﻿LXII 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  (8) 
  Leave 
  circulars 
  with 
  each 
  fishery 
  operator 
  to 
  be 
  filled 
  up 
  and 
  for- 
  

   warded 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  Do 
  not 
  leave 
  any 
  village 
  or 
  locality 
  

   until 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  estimate 
  has 
  been 
  obtained 
  of 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  fish- 
  

   ery, 
  and 
  the 
  total 
  catch, 
  especially 
  of 
  whitefish 
  and 
  trout. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  deeply 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  

   of 
  the 
  Commission, 
  and 
  they 
  willingly 
  furnished 
  the 
  desired 
  informa- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  rendered 
  such 
  other 
  assistance 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  able. 
  The 
  im- 
  

   pression 
  of 
  the 
  gentlemen 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  investigation 
  was 
  that 
  there 
  

   had 
  been 
  a 
  decided 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  over 
  those 
  of 
  previous 
  years 
  

   and 
  that 
  they 
  now 
  furnish 
  employment 
  to 
  a 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  men 
  and 
  

   a 
  greater 
  amount 
  of 
  capital 
  than 
  at 
  any 
  previous 
  period 
  in 
  their 
  his- 
  

   tory. 
  If 
  the 
  opinions 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  accepted, 
  there 
  has 
  

   been 
  a 
  very 
  perceptible 
  increase 
  in 
  those 
  localities 
  where 
  the 
  planting 
  

   of 
  fry 
  has 
  been 
  most 
  extensive, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  districts 
  

   where 
  the 
  catch 
  has 
  been 
  falling 
  off 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year 
  further 
  decrease 
  

   seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  checked. 
  The 
  compilation 
  of 
  statistics 
  and 
  the 
  

   preparation 
  of 
  a 
  report 
  will 
  be 
  pushed 
  forward 
  as 
  rapidly 
  as 
  possible. 
  

  

  21. 
  — 
  USE 
  OF 
  THE 
  COD 
  GILL-NETS. 
  

  

  The 
  introduction 
  of 
  this 
  mode 
  of 
  taking 
  codfish, 
  dating 
  from 
  1880, 
  

   with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  one 
  season, 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  success. 
  There 
  has 
  been 
  

   during 
  these 
  years 
  a 
  yearly 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  vessels, 
  men, 
  and 
  

   nets 
  employed. 
  

  

  This 
  mode 
  of 
  fishing 
  is 
  one 
  in 
  high 
  favor 
  with 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  as 
  it 
  re- 
  

   quires 
  less 
  labor 
  than 
  any 
  other, 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  greater 
  for 
  the 
  labor 
  em 
  

   ployed 
  than 
  by 
  any 
  other 
  way, 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  bait 
  bills, 
  and 
  it 
  enables 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  to 
  make 
  harbor 
  every 
  night, 
  as 
  the 
  grounds 
  are 
  always 
  

   near 
  shore. 
  It 
  is 
  conceded 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  fact 
  by 
  the 
  men 
  themselves 
  that, 
  

   notwithstanding 
  the 
  great 
  expense, 
  their 
  clear 
  profits 
  are 
  larger 
  for 
  the 
  

   time 
  engaged 
  than 
  by 
  any 
  other 
  method 
  of 
  taking 
  codfish, 
  or, 
  in 
  fact, 
  

   than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  kind 
  of 
  fishing. 
  

  

  The 
  season 
  of 
  cod 
  gill-net 
  fishing 
  on 
  our 
  coast 
  dates 
  from 
  about 
  Oc- 
  

   tober 
  1 
  to 
  June 
  1, 
  in 
  the 
  extremes. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  vessels, 
  however, 
  close 
  

   the 
  season 
  about 
  May 
  1. 
  

  

  The 
  fish 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  water 
  varying 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  35 
  fathoms 
  in 
  depth. 
  

   The 
  greater 
  depths 
  are 
  objectionable, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  extra 
  labor 
  required 
  

   in 
  handling, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  fishermen 
  avoid 
  deep 
  water. 
  The 
  distance 
  from 
  

   the 
  shore 
  varies 
  from 
  200 
  yards 
  to 
  7 
  miles; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  the 
  

   fish 
  are 
  being 
  taken 
  in 
  deeper 
  water 
  than 
  formerly. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  vessels 
  engaged 
  in 
  this 
  industry 
  hist 
  season 
  was 
  about 
  

   forty, 
  employing 
  about 
  four 
  hundred 
  men 
  ; 
  the 
  tonnage 
  of 
  vessels 
  was 
  

   from 
  15 
  to 
  70 
  tons, 
  with 
  twenty-four 
  to 
  forty 
  nets 
  per 
  vessel. 
  

  

  These 
  nets 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  hang 
  50 
  fathoms 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  12 
  to 
  15 
  feet 
  

   in 
  depth, 
  and 
  the 
  size 
  oi* 
  mesh 
  now 
  used 
  almost 
  entirely 
  is 
  9-inch. 
  They 
  

   are 
  floated 
  with 
  glass 
  balls 
  about 
  5 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  costing, 
  cov- 
  

  

  