﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  NORTHEAST 
  COAST. 
  437 
  

  

  Coupled 
  with 
  this 
  apparent 
  leluctauce 
  to 
  come 
  inshore, 
  the 
  latter 
  

   years 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  were 
  charaeterized 
  by 
  a 
  gradually 
  later 
  and 
  later 
  

   date 
  of 
  arrival. 
  The 
  schools 
  were 
  not 
  preceded 
  to 
  any 
  extent 
  by 
  strag- 
  

   glers, 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  arriving 
  in 
  a 
  body, 
  and 
  conseijuently 
  the 
  date 
  

   of 
  their 
  arrival 
  was 
  well 
  defined. 
  As 
  already 
  stated, 
  prior 
  to 
  1880 
  the 
  

   winter 
  herring 
  arrived 
  at 
  Herring 
  Cove 
  about 
  jS^ovember 
  15, 
  but 
  by 
  

   1887 
  their 
  arrival 
  was 
  delayed 
  until 
  January 
  G, 
  and 
  in 
  1888-89, 
  the 
  last 
  

   year 
  of 
  the 
  fishery, 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  come 
  until 
  January 
  10. 
  In 
  1887 
  they 
  

   were 
  caught 
  at 
  Grand 
  Manau 
  before 
  they 
  reached 
  Cami)obello, 
  but 
  for 
  

   three 
  or 
  four 
  years 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  arrive 
  at 
  Point 
  Lepreau 
  until 
  Februaf 
  y, 
  

   and 
  in 
  1888-89 
  it 
  was 
  almost 
  March 
  before 
  they 
  were 
  taken 
  at 
  tlie 
  

   latter 
  jdace. 
  In 
  1889-90 
  a 
  few 
  were 
  caught 
  at 
  several 
  places 
  on 
  the 
  

   "North 
  Shore," 
  but 
  not 
  enough 
  to 
  pay 
  expenses, 
  and 
  from 
  that 
  time 
  to 
  

   this 
  none 
  have 
  been 
  caught 
  in 
  that 
  region, 
  although 
  lobstermen 
  every 
  

   winter 
  set 
  a 
  few 
  nets 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  of 
  catching 
  bait 
  for 
  their 
  lobster 
  

   traps. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  at 
  Grand 
  Manan 
  the 
  winter 
  herring 
  disappeared 
  a 
  

   year 
  or 
  two 
  before 
  1889-90, 
  but 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  fishermen 
  from 
  that 
  

   place 
  did 
  not 
  set 
  their 
  nets 
  as 
  far 
  from 
  shore 
  as 
  did 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  main- 
  

   land, 
  and 
  this 
  probably 
  accounts 
  for 
  the 
  difierence. 
  Since 
  then 
  there 
  

   Lave 
  been 
  several 
  short 
  runs 
  or 
  "spurts," 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1891-95 
  

   for 
  several 
  weeks 
  between 
  December 
  22 
  and 
  January 
  10 
  the 
  fishing- 
  

   was 
  as 
  good 
  as 
  ever. 
  Considerable 
  quantities 
  of 
  herring 
  are 
  still 
  taken 
  

   from 
  Dark 
  Harbor 
  during 
  the 
  winter, 
  but 
  these 
  are, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  fish 
  

   which 
  have 
  run 
  into 
  that 
  almost 
  landlocked 
  pond 
  earlier 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  

   have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  find 
  their 
  way 
  out. 
  They 
  are 
  consequently 
  not 
  to 
  

   be 
  considered 
  with 
  the 
  winter 
  herring, 
  although 
  small 
  bodies 
  of 
  fish 
  are 
  

   said, 
  by 
  those 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  to 
  occasionally 
  run 
  in 
  during 
  

   the 
  winter 
  months. 
  There 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  some 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  whetlier 
  

   the 
  fish 
  left 
  earlier 
  or 
  later 
  toward 
  the 
  last 
  or 
  whether 
  the 
  change 
  was 
  

   only 
  in 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  their 
  arrival. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  last 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  years 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  

   herring 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  constant, 
  but 
  before 
  then 
  there 
  had 
  been 
  

   a 
  gradual 
  decrease 
  since 
  1880 
  or 
  1881, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  the 
  catch 
  was 
  more 
  

   irregular 
  and 
  uncertain. 
  This, 
  however, 
  may 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  due 
  so 
  

   much 
  to 
  a 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  schools 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  greater 
  difficulty 
  

   in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  catching 
  them. 
  When 
  the 
  iishermen 
  had 
  to 
  set 
  their 
  

   nets 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  miles 
  offshore 
  there 
  would 
  be, 
  of 
  course, 
  much 
  greater 
  lia- 
  

   bility 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  missing 
  the 
  school 
  than 
  when 
  the 
  fish 
  covered 
  

   the 
  more 
  circumscribed 
  area 
  nearer 
  shore, 
  and 
  this 
  would 
  lead 
  many 
  to 
  

   suppose 
  that 
  a 
  greater 
  decrease 
  had 
  occurred 
  than 
  Mas 
  actually 
  the 
  

   case. 
  

  

  As 
  already 
  stated, 
  the 
  schools 
  of 
  winter 
  herring 
  were 
  detected 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  trial 
  nets, 
  although 
  their 
  presence 
  was 
  often 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  

   accompanying 
  whales 
  and 
  gulls 
  which 
  feed 
  upon 
  them. 
  These, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  also 
  feed 
  upon 
  the 
  small 
  herring 
  which 
  likewise 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   bay 
  in 
  winter. 
  These 
  small 
  herring 
  are 
  often 
  seen 
  schooling 
  — 
  that 
  is. 
  

  

  