﻿10 
  -THE 
  HERRING 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  PASSAMAQUODDY 
  

   REGION, 
  MAINE. 
  

  

  By 
  Ansley 
  Hall. 
  

  

  INTRODUCTION. 
  

  

  The 
  Passamaquoddy 
  region, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  it 
  relates 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Maine, 
  

   lies 
  along 
  the 
  western 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Croix 
  Eiver 
  and 
  Passama- 
  

   quoddy 
  Bay 
  in 
  Washington 
  County, 
  its 
  southern 
  termination 
  being 
  at 
  

   West 
  Quoddy 
  Head, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  eastern 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  

   coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  The 
  principal 
  localities 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  herring- 
  

   industry 
  isprosecuted 
  are 
  Robbinston, 
  North 
  Perry, 
  Pembroke, 
  Eastport, 
  

   Lubec, 
  and 
  North 
  and 
  South 
  Lubec. 
  The 
  population 
  of 
  these 
  places 
  in 
  

   the 
  aggregate 
  is 
  about 
  9,000. 
  Eastport 
  and 
  Lubec 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  

   business 
  centers, 
  the 
  former 
  having 
  a 
  population 
  of 
  5,000 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  

   of 
  1,800, 
  or 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  2,000 
  if 
  North 
  and 
  South 
  Lubec 
  are 
  included. 
  

  

  The 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  industry 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  will 
  be 
  better 
  

   appreciated 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  considered 
  that 
  in 
  its 
  various 
  branches 
  in 
  1805 
  it 
  

   gave 
  emi)loyment 
  to 
  5,082 
  persons, 
  male 
  and 
  female, 
  of 
  wlioiii 
  130 
  were 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  the 
  herring 
  fisheries, 
  539 
  in 
  the 
  smoked 
  and 
  j^iekled 
  herring 
  

   industry, 
  and 
  4,404 
  in 
  the 
  sardine 
  industry. 
  A 
  very 
  large 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  these 
  is 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  resident 
  i)opulation, 
  and 
  the 
  remainder 
  

   come 
  from 
  adjacent 
  localities. 
  The 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  wages 
  distributed 
  

   was 
  $584,593, 
  of 
  which 
  $28,153 
  was 
  paid 
  to 
  the 
  emjiloyees 
  of 
  smoke- 
  

   houses, 
  and 
  $556,440 
  to 
  the 
  operatives 
  in 
  sardine 
  canneries. 
  The 
  

   amount 
  of 
  capital 
  invested 
  in 
  the 
  herring 
  fisheries, 
  in 
  weirs, 
  boats, 
  and 
  

   appliances, 
  was 
  $28,483; 
  in 
  the 
  smoked 
  and 
  pickled 
  herring 
  industry, 
  

   $110,938; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  sardine 
  industry, 
  $709,037; 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  $848,458. 
  

   The 
  cost 
  of 
  materials 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  smoking 
  and 
  pickling 
  of 
  herring 
  was 
  

   $30,125, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  sardines 
  and 
  other 
  herring 
  products, 
  

   $792,292, 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  $828,417. 
  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  herring 
  used 
  for 
  smoking 
  

   and 
  pickling 
  was 
  14,647 
  hogsheads, 
  or 
  14,047,000 
  pounds, 
  costing 
  $45,494, 
  

   and 
  in 
  preparing 
  sardines 
  or 
  other 
  canned 
  herring 
  and 
  Pussian 
  sar- 
  

   dines, 
  30,496 
  hogsheads, 
  or 
  36,496,000 
  i)ounds, 
  costing 
  $114,504; 
  making 
  

   a 
  total 
  of 
  51,143 
  hogsheads, 
  or 
  51,143,000 
  pounds, 
  costing 
  $159,998. 
  

   The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  products 
  prepared 
  at 
  the 
  smoke-houses 
  was 
  $154,501, 
  

   and 
  at 
  the 
  sardine 
  canneries, 
  $1,066,818, 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  $1,821,319. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  paper 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  an 
  investigation 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  

   in 
  1896. 
  It 
  contains 
  statistics 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  industry 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  

   for 
  the 
  year 
  1895 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  herring 
  utilized 
  and 
  

   the 
  products 
  prei)ared 
  in 
  each 
  of 
  tlie 
  years 
  1893 
  and 
  1894. 
  The 
  several 
  

   branches 
  of 
  the 
  industry, 
  including 
  the 
  methods 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  prep- 
  

   aration 
  of 
  the 
  ju'oducts, 
  are 
  described, 
  and 
  the 
  trade 
  conditions 
  pre- 
  

   vailing 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years, 
  especially 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  

   sardine 
  industry, 
  are 
  briefiv 
  discussed. 
  

  

  443 
  

  

  