﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  PASSAMAQUODDY 
  REGION. 
  449 
  

  

  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  long 
  strips 
  or 
  ribbands 
  are 
  spiked 
  

   on 
  to 
  the 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  stakes. 
  These 
  are 
  placed 
  some 
  3 
  feet 
  or 
  more 
  

   apart. 
  Brush 
  is 
  then 
  interwoven 
  perpendicularly, 
  reaching 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  

   of 
  the 
  weir, 
  and 
  completes 
  it 
  without 
  further 
  binding. 
  This 
  method 
  is 
  

   said 
  to 
  take 
  less 
  material 
  and 
  make 
  the 
  weir 
  lighter 
  and 
  less 
  liable 
  to 
  

   be 
  torn 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  tide. 
  

  

  Still 
  another 
  method 
  is 
  to 
  drive 
  the 
  large 
  stakes 
  farther 
  apart 
  and 
  

   construct 
  sections 
  on 
  shore 
  with 
  smaller 
  stakes 
  held 
  together 
  by 
  rib- 
  

   bauds 
  and 
  interwoven 
  with 
  brush 
  to 
  within 
  3 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  

   stakes. 
  They 
  are 
  then 
  carried 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  weir 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  boats 
  and 
  

   shoved 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  mud 
  between 
  the 
  large 
  stakes 
  and 
  firmly 
  secured. 
  

   In 
  this 
  manner 
  all 
  the 
  spaces 
  are 
  filled 
  till 
  the 
  lower 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  weir, 
  

   or 
  the 
  part 
  that 
  is 
  under 
  water 
  at 
  low 
  tide, 
  is 
  completed. 
  Ribbands 
  

   are 
  then 
  spiked 
  horizontally 
  on 
  the 
  poles 
  above 
  the 
  low-tide 
  mark 
  and 
  

   the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  weir 
  filled 
  in 
  with 
  brush 
  placed 
  perpendicularly. 
  

   But 
  the 
  method 
  first 
  described 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  commonly 
  practiced 
  

   in 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Bay 
  and 
  other 
  sections 
  along 
  the 
  American 
  shore. 
  

  

  The 
  poles 
  used 
  in 
  weirs 
  are 
  generally 
  of 
  white 
  birch. 
  The 
  material 
  

   at 
  the 
  bottom 
  below 
  low-water 
  mark 
  is 
  chiefly 
  spruce 
  and 
  cedar, 
  because 
  

   of 
  their 
  more 
  brushy 
  character, 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  weir 
  requiring 
  to 
  

   be 
  as 
  closely 
  woven 
  as 
  practicable. 
  Birch 
  and 
  alder 
  brush, 
  the 
  former 
  

   being 
  preferable, 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  uijper 
  part. 
  Boats 
  are 
  used 
  both 
  for 
  

   carrying 
  material 
  and 
  doing 
  the 
  work 
  while 
  the 
  weir 
  is 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  

   construction. 
  When 
  the 
  weir 
  is 
  completed, 
  long 
  brush 
  with 
  bushy 
  tops 
  

   is 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  and 
  leader 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  bunt 
  or 
  

   extreme 
  off-shore 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  inclosure 
  as 
  signals, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  location 
  

   can 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  vessels, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  avoid 
  damage 
  by 
  collision 
  at 
  high 
  

   water, 
  when 
  the 
  weir 
  is 
  almost 
  wholly 
  submerged. 
  

  

  Other 
  methods 
  of 
  building 
  weirs 
  are 
  sometimes 
  resorted 
  to. 
  In 
  

   localities 
  where 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  rocky 
  and 
  poles 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  driven 
  a 
  large 
  

   platform 
  is 
  constructed 
  of 
  planks 
  and 
  timber 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  poles 
  are 
  

   set. 
  After 
  the 
  framework 
  is 
  completed 
  the 
  platform 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  bal- 
  

   lasted 
  with 
  stone 
  to 
  sink 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  bottom. 
  The 
  weir 
  in 
  other 
  respects 
  

   is 
  built 
  in 
  the 
  usual 
  manner. 
  

  

  Cost 
  of 
  weirs. 
  — 
  Weirs 
  are 
  built 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  from 
  April 
  1 
  to 
  June 
  1. 
  

   It 
  IS 
  customary 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  after 
  the 
  fishing 
  is 
  over, 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  

   brush 
  from 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  weir 
  and 
  save 
  it 
  for 
  use 
  the 
  next 
  sea- 
  

   son. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  necessary 
  to 
  rebuild 
  all 
  the 
  weirs 
  every 
  year. 
  In 
  

   addition 
  to 
  replacing 
  the 
  brush, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  removed, 
  much 
  other 
  

   work 
  frequently 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  to 
  put 
  the 
  weir 
  in 
  proper 
  condition 
  for 
  

   fishing. 
  The 
  storms 
  and 
  ice 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  destroy 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  poles 
  or 
  cause 
  other 
  damage, 
  which 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  repaired. 
  

   The 
  expense 
  of 
  these 
  repairs 
  each 
  season 
  is 
  often 
  considerable. 
  

  

  The 
  cost 
  of 
  building 
  a 
  new 
  weir 
  depends 
  largely 
  on 
  its 
  size 
  and 
  loca- 
  

   tion. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  weirs 
  are 
  small 
  or 
  located 
  where 
  a 
  ledge 
  or 
  bar 
  or 
  

   the 
  shore 
  can 
  be 
  utilized 
  to 
  form 
  either 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  inclosure 
  or 
  serve 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  a 
  wing 
  or 
  leader, 
  thereby 
  lessening 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  hedg- 
  

   F. 
  R. 
  96 
  29 
  

  

  