REPORT OF THE COMillSiilOXERii xxix 



Some are left high and dry when the water ebbs, and the catches of fish left in the 

 weir must perish. Others are always partly under water and the surplus fish can be 

 liberated when necessary, especially if, as in some cases, a gate or door is provided. 

 The weir consists, essentially, of a wall or lead built of stakes driven into the mud or 

 sand, over which is woven small brush or twigs, usually white birch, and terminating 

 in a chamber of the same material, which is planned to prevent the escape of the 

 fish when once inclosed. Some are very simple in form and others more elaborate. 

 A large weir such as that at Old Point, near East Noel, as described by one witness, 

 was a mile long, ten feet high in the highest point and it took two weeks to build. 

 Sixteen fishermen had shares in it, and it is stated to have taken vast quantities of 

 fish of all sizes, as of course every kind of fish finds its entrance into a weir. 



(e) Spring Nets. — These nets are used in a few places, such as Annapolis and 

 Gaspereau rivers. They consist of a chamber of net about 12 feet square, secured 

 to stakes, with a long pole like a lever for raising it out of the water. A diagonal 

 wall of stones, about 18 inches high, is built across the stream or river, and forms a 

 lead, up which th? fish are turned to reach the chamber or trap. At the upper end 

 of the lead is a transverse wall of brush three or four feet high. In the angle formed 

 by this brush wall and the stone lead, the net is sunk near the bank of the stream, 

 where a wooden platform is built, overhanging the water. The fisherman stands on 

 the platform and raises the net by means of the pole described, the fish being lifted up 

 and secured. 



(f) Drag Seines, or Sweep Seines. — These nets were formerly used by settlers 

 for taking shad, and it is on record that large catches were at one time made. '" I 

 helped to take 10,000 shad at one haul at Scotts bay in a 15-rod sweep seine," said one 

 witness. But fortunately this very destructive form of net has gone out of use alto- 

 gether. 



(g) Dip Nets. — In certain places, dip nets for shad were used in early days, and 

 when the shad were extremely abundant it was possible to make sufficient catches for 

 home use. The dip net was used from an overhanging platform, similar to that used 

 in the case of the spring net. and the fishermen stood beside the bank of the river 

 and dipped out the shad as they ascended rivers and streams. 



Habits and Food of Shad. 



Schools of large shad come in-shore in the spring from deep water, and in the 

 Bay of Fundy are first seen oflf the Lorneville shore. They move rapidly towards the 

 rivers, which they ascend to spawn. " The spring shad pass along our coast to reach 

 St. John river," said one witness at Lorneville, " and." he added, " those passing here 

 go pretty quickly, so that two weeks covers our fishing." In the opinion of some 

 of the witnesses, these fish swim at the surface, one testifying that the spring shad 

 " are fished at the surface of the sea," and on reaching the mouth of the river, to which 

 they go to spawn, they seem to keep to the deeper channels or " current water," and 

 for that reason do not seem to be taken in any numbers by weirs, &c., such as are 

 located in St. John hartiour. They do not mesh in gaspereau nets as they pass up. 

 one Shubenacadie witness stating, " For two or three years we have never got a shad 

 in our gaspereau nets." As already pointed out, these spring shad return to salt 

 water without delay after spawning, not having apparently taken any food in fresh 



