2508 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



tide never leaves them. We are obliged to do that so as not to destroy 

 the herring, to have none die in the weirs. They have a large gate 

 which takes boats 12 feet wide and we take them in masts and all. We 

 can open it twelve feet wide the whole height of the weir so that the 

 boat comes in without stepping the masts. We seine the herring thac 

 are in the weir and put them in the boats, then take them ashore and 

 wash them out, scale them and string them on sticks and put them in 

 the smoke house, smoke them and box them. After being boxed we 

 sell them wherever we can get most money for them. 



Q. What force have you employed in those weirs ? A. When I fished 

 there myself I had five to twelve men according to the season. Some 

 mouths we are obliged to employ more men than others. 



Q. On each weir ? A. No j that would be what we call a gang. 



By Sir Alexander Gait : 



Q. How many men are required to manage one weir ? A. Twelve 

 men to manage one weir. 



Q. It would take twelve men ? A. Yes ; that would be for two or 

 three months; that is all. 



By Mr. Trescot: 



Q. What months? A. October has usually been the best month for 

 the last two years. Six or eight years ago we used to catch them even 

 earlier in the season. Sometimes we got a heavy haul of herring in 

 April. Last year we got a very heavy catch in April. 



Q. Then it comes in the fall again? A. Yes; they come towards fall 

 again. They vary with the seasons on account' of the weather or some 

 other cause we can't control. They are about sure to come within a 

 month or six weeks. 



Q. Can you tell the Commissioners what is the proportion, as far as 

 catching herring is concerned, in Grand Manan of the weir fishery to 

 the sea fishery ? Could you form any idea at all ? A. I don't know 

 that I understand the question. You mean the proportion of herring 

 caught in weir to the proportion caught in nets I 



Q. Yes ; at sea in nets and boats. 



Mr. THOMSON. What do you mean by at sea ? 



Mr. TRESCOT. I mean the proportion caught in weirs as compared 

 with those not so caught. I don't care whether inshore or out. A. There 

 is none of the class we catch in weirs but very few that are caught in 

 boats. The herring we smoke are smaller than these caught in nets and 

 boats. 



Q. Then the smoked herring are essentially from weirfi-shing! A. 

 Yes; exclusively so, except as to a few large herring smoked late in the 

 year, or partly smoked, that they call bloaters. 



Q. The herring fishery at Grand Manan consists of different classes 

 of fish. There is the smoked herring, that is one class ? A. Yes. 



Q. What others ? A. The other business is to catch them in nets for 

 bait to catch line fish with, and another business is to catch them in nets 

 to freeze them and sell them fresh for food. There is a very few people 

 who follow the catching of herring to pack in barrels of salt because the 

 market has been so dull. It is not followed much and has not been for 

 a number of years to any extent. It is followed some, bat not to the 

 extent it used to be. 



Q. Now what are pickled herring ? A. They are herring caught in 

 nets, put in barrels, and sold as pickled herring. 



Q. They are the same kind that are caught and frozen, but not the 

 same kind that are smoked? A. Just so. 



