﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  PASSAMAQUODDY 
  REGION. 
  451 
  

  

  ing 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  weir, 
  but 
  are 
  usually 
  from 
  18 
  to 
  22 
  fathoms, 
  or 
  108 
  

   to 
  132 
  feet. 
  They 
  vary 
  in 
  depth 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  18 
  feet 
  at 
  the 
  ends 
  and 
  from 
  

   15 
  to 
  30 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  or 
  bunt. 
  The 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  mesh 
  is 
  1 
  inch 
  

   stretched. 
  They 
  are 
  made 
  of 
  about 
  9 
  thread 
  ISTo. 
  20 
  cotton 
  twine. 
  

   Linen 
  twine 
  is 
  never 
  used 
  for 
  weir 
  seines. 
  The 
  floats, 
  which 
  are 
  either 
  

   of 
  cork 
  or 
  cedar, 
  are 
  placed 
  6 
  inches 
  apart 
  or 
  thereabouts 
  and 
  the 
  leads 
  

   about 
  4i 
  inches 
  apart. 
  A 
  stone 
  or 
  iron 
  weight 
  of 
  about 
  50 
  pounds 
  is 
  

   sometimes 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  lead 
  line 
  at 
  each 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  to 
  keep 
  it 
  

   close 
  to 
  the 
  bottom. 
  A 
  purse 
  line 
  extends 
  around 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  

   seine, 
  passing- 
  through 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  2-inch 
  iron 
  rings, 
  which 
  are 
  attached 
  

   to 
  the 
  lead 
  line 
  about 
  3 
  feet 
  apart. 
  The 
  seines 
  cost 
  when 
  new 
  from 
  $40 
  to 
  

   $00 
  each. 
  Very 
  large 
  ones 
  sometimes 
  cost 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  $75 
  or 
  $100 
  each. 
  

  

  In 
  operating 
  the 
  weir 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  five 
  men 
  are 
  engaged, 
  each 
  one 
  

   of 
  whom 
  has 
  a 
  boat 
  and 
  is 
  either 
  an 
  owner 
  or 
  represents 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   owners 
  in 
  the 
  weir. 
  The 
  seine, 
  like 
  the 
  weir, 
  is 
  owned 
  on 
  shares. 
  The 
  

   time 
  selected 
  for 
  seining 
  the 
  weir 
  is 
  at 
  low 
  tide, 
  whether 
  in 
  the 
  day 
  or 
  

   night, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  customary 
  to 
  fish 
  on 
  both 
  tides. 
  In 
  most 
  instances 
  the 
  

   seine 
  is 
  kept 
  on 
  a 
  seine-reel 
  located 
  on 
  a 
  raft, 
  which 
  is 
  moored 
  near 
  the 
  

   weir; 
  in 
  others 
  it 
  is 
  taken 
  ashore 
  to 
  dry, 
  and 
  is 
  carried 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  weir 
  

   each 
  time 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  boats. 
  In 
  the 
  night 
  torches 
  are 
  used 
  if 
  a 
  light 
  

   is 
  required 
  to 
  see 
  whether 
  there 
  are 
  fish 
  enough 
  in 
  the 
  weir 
  to 
  warrant 
  

   the 
  labor 
  of 
  hauling 
  the 
  seine, 
  or 
  for 
  any 
  other 
  purpose 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  light 
  

   might 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  the 
  men 
  in 
  their 
  work. 
  When 
  the 
  time 
  arrives 
  

   to 
  haul 
  the 
  seine, 
  the 
  boat 
  containing 
  the 
  seine 
  is 
  taken 
  inside 
  the 
  weir. 
  

   Attached 
  to 
  each 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  is 
  a 
  pole 
  or 
  staff. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  poles 
  

   is 
  pushed 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  bottom 
  beside 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  hook 
  stakes 
  at 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  weir 
  and 
  made 
  fast 
  to 
  it. 
  The 
  seine 
  is 
  then 
  stretched 
  

   across 
  the 
  entrance 
  and 
  the 
  boat 
  is 
  gradually 
  moved 
  around 
  the 
  sides 
  

   of 
  the 
  weir, 
  thus 
  drawing 
  the 
  seine 
  around 
  the 
  weir 
  until 
  the 
  two 
  ends 
  

   are 
  finally 
  brought 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  fish 
  inclosed 
  in 
  it. 
  The 
  bottom 
  of 
  

   the 
  seine 
  is 
  then 
  pursed 
  up, 
  the 
  top 
  being 
  hauled 
  in 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  

   In 
  this 
  way 
  tbe 
  fish 
  are 
  brought 
  together 
  in 
  a 
  body 
  sufiiciently 
  compact 
  

   to 
  enable 
  the 
  fishermen 
  to 
  dip 
  them 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  into 
  boats. 
  

  

  The 
  fish 
  are 
  dipped 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  with 
  large 
  dip 
  nets. 
  The 
  bow 
  of 
  

   the 
  dip 
  net 
  is 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  5 
  feet 
  across; 
  the 
  handle 
  is 
  about 
  12 
  feet 
  long, 
  

   and 
  the 
  bag, 
  which 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  twine, 
  is 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  8 
  feet 
  deep. 
  The 
  nets 
  

   cost 
  from 
  $4 
  to 
  $6 
  each, 
  and 
  form 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  equipment 
  of 
  each 
  boat. 
  

   One 
  of 
  these 
  nets 
  will 
  hold 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  barrels 
  of 
  herring. 
  The 
  net 
  is 
  

   dipped 
  in 
  among 
  the 
  fish 
  and 
  filled. 
  It 
  is 
  then 
  lifted 
  and 
  the 
  bow 
  

   brought 
  over 
  the 
  gunwale 
  of 
  the 
  boat, 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  net 
  being 
  

   turned 
  downward 
  with 
  the 
  handle 
  extending 
  lengthwise 
  of 
  the 
  boat 
  

   and 
  resting 
  across 
  the 
  thwarts. 
  With 
  the 
  net 
  in 
  this 
  position 
  the 
  men 
  

   pull 
  in 
  on 
  the 
  twine, 
  which 
  causes 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  slide 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  net 
  into 
  

   the 
  boat. 
  Tliis 
  process 
  is 
  termed 
  "rolling" 
  them 
  into 
  the 
  boat 
  and 
  

   relieves 
  the 
  men 
  of 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  lifting 
  so 
  large 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  fish, 
  

   the 
  weight 
  of 
  which 
  would 
  be, 
  when 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  water, 
  from 
  000 
  to 
  

   800 
  pounds. 
  So 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  their 
  weight 
  is 
  not 
  

  

  