﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  PASSAMAQUODDY 
  REGION. 
  463 
  

  

  tion 
  with 
  Eastport 
  and 
  Lubec. 
  A 
  considerable 
  quantity 
  is 
  also 
  sent 
  to 
  

   New 
  York 
  and 
  some 
  to 
  Boston 
  by 
  coasting 
  vessels. 
  When 
  shipped 
  by 
  

   steamboat, 
  the 
  boxes, 
  except 
  those 
  containing 
  bloaters, 
  are 
  tied 
  together 
  

   in 
  bundles 
  of 
  five 
  boxes 
  each 
  to 
  render 
  them 
  more 
  convenient 
  to 
  

   handle. 
  This 
  necessitates 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  ''fish 
  ties" 
  (so 
  called), 
  which 
  con- 
  

   sist 
  of 
  strands 
  of 
  manila 
  rope 
  14 
  feet 
  in 
  length. 
  The 
  rope 
  costs 
  from 
  

   8 
  to 
  y 
  cents 
  per 
  pound, 
  and 
  3i 
  pounds, 
  after 
  the 
  strands 
  are 
  separated, 
  

   make 
  60 
  ties. 
  Ties 
  are 
  not 
  used 
  when 
  the 
  herring 
  are 
  shipped 
  by 
  sail 
  

   vessels. 
  The 
  freight 
  rates 
  from 
  Eastport 
  to 
  Boston 
  or 
  New 
  York 
  by 
  

   steamboat 
  are 
  li 
  cents 
  per 
  box 
  for 
  regular 
  herring 
  and 
  7 
  cents 
  per 
  box 
  

   for 
  bloaters. 
  The 
  rates 
  on 
  coasting 
  vessels 
  from 
  Eastport 
  to 
  New 
  York 
  

   for 
  carrying 
  the 
  regular 
  herring 
  are 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  those 
  charged 
  by 
  the 
  

   steamboats, 
  but 
  are 
  reduced 
  to 
  5 
  cents 
  i)er 
  box 
  for 
  bloater 
  herring. 
  

  

  Herring 
  salted 
  in 
  barrels 
  are 
  shipped 
  chiefly 
  to 
  Boston 
  and 
  New 
  

   York, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  Norfolk 
  and 
  Portsmouth, 
  Va. 
  It 
  is 
  claimed 
  that 
  fish 
  

   which 
  are 
  fat, 
  however 
  well 
  cured 
  and 
  packed, 
  will 
  not 
  keep 
  well 
  in 
  a 
  

   warm 
  climate, 
  and 
  are 
  therefore 
  seldom 
  shipped 
  to 
  southern 
  markets. 
  

   The 
  rates 
  of 
  freight 
  are 
  30 
  cents 
  per 
  barrel 
  from 
  Eastport 
  to 
  Boston 
  

   and 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  55 
  cents 
  to 
  Norfolk 
  and 
  Portsmouth. 
  Both 
  smoked 
  

   and 
  salted 
  herring 
  are 
  shipped, 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  extent, 
  to 
  various 
  

   other 
  points 
  of 
  distribution. 
  

  

  Prices. 
  — 
  The 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  these 
  products, 
  more 
  particularly 
  the 
  

   smoked 
  herring, 
  are 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  dealers 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  trade 
  centers 
  to 
  

   be 
  sold 
  on 
  commission. 
  The 
  prices 
  received 
  have 
  been 
  much 
  lower 
  in 
  

   recent 
  years 
  than 
  formerly, 
  and 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  gradual 
  decline 
  in 
  the 
  

   prices 
  of 
  both 
  smoked 
  and 
  salted 
  herring 
  since 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  1893. 
  

   In 
  that 
  year 
  bloater 
  herring 
  averaged 
  77 
  cents 
  per 
  box, 
  medium-scaled 
  

   nearly 
  12 
  cents, 
  lengthwise 
  about 
  11 
  cents, 
  No. 
  1 
  over 
  9i 
  cents 
  ; 
  in 
  1894 
  

   bloaters 
  averaged 
  74 
  cents, 
  medium-scaled 
  9 
  cents, 
  lengthwise 
  8 
  cents, 
  

   and 
  No. 
  1 
  about 
  6 
  cents; 
  in 
  1895 
  the 
  average 
  price 
  of 
  bloaters 
  had 
  

   fallen 
  to 
  59 
  cents, 
  medium-scaled 
  to 
  about 
  8 
  cents, 
  lengthwise 
  to 
  7 
  

   cents, 
  and 
  No. 
  1 
  to 
  about 
  5 
  cents. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  pickled 
  herring 
  declined 
  

   in 
  similar 
  proportions. 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  price 
  received 
  for 
  round 
  herring 
  was 
  

   from 
  $2 
  to 
  $2.50 
  per 
  barrel 
  and 
  for 
  split 
  herring 
  from 
  about 
  $3 
  to 
  $3.50. 
  

   These 
  prices 
  were 
  from 
  50 
  cents 
  to 
  $1 
  less 
  per 
  barrel 
  than 
  in 
  1893. 
  

  

  Extent 
  of 
  the 
  smoked 
  and 
  pickled 
  herring 
  industry. 
  — 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  

   smoke-houses 
  operated 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  89. 
  Of 
  these, 
  19 
  were 
  connected 
  

   with 
  sardine 
  canneries 
  and 
  70 
  were 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  and 
  

   others 
  independent 
  of 
  the 
  canneries. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  smoke-houses, 
  

   including 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  salting 
  sheds 
  where 
  only 
  pickled 
  herring 
  

   were 
  prepared, 
  was 
  $49,842. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  cash 
  capital 
  used 
  in 
  car- 
  

   rying 
  on 
  the 
  smoked 
  and 
  pickled 
  herring 
  business 
  was 
  $52,340. 
  There 
  

   were 
  26 
  collecting 
  vessels 
  and 
  boats, 
  used 
  for 
  carrying 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  

   weirs 
  to 
  the 
  smoke-houses, 
  valued 
  at 
  $8,756, 
  making 
  a 
  total 
  investment 
  

   of 
  $110,938. 
  The 
  industry 
  gave 
  employment 
  to 
  539 
  persons, 
  exclusive 
  

   of 
  fishermen, 
  and 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  wages 
  paid 
  was 
  $28,153. 
  The 
  cost 
  of 
  

   materials 
  was 
  $36,125, 
  and 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  herring 
  utilized 
  was 
  14,647 
  

  

  