THE NORTHEAST COAST FISHERIES 457 



the business of catching and providing these articles of bait 

 to American fishermen, the rates being about 81 a barrel, 

 though it sometimes happened, in the confusion of their mis- 

 understandings, that the Canadians declined to supply their 

 rivals with the necessary bait. 



Formerly, when fishing on the coast stations, the cod were 

 taken ashore, cleaned, split open, and spread out to dry in 

 the sun upon " stages," or rudely constructed wooden plat- 

 forms. Thus prepared, the fish will keep indefinitely. Bank 

 fishermen never resort to this means of curing their fish, the 

 run into port consuming too much valuable time. The fish 

 are carefully salted or iced, and packed away in the holds of 

 the vessels, and thus brought home. The decline of shore 

 fisheries for cod, and the substitution in late years of a better 

 class of Bank fishing vessels carrying ice, has materially 

 changed the relations of American and Canadian cod-fisher- 

 men. The former maintain they are independent of all 

 privileges the Canadians might seek to offer them, yet the 

 fact remains that shore privileges in Newfoundland are still 

 considered valuable for purposes of transshipment of cargo, 

 refitting, purchase of bait, ice, and provisions. 



The mackerel is a pelagic free-roving fish, appearing at 

 times in vast numbers within the shore waters from the Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence to Cape Hatteras. They appear and disap- 

 pear suddenly, and without known reason, to the joy or de- 

 spair of the masters and crews of a large fleet of American 

 mackerel schooners. The capriciousness of this excellent 

 food fish is liable to bring to its pursuers either very great 

 profit, or complete disappointment. Governor Winthrop, in 

 1639, relates: "There was such a store of exceeding large 

 and fat mackerel upon our coasts this season as was a great 

 benefit to all our plantation, since one boat with three men 

 would take in a week ten hogsheads, which were sold at 

 Connecticut for three pounds ten shillings a hogshead." 

 American fishing schooners have long frequented Canadian 

 territorial waters in the prosecution of the mackerel fishery, 

 and many disputes have arisen between the two governments 

 concerning the value to American citizens of this privilege. 



