THE COD. 205 



Favorite situations Chief fisheries. 



dezvous for them are the sand-banks of New- 

 foundland, Nova Scotia, and New England. 

 These shallows are their favorite situations; for 

 here they are able to obtain great quantities of 

 worms, a food that is peculiarly grateful to them. 

 Another cause of their attachment to these 

 places is their vicinity to the polar seas, where 

 they return to spawn. There they deposit their 

 roes in full security, and afterwards repair, as 

 soon as the first more southern seas are open, to 

 the banks for subsistence ; consequently the cod 

 may justly be placed at the head of the migra- 

 ting, or wandering tribe offish. Few are taken 

 north of Iceland, and the shoals never reach so 

 far south as the straits of Gibraltar. 



Previous to the discovery of Newfoundland, 

 the principal fisheries for cod were in the seas off 

 Iceland, and off the western islands of Scotland. 

 To the former of these the English resorted near 

 four centuries, and had no fewer than one hun- 

 dred and fifty vessels employed in the Iceland 

 fishery in the reign of James I. 



At present the chief fisheries are in the bay of 

 Canada, on the great bank of Newfoundland, 

 and.off the isle of St. Peter, and the isle of Sable. 

 The vessels frequenting these fisheries are of from 

 a hundred to two hundred tons burthen, and will 

 catch 30,000 cod or upwards each. The hook 

 and line are the only implements used to take 

 the fish ; and this in a depth of water of from 



