THE SALMON-FISHERY 337 



tierce for a season. The entire catch, as given in the Gov- 

 ernment Blue Book for 1906, was eight hundred and twenty 

 tierce, valued at $16,437. The catch in 1907 was seven 

 hundred and fifteen tierce, valued at $16,057. 



This catch cannot, however, represent much more than 

 half the amount caught, for nearly every trap-net used in 

 the cod-fishery catches salmon in its leaders, and these are 

 salted, smoked, and carried to Newfoundland. I have 

 known three hundred salmon taken in one day in a cod- 

 trap. 



The trap leaders specially used for salmon are set out 

 from points exactly as cod-trap leaders are, and being four 

 inches instead of six inches in mesh, stop much smaller 

 fish. In this way a very large number of small salmon 

 are taken every year, and in the opinion of many people, 

 the traps do more damage to the salmon than the river nets. 



Rivers in Labrador are, as a rule, not now barred, but 

 practically all that are of any value are illegally netted. 

 It seems that a prescriptive right has grown up with some 

 residents to fish rivers in defiance of the law, and the only 

 one on which a fish warden is appointed is regularly netted 

 at least three miles above its mouth. If, however, these 

 rivers received the protection the laws of the country nomi- 

 nally afford them, there is no reason why they should not 

 again become as attractive to visitors and sportsmen as 

 those of the Canadian Labrador. 



The regular method used to catch salmon in Labrador 

 is to set the gill-net from the land. These nets are fastened 

 by a mooring to a "shore fast" and run straight off to sea. 

 The salmon seldom swim more than a few feet below the 

 surface, so the nets are fastened to a line of corks on a 



