13C FISHERIES OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC 



seal fisheries; of these fifty, or nearly half are in the 

 neighbourhood of Bradore, which is only three miles from 

 Bl<is Sablon (Blanc Sablon) river, the eastern extreme OL the 

 Province. 



"Indeed, for some years back, the fisheries have been so 

 crowded thereabouts as to seriously annoy each other, and 

 endless quarrels are going on. So far there has been no blood 

 spilt, but, if government does not soon interfere and enforce 

 some regulations, there is no saying what may happen in a 

 country where the total absence of every mark of authority 

 has bred a contempt for government and laws -- where 

 violence is the best title, and audace confers most right. To 

 understand the matter I shall describe what a seal fishery 

 is: 



ROBERSTON'S DESCRIPTION OF A SEAL FISHERY. 



"Seals are migratory animals, issuing out of the north, 

 in the month of December, to winter in the Gulf and River 

 St. Lawrence and returning in June. While on their voyage, 

 they generally congregate in shoals of thirty to one hundred, 

 and commonly touch on several parts of the coast in passing. 

 When a seal fishery is to be established, houses and stores 

 are built, fixtures erected, craft, with nets, hawsers, leads, 

 anchors, etc., to be procured; these, with tools, utensils, and 

 provisions, cost several hundred pounds, sometimes thousands. 

 A solid frame of nets is fixed in a convenient place, into 

 which the seals enter, get entangled among the nets, drown, 

 and are taken ashore in boats. This is the process of seal 

 fishery, as practised in and above the Straits of Belle Isle; 

 now if a very trifling net is placed before the aforesaid frame 

 of nets, it will effectually bar it off as a stone wall; if 

 another frame is placed too near, it will, either partially or 

 wholly do the same. By this it will be seen that all the seal 

 fisheries require a berth of limit. 



"The ancient French government decided that this berth 

 should be several leagues, which is much too great, and would 





