THE NORTHEAST COAST FISHERIES 459 



Labrador current. They swarm in countless numbers on 

 the Banks, and indeed throughout the Canadian and New- 

 foundland shore waters, but they were not formerly pursued 

 by Americans with the energy and zeal justified by their 

 value as an article of food. By treaty with England, Ameri- 

 can fishermen obtained the right to catch herring about the 

 Magdalen Islands, and in 1839, just after the commencement 

 of the fishery, a record is given of 146 American schooners 

 "taking nearly 700 barrels each." A generous estimate of 

 1,000,000 barrels of herring taken annually from Dominion 

 and Newfoundland waters has been given by Professor Hinds. 

 A large part of these were taken, however, for fertilizing 

 purposes. 



As carried on to-day the herring is largely a shore fishery. 

 The young herring swim in vast schools close along the mar- 

 gin of the water, having certain definite courses which they 

 follow. The fishermen construct "weirs" or pocket-like 

 traps, extending out from the land and crossing the track 

 of the fish. In these labyrinths, the herring become im- 

 prisoned in great numbers. They form the basis of a 

 rapidly growing " sardine " canning industry in New Eng- 

 land. The herring, being practically a shore fishery, does 

 not figure prominently in the disputes between the two 

 governments. 



In a lesser degree, pollock, haddock, hake, halibut and 

 other species of fish, of more or less commercial value, figure 

 in the comprehensive phrase " Northeast Coast Fisheries " ; 

 but the greater importance of the cod and mackerel over 

 other varieties of fish included within the term, warrants 

 the omission of all others from a historical review of the 

 subject. 



II 



As early as 1415 English fishermen resorted to Iceland to 

 catch cod. There is evidence tending to prove that before 

 the voyages of Columbus, the codfishery of the Newfound- 

 land Banks was known to the Basque and Normandy fisher- 



