GASPEREAU. 169 



the fishery is very trifling ; in fact, it is merely the labour 

 of the man who fishes. In ascending the river, the 

 gaspereau keep close to the bank to avoid the rapid water. 

 A bush fence a few yards in length is rigged out to 

 compel the fish to pass up through a little channel which 

 is left open near the bank. The -fisherman stands on a 

 platform with a large box at his side and scoops up the 

 gaspereau with a scoop-net a sort of exaggerated landing 

 net as they pass up through the channel, emptying them 

 into the box. When the fish are running fast, he gets as 

 many at each scoop as he is able to lift. The fish are 

 then salted and barrelled for market. They are inferior 

 to herrings, which they much resemble in appearance ; 

 but I am told that in certain hot climates they are pre- 

 ferred to those fish, as they are less affected by the heat. 



The gaspereau chooses a shallow lake with a sandy 

 bottom to spawn in, and only ascends rivers or streams that 

 flow from such lakes. Many of their favourite rivers in 

 Nova Scotia have been dammed, and a source of much 

 profit has thus been lost to the inhabitants. The gaspereau, 

 like the salmon, returns always from the sea to its own 

 river, but unlike the salmon it remains a very short time 

 in the fresh water. They ascend the rivers before the 

 salmon, viz. in the end of May and beginning of June. 

 They are then gravid, and after depositing their spawn they 

 return at once to the sea. From the time of their ascent 

 to their return, is only three weeks. After spawning 

 they are very weak and impoverished, and descend the 

 rapids, tail foremost; they soon recuperate in the salt 

 water, where they have been taken with the "fall 

 mackerel " in splendid condition. After being hatched* 



