﻿454 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  the 
  whole 
  fleet 
  range 
  in 
  value 
  from 
  $75 
  to 
  $1,000 
  each. 
  The 
  carrying 
  

   capacity 
  of 
  the 
  sailboats 
  is 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  10 
  hogsheads 
  of 
  herring, 
  and 
  the 
  

   vessels 
  often 
  carry 
  a 
  much 
  larger 
  quantity. 
  Small 
  steamboats 
  are 
  also 
  

   used 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  for 
  carrying 
  fish 
  and 
  towing 
  the 
  sailboats 
  when 
  the 
  

   wind 
  is 
  unfavorable 
  or 
  insufficient 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  sails. 
  Tarpaulin 
  is 
  used 
  

   on 
  open 
  boats 
  for 
  covering 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  j)rotect 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  sun, 
  while 
  

   the 
  hatches 
  serve 
  that 
  jjurpose 
  on 
  larger 
  craft. 
  The 
  boats 
  are 
  usually 
  

   owned 
  by 
  the 
  boatmen 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  crew 
  of 
  1 
  or 
  2 
  men 
  each. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  vessels 
  and 
  boats 
  employed 
  by 
  the 
  canneries 
  in 
  1895 
  

   as 
  collecting 
  boats 
  and 
  lighters 
  was 
  88, 
  valued 
  at 
  $32,437. 
  In 
  addition 
  

   to 
  these, 
  there 
  were 
  26 
  employed 
  by 
  the 
  smoke-houses, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  

   of 
  $8,75G, 
  making 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  114, 
  valued 
  at 
  $41,193. 
  

  

  THE 
  SMOKED 
  AND 
  PICKLED 
  HERRING 
  INDUSTRY. 
  

  

  General 
  note. 
  — 
  Smoked 
  and 
  pickled 
  herring 
  are 
  prepared 
  more 
  exten- 
  

   sively 
  at 
  Eastport 
  and 
  Lubec 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  localities 
  in 
  this 
  

   region 
  or 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  smoking 
  of 
  herring 
  was 
  intro- 
  

   duced 
  at 
  Eastport 
  in 
  about 
  1808, 
  and 
  at 
  Lubec 
  in 
  1812. 
  The 
  two 
  places 
  

   had 
  a 
  population 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  of 
  about 
  1,500. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  

   herring 
  were 
  pickled 
  and 
  packed 
  in 
  barrels 
  for 
  market 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   of 
  this 
  section 
  before 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  century. 
  The 
  

   smoked-herring 
  trade, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  branches, 
  

   increased 
  with 
  considerable 
  rapidity 
  and 
  eventually 
  became 
  a 
  large 
  

   industry. 
  It 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  herring 
  smoked 
  each 
  

   year 
  from 
  1845 
  to 
  1865 
  was 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  500,000 
  boxes. 
  After 
  the 
  close 
  

   of 
  the 
  civil 
  war 
  the 
  demand 
  fell 
  off 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  

   period 
  of 
  the 
  Washington 
  treaty, 
  from 
  July 
  1, 
  1873, 
  to 
  June 
  30, 
  1885, 
  it 
  

   was 
  so 
  reduced 
  by 
  the 
  large 
  importations 
  of 
  smoked 
  herring 
  from 
  the 
  

   British 
  Provinces, 
  which 
  were 
  admitted 
  under 
  the 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  treaty 
  

   free 
  of 
  duty, 
  that 
  in 
  1880 
  the 
  output 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  State 
  was 
  only 
  370,615 
  

   boxes, 
  or 
  4,434,111 
  pounds, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  pf 
  $99,973. 
  In 
  the 
  mean- 
  

   time 
  the 
  imports 
  increased 
  from 
  1,029,095 
  pounds 
  valued 
  at 
  $34,670 
  in 
  

   1874, 
  to 
  10,441,355 
  pounds 
  valued 
  at 
  $129;034 
  in 
  1885. 
  Since 
  1885 
  the 
  

   industry 
  has 
  gradually 
  regained 
  its 
  former 
  importance, 
  and 
  was 
  probably 
  

   more 
  extensive 
  in 
  1894 
  and 
  1895 
  than 
  ever 
  before. 
  In 
  the 
  year 
  following 
  

   the 
  abrogation 
  of 
  the 
  treaty 
  the 
  imports 
  for 
  consumption 
  dropjied 
  more 
  

   than 
  one-half, 
  being 
  only 
  4,246,970 
  pounds, 
  and 
  have 
  since 
  continued 
  

   to 
  decrease, 
  while 
  the 
  exports 
  have 
  practically 
  doubled. 
  

  

  Pickled 
  herring 
  are 
  usually 
  packed 
  in 
  the 
  salting 
  sheds 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  smoke-houses, 
  the 
  work 
  being 
  performed 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  persons 
  

   who 
  are 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  smoking 
  operations. 
  There 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  seldom 
  

   any 
  extra 
  outlay 
  for 
  buildings 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  this 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  

   industry. 
  The 
  season 
  for 
  smoking 
  and 
  pickling 
  is 
  chiefly 
  from 
  the 
  1st 
  

   of 
  August 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  December. 
  

  

  DescrijpUon 
  ofsmoJce-houses. 
  — 
  The 
  smoke-house 
  is 
  generally 
  only 
  one 
  

   of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  buildings 
  used 
  in 
  carrying 
  on 
  the 
  smoked-herring 
  in- 
  

   dustry. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  it, 
  there 
  are 
  sheds 
  and 
  shops 
  of 
  various 
  kinds, 
  in 
  

   which 
  is 
  done 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  work 
  incidental 
  to 
  the 
  business. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  

  

  