THE BANK TRAWL LINE COD FISHERY. 185 



last of the season they are generally sought in the northern ports. Ufteu so many are caught in 

 a single day that a vessel can secure an entire baiting of 30,000 or 40,000 squid without even 

 stopping in the harbor long enough to make it necessary to haul down her sails. They are gen 

 erally sold by the natives at prices varying between 15 and 40 cents per 100, and when possible 

 ,'50,000 or 40,000 are purchased. 'They are preserved in ice in the same manner as the capelin and 

 the herring, and may be kept fit for use during a period of from 18 to 2~> days. 



In former years, I am told, squid have been captured on the Banks by the vessel's side, and 

 made use of as bait. The giant squid of this same species, of which an arm or a beak are now and 

 then found, were also reported to me by one of the utea-to have been seen by him in previous years; 

 and he further states that from the body of such a one his own vessel and another had been fully 

 supplied with bait. 



SALT BAIT AND GURRY. After the disappearance of the squid, which occurs during October, 

 most of the fishermen leave the Banks and start for home. The few that remain use for bait salt 

 squid or other forms of salt bait, as menhaden slivers. These are brought, pickled, from home. 

 Besides these, gurry, or the viscera are also used for bait. Of these viscera the reproductive 

 organs appear to furnish the best forms of bait. In former times it is known that salt bait and 

 gurry were alone used. From experiments made repeatedly in these present years, such bait will 

 not catch fish till very late in the season. The cause of this change I cannot tell. 



BAITING THE TRAWLS. In regard to the manner of using the bait, very little need be said. 

 When the time for baiting up the trawls arrives the men, with baskets in hand, go down into the 

 hold and bring up from the bait pen such an amount of bait as they think sufficient. This is 

 thrown on the roof of the "house." The men then stand in a row around the house, and with 

 knives made for the purpose cut up the bait into pieces that are about 2 inches square. The trawl 

 is then turned out of the tub on the house, and hook after hook is baited and coiled back again with 

 the ground line into the tub. When salt bait is being used, as happens during the latter part of 

 the season, it is soaked for a time in water in order to remove the salt somewhat. 



METHODS or OBTAINING AND PRESERVING BAIT. One thing of which my summer's expe- 

 rience among the codmen most strongly convinced me was the enormous waste of time necessitated 

 by the present method of procuring bait and the loss from the present mode of preservation. 

 From the rugged condition of the island of Newfoundland and the primitive habits of the people, 

 any communication between hamlets not immediately contiguous is excessively difficult. It must 

 be for the most part extremely uncertain, because depending on chance vessels which may have 

 visited other ports. Owing to this fact, the banker is compelled to visit harbor after harbor in 

 search of bait, learning for himself where a supply may be had and not in any way being able to 

 know if bait is abundant at any place. The result of this is that of the hundreds of bankers which 

 annually visit Newfoundland for bait, each one of them spends from six days to three weeks in 

 entire idleness while on the lookout for herring or squid. At each place they visit they may hear 

 that the bait has been more or less abundant a few days before, but no vessels were in then, and 

 now the school cannot be seen. As may be seen by reference to the "Calendar of the Cruise," 

 our vessel spent thirty days in Newfoundland harbors, an arrangement which to me personally 

 was extremely grateful, but which, as any one can see, does not pay owners or men financially. 



This waste time could be almost or entirely saved by either of two plans -a telegraphic com- 

 munication between the harbors, or .some central office run by enterprising men as storehouse for the 

 bait and centers of purchase for the fishermen. In the former case the " banker " could learn where 

 to direct his course with certainty of success; in the latter case he could at once seek the central 

 office and there purchase his supply. But giving the island and its people, as they are at pres- 



