444 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



are usually men who have been engaged in other branches of the fisheries during the summer 

 season. 



On account of the rough weather and dangerous passage it is customary for vessels to "hug 

 the shore" on the outward passage, so that they can "make a harbor" in case of bad weather, and 

 also to obtain a market for their cargo of fruits and vegetables. They usually make several stops 

 on the coast of Nova Scotia, and later enter the harbor of Louisburg to wait for a favorable chance 

 for crossing the gulf between Cape Breton and Newfoundland. They usually touch at St. Pierre 

 if the weather is unfavorable for continuing their passage up the bay. The most dangerous part 

 of the entire trip is the passage in or out of Fortune Bay. The water is so deep that anchorage 

 cannot be found at any distance from the laud, and good anchorage can only be secured in a few 

 of the smaller harbors. The weather is also very changeable, and vessels are frequently overtaken 

 by snow-storms, accompanied by severe gales, in which case it is next to impossible to make the 

 land. 



Formerly, after securing their cargoes, the captains came cautiously from harbor to harbor, 

 watching for a good opportunity to leave the bay; but, as the competition increased, the first fish 

 arriving in market came to bring a much higher price than the later arrivals; the result has been 

 a peculiar rivalry between the different vessels, and many of them have run great risks in order 

 to be first at the market. Many of the more reckless captains have attempted to leave the bay 

 when the weather was unsuitable, and many have narrowly escaped destruction, while a number 

 have been lost in this way. Other vessels are lost on the homeward passage by coming in contact 

 with the ice while under a heavy press of sail. 



From the origin of this trade until the spring of 1877, according to the Cape Ann Advertiser, 

 twenty-three vessels, valued at $214,500, and fifty-seven lives were sacrificed. 



THE NEW BRUNSWICK FLEET. Owing to the nearness of the fishing grounds the vessels 

 engaged in the frozen-herring trade of New Brunswick are usually smaller and inferior in size 

 and build to those employed in the Newfoundland trade. Many shoal-draught swift-sailing vessels 

 employed in the summer mackerel fisheries, though unsuitable for the Newfoundland trade, are 

 well adapted for this business; while vessels of 30 to 40 tons, from various fishing ports along the 

 shore, are regularly engaged in it during the winter months. 



The vessels going to New Brunswick seldom carry any goods to exchange with the fishermen, 

 but buy the fish outright, paying cash on delivery. 



The first of the fleet reach the ground about the middle of November, or as soon as the weather 

 becomes cold enough to freeze the catch. From this time until the following March vessels are 

 constantly arriving and leaving with their cargoes. Those engaging in the New Brunswick fish- 

 eries usually proceed at once to Eastport, where they obtain full information of the abundance of 

 the fish and their market value. Some of them then proceed to the smaller harbors in the vicinity 

 of the fishing grounds and buy their catch directly from the small boats; while others remain at 

 Eastport and take such fish as are brought to them by the small vessels engaged in the fishery. 



The first arrivals from this region in the principal markets occur during the first week in 

 December, and the business reaches its height by the 1st of January, and continues as long as 

 the weather will warrant. 



As in the Newfoundland fishery, the captain usually hires only a sufficient number of men to 

 handle the vessel on the voyage and to receive and stow the cargo, buying the fish directly from 

 the local fishermen. Occasionally, however, the crews of some of the smaller vessels catch their 

 own herring, and after properly freezing and stowing them set sail for Boston or Gloucester to 

 market them. The crew is usually hired at from $20 to $30 a month, while the captains, with few 



