﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  PASSAMAQUODDY 
  REGION. 
  447 
  

  

  Product 
  of 
  the 
  ireirs. 
  — 
  The 
  total 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  Americau 
  and 
  Cana- 
  

   dian 
  weirs 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  definitely 
  stated, 
  but 
  some 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  herring 
  taken 
  in 
  them 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  may 
  be 
  gained 
  

   from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  canneries, 
  smoke-houses, 
  

   salting-sheds, 
  and 
  for 
  fertilizing 
  i^urposes 
  at 
  Eastport, 
  Lubec, 
  and 
  the 
  

   adjacent 
  localities 
  47,979 
  hogsheads, 
  or 
  239,895 
  barrels, 
  weighing 
  about 
  

   47,979,000 
  j)ounds, 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  which 
  to 
  the 
  fisherman 
  was 
  approxi- 
  

   mately 
  $99,845. 
  Of 
  this 
  quantity, 
  30,431 
  hogsheads 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  

   sardines, 
  9,075 
  for 
  smoking, 
  1,799 
  for 
  pickling, 
  and 
  74 
  for 
  fertilizer. 
  

   This 
  comprises 
  the 
  entire 
  catch, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  possibly 
  a 
  few 
  

   thousand 
  hogsheads 
  used 
  in 
  New 
  Brunswick 
  for 
  similar 
  purposes. 
  It 
  is 
  

   probably 
  the 
  largest 
  quantity 
  that 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  taken 
  in 
  these 
  waters 
  

   in 
  one 
  season, 
  and 
  considerably 
  exceeds 
  that 
  of 
  1893 
  and 
  1894, 
  but 
  the 
  

   price 
  was 
  much 
  lower 
  than 
  in 
  those 
  years, 
  averaging 
  only 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  

   $2 
  per 
  hogshead, 
  which 
  made 
  it 
  a 
  very 
  unprofitable 
  year 
  for 
  the 
  fisher- 
  

   men. 
  Although 
  the 
  fishery 
  has 
  been 
  prosecuted 
  vigorously 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  

   twenty 
  years 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  constantlj^ 
  increasing 
  demand, 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  

   observed 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  than 
  ordinarily 
  abundant. 
  To 
  this 
  fact 
  and 
  the 
  

   prevailing 
  low 
  prices 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  for 
  sardines 
  and 
  other 
  fish 
  products 
  

   may 
  be 
  attributed 
  the 
  low 
  price 
  received 
  by 
  weir 
  fishermen 
  for 
  herring. 
  

  

  Description 
  of 
  brush 
  weirs. 
  — 
  The 
  brush 
  weir 
  is 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  

   primitive 
  form 
  of 
  apparatus 
  in 
  use 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  

   of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  especially 
  well 
  adapted 
  

   for 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  herring. 
  Its 
  origin 
  is 
  not 
  definitely 
  known, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  

   supposed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  first 
  used 
  either 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  or 
  early 
  white 
  

   settlers 
  about 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Nova 
  Scotia. 
  Its 
  use 
  in 
  that 
  region 
  led 
  to 
  

   its 
  introduction 
  into 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Passamaquoddy 
  Uay. 
  Modifica- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  this 
  device 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  various 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  

   but 
  the 
  typical 
  brush 
  weir 
  is 
  confined 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Maine 
  

   and 
  is 
  more 
  numerous 
  in 
  Passamaquoddy 
  Bay 
  than 
  elsewhere. 
  The 
  

   principle 
  which 
  it 
  involves, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  its 
  effectiveness 
  for 
  fishing 
  is 
  con- 
  

   cerned, 
  is 
  essentially 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  pound 
  net. 
  The 
  

   fish 
  are 
  led 
  into 
  a 
  large 
  inclosure 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  long 
  leaders 
  and 
  wings, 
  

   which 
  usually 
  terminate 
  in 
  a 
  funnel-shaped 
  entrance. 
  Their 
  escape 
  is 
  

   prevented 
  by 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  these 
  wings 
  into 
  the 
  inclosure, 
  thereby 
  

   forming 
  a 
  triangular 
  hook 
  at 
  each 
  end 
  of 
  it, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  fish, 
  as 
  they 
  

   circle 
  around 
  inside 
  the 
  weir, 
  are 
  directed 
  past 
  the 
  entrance. 
  In 
  some 
  

   instances 
  a 
  " 
  drop" 
  made 
  of 
  netting 
  arranged 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  weir 
  

   is 
  used 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  After 
  the 
  fish 
  have 
  entered 
  the 
  drop 
  is 
  let 
  

   down 
  and 
  comiiletely 
  closes 
  the 
  weir. 
  

  

  The 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  weir 
  varies 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  or 
  

   shore 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  located, 
  and 
  the 
  different 
  forms 
  are 
  sometimes 
  desig- 
  

   nated 
  by 
  names 
  which 
  indicate 
  their 
  characteristics. 
  A 
  weir 
  located 
  

   beside 
  a 
  bar 
  where 
  the 
  bar 
  is 
  left 
  bare 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  and 
  serves 
  as 
  a 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  inclosure 
  is 
  termed 
  a 
  "bar 
  weir";, 
  one 
  located 
  near 
  the 
  shore, 
  

   with 
  perhaps 
  one 
  wing 
  extending 
  diagonally 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  while 
  the 
  

   shore 
  answers 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  a 
  wing 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  side, 
  is 
  called 
  a 
  

  

  