﻿434 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  iug 
  aboard 
  to 
  cook 
  and 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  aud 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  

   crew 
  rowing 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  to 
  their 
  work. 
  During 
  the 
  last 
  six 
  or 
  

   seven 
  years 
  of 
  the 
  fishery, 
  when 
  the 
  nets 
  were 
  set 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  miles 
  from 
  

   shore, 
  the 
  distance 
  became 
  too 
  great 
  for 
  the 
  men 
  to 
  row, 
  and 
  the 
  

   vessels 
  would 
  then 
  run 
  out 
  and 
  drop 
  the 
  men 
  to 
  set 
  or 
  lift 
  their 
  nets, 
  

   picking 
  them 
  up 
  again 
  when 
  they 
  had 
  completed 
  their 
  task. 
  When 
  

   the 
  men 
  first 
  began 
  to 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  water 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  

   shore 
  their 
  iuexi)erience 
  often 
  caused 
  them 
  to 
  lose 
  their 
  nets 
  and 
  gear, 
  

   but 
  afterwards 
  they 
  grew 
  more 
  accustomed 
  to 
  tlie 
  changed 
  conditions 
  

   and 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  avoid 
  such 
  losses. 
  

  

  The 
  nets 
  were 
  set 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  aud 
  were 
  lifted 
  the 
  following 
  

   morning. 
  The 
  herring 
  would 
  rarely 
  enter 
  them 
  during 
  the 
  daytime, 
  

   and 
  it 
  was 
  observed 
  that 
  on 
  dark 
  nights 
  the 
  fishing 
  was 
  better 
  than 
  

   when 
  it 
  was 
  moonlight. 
  

  

  The 
  fishery 
  for 
  winter 
  herring 
  being 
  principally 
  within 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  

   l^ew 
  Brunswick, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  were 
  citizens 
  of 
  that 
  province; 
  

   but 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  Americans 
  engaged 
  in 
  it, 
  especially 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  

   years 
  of 
  the 
  fishery, 
  often 
  setting 
  their 
  nets 
  close 
  inshore 
  and 
  freezing 
  

   their 
  fish 
  either 
  ashore 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  decks 
  of 
  their 
  vessels. 
  In 
  addition 
  

   to 
  the 
  regular 
  fishermen, 
  many 
  farmers 
  and 
  mechanics 
  who 
  had 
  no 
  

   work 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  followed 
  the 
  fishery 
  with 
  considerable 
  profit. 
  

   The 
  winter 
  fishery 
  for 
  herring 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  and 
  j)rofitable 
  

   fishery, 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  "North 
  Shore" 
  between 
  Beaver 
  Harbor 
  and 
  

   Lepreau, 
  and 
  the 
  fishermen 
  cared 
  but 
  little 
  for 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  fisheries 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  assured 
  of 
  a 
  good 
  run 
  iu 
  winter. 
  

  

  The 
  Americans 
  were 
  interested 
  more 
  extensively 
  in 
  buying 
  than 
  in 
  

   catching 
  the 
  fish. 
  As 
  already 
  stated, 
  prior 
  to 
  1S60 
  comparatively 
  few 
  

   fish 
  were 
  sold 
  as 
  bait, 
  but 
  at 
  about 
  that 
  time 
  that 
  market 
  became 
  very 
  

   important, 
  and 
  large 
  numbers 
  were 
  sold 
  to 
  Nova 
  Scotia 
  fishermen 
  and 
  to 
  

   Americans 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  trawl 
  and 
  hand-line 
  fisheries 
  on 
  the 
  Georges 
  

   Banks. 
  Before 
  the 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  frozen-herring 
  trade 
  it 
  was 
  customary 
  

   for 
  the 
  bank 
  fishermen 
  to 
  carry 
  several 
  nets 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  catch, 
  

   ing 
  bait. 
  Herring 
  were 
  often 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Georges 
  Banks 
  iu 
  winter, 
  

   sometimes 
  in 
  vast 
  schools, 
  but 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  catching 
  them 
  was 
  

   abandoned 
  when 
  the 
  line 
  fishermen 
  found 
  that 
  thej^ 
  could 
  obtain 
  bait 
  

   with 
  more 
  certainty 
  and 
  greater 
  dispatch 
  by 
  purchase 
  from 
  those 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  the 
  frozen-herring 
  trade. 
  When 
  vessels 
  from 
  Gloucester 
  

   and 
  other 
  American 
  ports 
  began 
  to 
  regularly 
  engage 
  in 
  the 
  business, 
  

   they 
  soon 
  absorbed 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  catch, 
  although 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   number 
  of 
  fish 
  still 
  went 
  to 
  Nova 
  Scotia. 
  These 
  vessels 
  bought 
  the 
  fish 
  

   from 
  the 
  local 
  fishermen 
  and 
  carried 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  fish 
  markets, 
  

   whence 
  they 
  were 
  transshipi^ed 
  as 
  bait 
  or 
  were 
  sent 
  over 
  the 
  country 
  as 
  

   a 
  cheap 
  fish 
  food 
  for 
  man. 
  

  

  The 
  frozen 
  herring 
  were 
  always 
  sold 
  by 
  count, 
  never 
  by 
  weight 
  or 
  by 
  

   the 
  barrel, 
  and 
  the 
  price 
  ranged 
  from 
  15 
  cents 
  to 
  $1 
  or 
  more 
  per 
  100, 
  

   according 
  to 
  the 
  weather 
  and 
  market. 
  The 
  first 
  fish 
  usually 
  brought 
  

  

  