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The cod-fi-hcry in tlic Bay of Fuiuly diflrrs in in;iny rc.ipocts from 

 that ot" Labrador. It commences earlier, and is pursued more irregu- 

 larly, and to a later peiiod of the season; while it yields a larger and 

 better fish, and, from the greater depth of water and rise of tide, requires 

 much longer lines. This fishery is pursued principally b}^ the colonists 

 who live aL»ng the shores of the bay, and by the fishermen of tlie 

 eiistern part oi' Maine. 



The vessels which arc employed in it, though of greater variety, are 

 neither so large nor so valuable as those which are required for the 

 more hazardous and distant fishing gi'ounds ; and, unlike these, it allows 

 ot the use of sail-boats of the smallest size, as well as of those which 

 can be propelled with safety and celerity by the oars of a single 

 man. The vessels anchor upon the outer grounds as often, and for 'such 

 times, as the weather permits; while the boats keep within the passages 

 and about the ledges, with which the bay abounds: The time used 

 for fishing is just before high tide, and just before low water, which 

 states of the sea are called s/acAs. Most of the fishermen own or occupy 

 small firms, so that fishing is an occasional, rather than a constant, 

 cmplovment with th(!m. Two hundred boats are sometimes in sight at 

 Eastport; and when, by a turn of the tide or a change of the wind, the 

 little fleet draw together and float past the town in line, the scene is 

 not without interest even to those who have witnessed it for many 

 years. 



From the earliest, or, as they are called, the sprijig fires of the cod- 

 fish obtained in the Bay of Fundy, are made a considerable part of the 

 table or dun-fish, which are consumed in the New England States; and 

 next to the Isles of Shoals fish, they are undoubtedly the best. Those 

 caught in boats are seldom fit for dunning. They are commonly sold 

 fresh to the little fishing stands or trading establishments set up by the 

 more independent inhabitants. But, owing to a variety of c;uises, the 

 process of curing is so imperfectly performed, that none are so good as 

 those caught in vessels, and many are wholly unfit for human fiod. 

 The sprinkhng of hme, however, over the defective parts, (a practice 

 which some fishermen deem entirely honest,) will deceive the eye and 

 (}uiet the nasal organ of" the inexperienced or careless purchaser. These 

 waters afibrd, also, a considerabh^ part of the dried fish known among 

 dc>alers as jMjIlock, hake, and haJdock. They are usually t.;ken when 

 fishing for the cod, and by the same means. The "Quodcly pollock" 

 is a great favorite everywhere in the int(n-ior, and is to bi; {()und in 

 almost every firm-house of the North. The hake fishery of this bay is 

 small; nf)r is it of much conse(|uence on any part of tlu? American 

 coast. The hake and haddock are poor fish, and neither couuviands 

 more than half the price of the cod. The hake, however, yields a 

 larger quantity of oil, and is, ther(>fbre, held in estimation by those who 

 catch it and are not compelled to eat it. The haddock, when fresh, 

 suits the tast(; of some; but wjien (lri(Ml, it is without re|)Ulati(,n even in 

 tlif; hut of the negro, who is doomed to bo its principal consumer. 

 There is a tradition in Catholic (■oiiiil lies, iliat tli(> haddock was tlie 

 fi-h oul of whose mouth the Apostle; look the tribute-money, ami that 

 the two (lark spots near its gills preserve to this day the impression of 

 his thumb and flnLTcr. 



