THE PICKLED-HERRING TRADE. 



469 



N. Lavoie, in his "Report of the Cruise of the Government Schooner La Canadienne in the 

 River and Gulf of Saint Lawrence for the Season of 1870," gives another and more detailed account 

 of the fisheries, from which we learn the extent of the catch at the islands for two seasons and the 

 exact size of the American fleet. He says : 



" The yield of the first part of the season in herring fishing was much below an average, if we 

 can call fishing a catch of 2,100 barrels of fish divided between one hundred and nineteen schooners 

 and the whole of the islands fishermen. The same fishery yielded in 18G9 75,000 barrels. The 

 failure is in nowise to be attributed to a want of fish in the waters of Pleasant Bay. They resorted 

 thither as usual to spawn, but owing to an early"spring and the early disappearance of the ice, the 

 fish struck in three weeks earlier than usual, thus disappointing the expectations of foreign as well 

 as of our own fishermen. At the date of our reaching Magdalen Islands we found one hundred 

 and nineteen schooners from the United States in Amherst Harbor and Pleasant Bay. They were 

 expecting new shoals of herring, but they waited in vain ; the fish did not come! The first schoon- 

 ers of the spring fleet arrived on the 27th, the second and third on the 28th April. A few herring 

 were still near shore when these fishermen arrived. They managed to catch about half a cargo on 

 their first arrival, but next morning the fish were all gone. 



" It is useless to remark here that the owners and outfitters of these vessels must have suf- 

 fered heavy loss from the disappearance of herring. On the 18th of May, thirty schooners, which 

 had been detained by the ice, reached the islands for the same fishery, but on finding out that it 

 was over they immediately left. Mr. Painchaud, of Amherst Island, is the only one who has been 

 provident enough to supply himself with seines and salt. He caught 1,100 barrels in two hauls, 

 which pays him a hundred fold for the cost incurred. This improvident spirit displayed by our 

 people is the more to be regretted, as, when they repair to the coast of Labrador again for herring 

 fishing, they are still at the mercy of foreign fishermen, and often return empty-handed after 

 undergoing great hardships and danger."* 



Again, in his report for 1873, Mr. Lavoie, in referring to the herring fisheries, shows that though, 

 fish were plenty, the fisheries were almost a total failure owing to the abundance of ice that caused 

 most of the fleet to abandon their voyage and return home. He writes as follows : 



" Herring made its appearance along the shores of this coast several days sooner than last 

 year, and on the 27th of April Pleasant- Bay was full of them. As I have said before, the greater 

 part of the herring fleet were unable to reach the islands, and had to put back to their respective 

 ports on account of the large quantity of ice they met with in the straits or gulf. Four schooners, 

 however, were able to make their way to Amherst Harbor, and to complete their loads in a few 

 days. The following gives their names, tonnage, &c. : 



" On the 27th of April some fishermen from the islands had a cast of the seine, which brought 

 in about 300 barrels of herring. Only a few barrels were, however, saved, as with their usual 

 negligence they had not thought of procuring last year the means of pickling their fish this spring. 

 Salt was too dear and the price of fish too low to allow them to take advantage of their good luck. 



* Annual Report of the Department of Marine and Fisheries of Canada, 1869-70, pp. 222, 223. 



