 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy 
  

   vessels 
  were 
  old 
  and 
  small. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  fished 
  from 
  small 
  boats 
  only, 
  making 
  their 
  

   headquarters 
  ashore 
  and 
  not 
  going 
  far 
  from 
  home, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  

   used 
  sloops 
  and 
  small 
  schooners, 
  ranging 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  35 
  tons 
  burden, 
  in 
  

   which 
  they 
  could 
  follow 
  the 
  schools 
  about 
  from 
  place 
  to 
  place 
  during 
  

   the 
  season. 
  There 
  was 
  considerable 
  improvement 
  both 
  in 
  model 
  and 
  

   build 
  of 
  the 
  vessels 
  as 
  the 
  fishery 
  became 
  better 
  established, 
  but 
  the 
  size 
  

   remained 
  about 
  the 
  same. 
  The 
  smaller 
  vessels 
  usually 
  carried 
  a 
  crew 
  

   of 
  three 
  men 
  and 
  one 
  boat; 
  the 
  largest 
  had 
  seven 
  men 
  and 
  three 
  boats. 
  

   Vessels 
  of 
  from 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  tons 
  were 
  the 
  most 
  common, 
  and 
  such 
  a 
  craft 
  

   usually 
  carried 
  a 
  crew 
  of 
  five 
  men, 
  who 
  used 
  two 
  boats 
  in 
  attending 
  

   their 
  nets. 
  

  

  The 
  fishery 
  was 
  commonly 
  conducted 
  on 
  shares 
  ; 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  the 
  

   vessel 
  receiving 
  one-seventh 
  of 
  the 
  catch, 
  the 
  remainder 
  going 
  to 
  the 
  

   captxiin 
  and 
  crew, 
  who 
  "found 
  and 
  grubbed" 
  themselves. 
  At 
  the 
  

   approach 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  for 
  winter 
  herring 
  the 
  crews 
  of 
  each 
  craft 
  would 
  

   come 
  together 
  and 
  fit 
  out 
  with 
  the 
  necessary 
  provisions, 
  nets, 
  and 
  gear. 
  

   The 
  vessel 
  then 
  repaired 
  to 
  some 
  convenient 
  harbor 
  and 
  awaited 
  the 
  

   arrival 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  the 
  fishery 
  beginning 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  herring 
  came 
  

   in 
  and 
  the 
  weather 
  became 
  sufliciently 
  cold 
  to 
  freeze 
  the 
  fish 
  when 
  

   exposed 
  to 
  the 
  air. 
  

  

  The 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  was 
  detected 
  by 
  fishing 
  trial 
  nets, 
  each 
  

   vessel 
  setting 
  a 
  net 
  or 
  two 
  nightly. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  it 
  became 
  known 
  that 
  

   any 
  of 
  these 
  nets 
  had 
  taken 
  herring, 
  there 
  was 
  great 
  activity 
  among 
  

   the 
  fishermen. 
  Each 
  boat 
  was 
  sent 
  out 
  with 
  two 
  men 
  and 
  its 
  comple- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  nets. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  years 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  each 
  man 
  fished 
  two 
  

   nets, 
  but 
  afterwards 
  the 
  quota 
  was 
  increased 
  to 
  three 
  per 
  num. 
  The 
  

   nets 
  were 
  30 
  fathoms 
  long 
  and 
  150 
  meshes 
  deep, 
  the 
  mesh 
  being 
  2^ 
  

   inches. 
  Those 
  first 
  used 
  in 
  New 
  Brunswick 
  were 
  Scotch 
  nets 
  of 
  linen, 
  

   but 
  afterwards 
  cotton 
  nets 
  were 
  adopted, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  cheai)ness 
  

   and 
  the 
  greater 
  ease 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  fish 
  could 
  be 
  shaken 
  from 
  the 
  

   meshes. 
  Until 
  about 
  1880 
  they 
  were 
  set 
  near 
  shore, 
  in 
  about 
  10 
  to 
  

   20 
  fathoms 
  of 
  water. 
  The 
  vessels 
  lay 
  in 
  the 
  harbors, 
  one 
  man 
  remaiu- 
  

   F. 
  R. 
  90 
  28 
  

  

  