16 



Taking up the 

 catch of fish. } 



The fish ho\r 

 handled. 



Grading the fi<h 

 as to size. 



Freezing the fish 



point where there is good harbour accommodation. There are seven 

 fishing stations belonging to the four companies now on Lake Win- 

 nipeg, and, at these stations there are fish houses, freezers, net-reels, 

 and boarding and dining accommodation for the fishermen. Indeed, 

 each fishing station is a miniature fishing village and usually in- 

 cludes a store where the fish company sells supplies. On arriving at 

 the fishing ground, one to thirty miles distant from the fishing- 

 station, each boat pays out its net, about 18 pieces of 166 yards or 

 more each, to the limit of the 3,000 yards allowed by law. These 

 pieces of net are leaded along the bottom line and corked along the 

 top line, so that they hang upright in the water, and they are low- 

 ered to the bottom where the schools of fish congregate. In paying 

 put the net, the buoy is thrown out first, and the anchor stone at- 

 tached to the same line is lowered to the depth desired, and the net 

 attached to it . is gradually paid out until the whole net is at the 

 bottom of the water. A second anchor stone is then dropped over 

 board, and a second buoy put out when the whole of the net is paid 

 out, so that there is a floating buoy marking the one end of the net 

 and a second buoy marking the termination or other end of the net, 

 showing the spot where the net lies anchored at the bottom. Each 

 boat takes up its position at a sufficient distance from the other boats, 

 the boats being dropped off from the tug as the various grounds are 

 reached, until all are located and the tug then waits for the last 

 boat to set. If there is a fair wind, and the weather is very favour- 

 able, the boats, instead of being towed back, hoist their sails and 

 sail' back to the harbour. After the ne thas remained in th ewater 

 about twenty-four hours, that is over night, the tug returns with the 

 boats to their respective fishing locations, and each boat proceeds to 

 haul up its nets and to take the fish out. The fishermen pull the 

 fish out of the meshes by hand, as each part of the net is hauled up 

 over the gunwale. There are usually three men in each boat, and, 

 as the tug takes the boats back to the fishing station, the crew clean 

 the fish and sort out the various kinds. On arrival at the dock of 

 the fishing station, the fish from each boat are weighed in boxes, and 

 credit is given to it for its respective catch. Part of the catch may 

 be cleaned at the station, and in rough weather the whole of the catch 

 is usually brought in and cleaned on the dock. In warm weather, 

 each boat takes its supply of ground ice in order to chill the fish as 

 they are taken from the nets and to keep them in good condition until 

 they are brought to the fishing station. After lifting the gang of 

 nets, the boat crew proceeds to re-set them, usually moving a little 

 according to the direction the fish are found to be running, though 

 they may set partly on the same ground occupied during the pre- 

 vious 24 hours. The fish are carefully washed after reaching the 

 dock at the station, and are assorted in metal pans that is, the fish 

 are graded as to size in three sizes, eight fish to the pan, six fish to 

 the pan, and four fish to the pan, which are called respectively, 

 ' small,' l large ' and jumbos.' The galvanized iron pans, as they are 

 filled with fish, are placed in bins and a layer of ground ice and of 

 coarse salt is spread over each row of pans, which are thus iced and 

 piled up in successive layers. The bin, when all the pans are placed 

 in position, is filled up with ice and closed up. From this method 

 of packing them in pans, it will be seen that neither the ice nor the 

 salt touches the fish at all, the pans being so arranged as to admit 

 none of the ice or salt which surround them outside. The following 



