INSHORE FISHERIES 203 



year. 1 Five years later, 1890 and 1891, the Passamaquoddy 

 fishery proved to be a failure. The Newfoundland fleet 

 numbered seventy vessels and made profitable voyages. 

 Many of the fleet failed to secure cargoes of frozen herring 

 on account of the mild weather; they brought back salt 

 herring instead, which were used in making smoked bloaters. 

 This practice has been followed considerably since that time. 

 The fleet for the next winter 1891-1892 was a record- 

 breaker, there being 100 sail that went to Newfoundland. 

 During the remainder of the century the number of vessels 

 and the quantity of the catch varied from year to year. 

 There were 48 arrivals in the winter of 1898-1899, and 

 38,850 barrels of frozen herring were brought back, selling 

 at from two to three cents from the vessel. Thirty arrivals 

 the following winter brought in about 15,000 barrels. The 

 next three years were not up to the usual standard, the sup- 

 ply being short. From 1903 to 1906, about 23,000 barrels 

 were landed each year. 2 The Fishing Gazette summarizes 

 the Newfoundland Herring Fishery for 1906 and 1907 as 

 follows : 



"According to official reports from Bay of Islands, at the 

 conclusion of the herring fishery this year the total catch 

 amounted to 116,236 barrels, valued at $452,144. Of this 65 

 American vessels took away 70,346 barrels, valued at $268,596, 

 while 43 colonial vessels gathered in 45,887 barrels valued at 

 $183,548. These figures show that the fishery this year was the 

 largest in quantity and value in the history of the West Coast 

 herring industry, and that the colonial vessels secured a larger 

 share of the haul and profits than ever before. Five American 

 and five colonial vessels, nearly all of them with cargoes on 

 board, were wrecked during the season." 8 



1 Fish Commissioner's Report, 1886. 



2 Boston Fish Bureau Reports. 



a The Fishing Gazette, January 26, 1907. 



