6 COD AND OTHER SALT FISH FOR THE MARKET. 



January represents an average month of business, there is quite an 

 increase in February and March, then a sudden drop in April to the 

 lowest sales of the year. Very little business is done in May, but 

 improvement begins and is constant through to October, which is the 

 best month in the year. November and December are good months, 

 though not nearly so good as October. The increase in summer busi- 

 ness during June, July, and August is said to have been from 25 to 

 30 per cent in the past ten years, and a very marked increase oc- 

 curred with the 1 advent of preservatives. 



COD FISHING. 



Cod fishing is divided into four classes: Bank or trawl fishing, 

 Georges hand-line fishing, rip fishing, and dory hand-line fishing. 

 The methods can best be described under these four heads. 



GRAND BANK FISHING OB TRAWLING. 



The vessels for the bank fishing leave Gloucester on their first trip 

 the latter part of January and continue to go out through February, 

 March, and April, the time being controlled somewhat by the weather 

 and the advancement of the season. The first trip is generally made 

 directly for " The Peak," the southeastern part of the Western Banks, 

 as this seems to be the most natural spawning ground of the codfish, 

 or to the southern Treaty coast of Newfoundland. About the mid- 

 dle of May, after the ice has come out of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 

 the vessels go to the Magdalene Islands or Nova Scotia for bait and 

 finish their trip in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off Quero and the 

 Western Banks. If the fishing on these banks is not good or the 

 bait has become exhausted, the vessel then goes to St. Pierre, which is 

 the port of entry, proceeds to the island of Miquelon for a baiting 

 of caplin, and finally finishes her trip on the Grand Banks. The 

 caplin baiting is taken about June 15, the aim being to make a return 

 home in July or to wait until the vessel has had a full trip or " wet 

 her salt." Sometimes it is necessary to go to the island of Miquelon 

 a second time for a baiting of caplin. 



Sailing vessels only are used in this work and they are of stanch 

 construction. The average crew is eighteen men, though there may be 

 as many as twenty-two. There are two men for each dory carried, 

 and a captain and a cook. The vessel starts out with from 350 to 450 

 hogsheads of salt and a supply of bait. The first baiting, which is 

 taken from home, consists mostly of frozen squid, but sometimes a 

 few frozen herring are taken. The quantity of bait carried ranges 

 from 15,000 to 25,000 pounds, as a long time ensues before fresh bait 

 can be procured. Codfish will bite herring only while herring are 

 running, and caplin only while caplin are running, but will bite squid 



