﻿43 
  G 
  REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  the 
  place 
  meutioiied 
  with 
  fair 
  regularity 
  about 
  November 
  15, 
  and 
  

   remained 
  until 
  late 
  in 
  December, 
  when 
  they 
  began 
  to 
  slack 
  off, 
  although 
  

   some 
  were 
  usually 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  there 
  throughout 
  tlie 
  winter. 
  The 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  from 
  Beaver 
  Harbor 
  came 
  down 
  to 
  Campobello 
  for 
  a 
  fortnight's 
  

   fishing 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  as 
  the 
  schools 
  did 
  not 
  strike 
  Beaver 
  Harbor 
  

   for 
  about 
  ten 
  days 
  after 
  their 
  arrival 
  at 
  Herring 
  Cove, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  

   be 
  until 
  about 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  December 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  reach 
  the 
  

   neighborhood 
  of 
  Point 
  Lepreau. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  appear, 
  then, 
  that 
  these 
  schools 
  of 
  winter 
  herring 
  arrived 
  

   first 
  at 
  Grand 
  Manan, 
  soon 
  afterwards 
  at 
  Campobello, 
  and 
  thence 
  they 
  

   extended 
  gradually 
  up 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy 
  to 
  St. 
  John, 
  or 
  entered 
  St. 
  

   Andrews 
  Bay 
  via 
  Head 
  Harbor 
  and 
  the 
  Eastern-or 
  Letite 
  Passage. 
  At 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  end 
  of 
  Campobello, 
  at 
  Head 
  Harbor, 
  the 
  migrating 
  schools 
  

   had 
  two 
  alternatives, 
  they 
  could 
  either 
  continue 
  up 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy 
  or 
  

   could 
  enter 
  St. 
  Andrews 
  Bay. 
  When 
  they 
  took 
  the 
  latter 
  course 
  in 
  

   large 
  numbers 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  corresponding 
  dearth 
  upon 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  

   Fundy 
  shore, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  the 
  schools 
  would 
  divide, 
  a 
  portion 
  taking 
  

   each 
  route 
  and 
  the 
  fishery 
  becoming 
  more 
  widely 
  distributed. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  is 
  a 
  general 
  statement 
  and 
  does 
  not 
  strictly 
  describe 
  

   the 
  migration 
  every 
  season. 
  Sometimes 
  they 
  were 
  first 
  caught 
  nearer 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  end 
  of 
  Campobello, 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  always 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   extensive 
  local 
  movements 
  which 
  tended 
  to 
  affect 
  their 
  distribution. 
  

   They 
  often 
  moved 
  about 
  from 
  place 
  to 
  place 
  according 
  to 
  no 
  observable 
  

   system, 
  but 
  the 
  fishermen 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  follow 
  them 
  with 
  more 
  or 
  lesg 
  

   certainty 
  by 
  observing 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  schools 
  of 
  whales 
  and 
  

   flocks 
  of 
  gulls. 
  For 
  instance, 
  in 
  1877 
  there 
  was 
  good 
  inshore 
  fishing 
  at 
  

   Campobello 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  or 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  December, 
  but 
  during 
  

   the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  they 
  were 
  offshore, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  during 
  that 
  winter 
  

   that 
  t^e 
  fishermen 
  gained 
  their 
  first 
  experience 
  in 
  deep-water 
  fishing, 
  

   at 
  some 
  expense 
  of 
  nets 
  and 
  gear. 
  West 
  of 
  Beaver 
  Harbor 
  the 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  schools 
  were 
  that 
  year 
  found 
  about 
  midway 
  between 
  the 
  main 
  

   shore 
  and 
  The 
  Wolves, 
  but 
  farther 
  eastward, 
  at 
  Popologan 
  and 
  Lepreau, 
  

   they 
  were 
  closer 
  inshore. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  temporary 
  disappearances 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  herring 
  

   from 
  the 
  coast 
  in 
  previous 
  years 
  were 
  due 
  to 
  their 
  dropping 
  offshore 
  

   into 
  the 
  deeper 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy, 
  but 
  the 
  fishermen 
  appear 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  unaware 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  until 
  1877, 
  although 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   whales 
  and 
  gulls, 
  which 
  accompany 
  the 
  schools, 
  were 
  often 
  observed. 
  

   In 
  the 
  following 
  year, 
  1878-79, 
  the 
  schools 
  were 
  as 
  close 
  in 
  as 
  ever, 
  and 
  

   the 
  fish 
  were 
  especially 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  L'Etang. 
  In 
  1879-80 
  

   they 
  api^eared 
  inshore 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  and 
  were 
  quite 
  generally 
  

   distributed 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  1880-81 
  

   and 
  1881-82; 
  but 
  in 
  1882-83 
  they 
  were 
  principally 
  offshore 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  whole 
  coast, 
  and 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  again 
  appear, 
  to 
  stay, 
  in 
  shallow 
  

   waters 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  they 
  finally 
  disappeared, 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  

   1889-90. 
  

  

  