THE FROZEN-HERRING INDUSTRY. 457 



In Boston the fish are usually sold by the hundred, while in New York they are almost invaria- 

 bly sold by weight. 



Of the 30,875,000 herring brought from New Brunswick in the winter of 1879-'80, about ten 

 millions were sold for bait to the Gloucester fishermen, eleven millions were brought to Boston, 

 and two millions were sold to New York, the remaining quantity being landed in Portland, Phila- 

 delphia, Portsmouth, and the other principal cities along the coast. The price varies according 

 to the supply; the wholesale dealer charges from 75 cents to $2 per hundred, while the retail price 

 averages from 4 to 6 cents per pound. 



8. EXTENT OF THE TEADE. 



STATISTICAL BEVTJEW OF THE TEADE, 1854 AND 1880. From the time of their first introduction 

 into the American markets for bait and food, frozen herring have continued to grow in favor and 

 have found a ready sale. The number of vessels engaged in the Newfoundland trade, though 

 varying considerably from year to year, owing to various causes, steadily increased until, during 

 the winter of 1866-'67, the United States sent 44 vessels to Newfoundland and imported 14,000,000 

 herring. The business of this region was most prosperous about this time, as, owing to the Rebel- 

 lion, the market price of the herring was unusually high and the demand often exceeded the supply. 

 The vessels were of large size, carrying from 300,000 to 400,000 fish each, and some of them stocked 

 for as much as $4,000, or, in exceptional cases, even $5,000 on a trip. There were some drawbacks, 

 however, as the fishing ground was a long way off, and the business had to be prosecuted at a 

 season when the weather was particularly unfavorable. In addition to these, the herring fisheries 

 of the island were not always as successful as could be desired, and vessels were at times obliged 

 to return home with only partial fares. As the expenses of the voyage were necessarily large, a 

 failure to secure a full cargo often resulted in serious loss to the parties interested. 



Until the winter of 1866-'67 the trade had been confined exclusively to Newfoundland, and 

 only the largest and stanchest vessels could engage in the business. At this time the trade with 

 New Brunswick began, and on account of the nearness of the fishing grounds to the American 

 markets and the diminished risks to the vessels from storms and other causes, a large fleet soon 

 engaged regularly in the business, many of them making two trips during the season. The markets 

 soon came to be well supplied with fish from this source, and the Newfoundland fleet gradually 

 diminished until, in the winter of 1873-'74, but fifteen vessels visited the island. From this time 

 it again increased, but the belligerent attitude of the natives in Fortune Bay and other places has 

 had a decided influence in causing the American fleet to abandon the Newfoundland fisheries and 

 to turn their attention to the trade with New Brunswick. The result is that in the winter of 

 1880-'81 only three American vessels visited the island, and the business seems to be practically 

 at an end. 



The trade with New Brunswick, on the other hand, has rapidly increased. Mr. D. I. Odell, 

 in a letter to Professor Baird dated Eastport, Me., January 22, 1873, gives the statistics of the 

 frozen-herring business of that region as fifty vessel loads, in addition to 500,000 fish that were 

 packed in barrels and shipped by steamer. If we allow 225,000 fish for each cargo we have a 

 total of 11,750,000 herring, which, at $5 per thousand, the price stated by Mr. Odell, would have a 

 value to the fishermen of $58,750. Other authorities place the number of cargoes for the same 

 season at 44, and the total quantity of fish at 10,900,000. 



A careful investigation of this fishery in the summer of 1880 showed that the shipments 

 during the previous winter had reached 102 cargoes, averaging 230,000 herring each. In addition 

 to these, 9,500 barrels, containing about 475 fish each, making a total of 28,175,000 herring. These, 



