FISHERIES 



25 



The French fisheries at Newfoundland are carried on both 

 on the banks and near the island, the craft employed being 

 of various sizes, ranging from vessels averaging about 170 

 tons down to open boats. The following table' gives the 

 number of craft of all kinds and the total number of men 

 in each year from 1867 to 1874 : — 



Of the numbers of fishing craft here given about 70 per 

 cent, are boats. The produce of the French Nrwfoundland 

 fishery in 1872 was said to be 10 million francs. 



United States Fishbries. — These may be divided into 

 warm-water and cold-water fisheries, the latter being for the 

 most part carried on in British American waters. The cod 

 fishery, formerly prosecuted ofif the coast of New England, 

 in the cold water north of Oapt Cod, is said to have 

 seriously decreased, and it is believed by Professor Baird, 

 the commissioner of fish and fisheries, that the failure is 

 largely due to the diminution of alewives and other bait- 

 fishes, caused by the numerous dams and obstructions in 

 the rivers in which these fishes were accustomed to spawn. 

 The young fish formerly produced in such myriads are now 

 said to be comparatively few, and the cod and allied fishes 

 consequently have less food to attract them to the old 

 haunts. As there is no reason to suppose that cod, as a 

 species, are diminishing in numbers, the conclusion obviously 

 is that they are seeking other feeding grounds. The warm- 

 water fisheries include the pursuit of a variety of fishes, 

 but the " scup," a kind of bream, and the " blue-fish," both 

 migratory species, are those whose capture is thought of 

 most value. Although almost all the shore fisheries are 

 eaid to be decreasing,^ Professor Baird, in his elaborate 

 reports to the United States Qovernment, does not seem to 

 be quite clear as to an effectual remedy. The pounds and 

 weirs are said t be very destructive to spawning fish, but 

 they supply a large quantity of fish to the markets. The 

 scourge of the American coast appears to be the blue-fish, 

 " destroying ten times as many fish as they really need for 

 food, and leaving in their track the surface of the water 

 covered with the blood and fragments of the mangled fish."^ 

 Professor Baird estimates that in 1871 there were 100 

 millions of these fish on part of the American coast, and 

 that each one destroyed twenty fish per day ; and as the 

 blue-fish season lasts from 120 to 150 days, some ide". may 

 be formed of the extent of the mischief caused by them. 

 Fortunately the blue-fidii is in great request as an article of 

 food, and about a million and a quarter were captured in 

 1871, or, as estimated, one in a hundred of those on the 

 coast. To the blue-fish Professor Baird assigns the very 

 first position among the injurious influences that have 

 affected the supply of fishes on the coast. The agency of 

 man he places next, — the pounds and weirs along-shore 

 catching spawning fishes, and the dams and other obstruc- 

 tions in the rivers preventing certain species from ascending 



• Jieport on Jfetu/oundland and Labrador Fisheries, 1876, by 

 Captain firskine, R. N. 



■ Professor Baird says at page 19 of Part i. of his Report — " It is 

 by no means to be luferred from our remarlcs as to the scarcity of fish 

 that fewer are actually caught now than formerly at any time, the 

 contrary, perhaps, being the case, since by means of tht improved 

 methods of capture, in the way of pounds and nets, an immense supply 

 ii taken out at certain seasons of the year, so as frequently to glut the 

 markets. The scarcity is better shown by the great difficulty ex- 

 perienced by line fishermen in securing a proper supply throughout 

 the year, on grounds where they were formerly able to catch all they 

 needed for their own use and for sale." 



• Baird. Jie,port for 1871 and 1872, part i. p. 28. 



to their proper spawning grounds. He proposed to limit 

 the working of the pounds and weirs to a certain number 

 of days in each week, and to do away as much as possible 

 with the river obstructions. The blue-fish is beyond 

 control. 



The estimated value of the United States sea fisheries in 

 1876 was— 



Wann-water fisheries $3,274,138 



Cold-water , 9,756,683 



$13,030,821 

 The comparative value of the cold-water fisheries of the 

 United States and of British North America for the years 

 1870-6 is shown in the following table'' — tlie greater iiortion 

 of the ralue in the United States return being from fish 

 caught in British American waters : — 



The oyster fisheries of the United States are on a very 

 large scale, and the coast line generally appears to abound 

 with suitable localities for the production of these favourite 

 moUusks. The oysters are all of a more or less elongated 

 form, and of large size, sometimes growing to a length of 

 12 or 15 inches. They are obviously more suitable for 

 cooking than for consumption in a natural state ; and it ia 

 therefore not surprising that they are unable to compete 

 with the favourite " native " in the English market. The 

 trade in oysters in the principal cities of the United States 

 in 1859 was estimated as follows :* — 



BashclN. ^ 



Virginia (State) 1,050,000 



Baltimore 8,500,000 



Philadelphia 2,500,000 



New York 6,9,';o,000 



Fair Haven 2,000,000 



Other cities 4,000,000 



Total 20,000,000 



Norwegian and Swedish Fisheries.- -The important 

 fishery of Norway is that for !od, and the special seat of 

 it is at the Lofoden Islands. In 1876 * the fishery was 

 very successful, more than 22 millions of fish having been 

 taken, a larger catch than in any previous year since 1860, 

 excepting 1875. Of this number about 16 millions of 

 fish were salted, and most of the remainder dried. The 

 average price on the spot was £1, 6s. 8d. per 100. The 

 Finmark cod fishery in the same year fell off very much, 

 as will be seen by the following returns for the years 

 1872-6 :— 



1872 11,600,000 cod. 



1873 16,000,000 , 



1874 17,500,000 „ 



1875 19,760,000 ,, 



1876 8,600,000 ,, 



The catch of Norway mackerel in 1876 was 1,800,000 

 fish, and the estimated produce of the herring fishery in 

 that year was 400,000 barrels ; but the spring or winter 

 herring disappeared about 1874, and the market has since 

 been supplied with the large northern herring. A remark- 

 able instance of the capricious movements of the herring 



* Report of Fishery Commission, Halifax, -^^xi li. p. 63. 



» Beport by Lieutenant P. de Broca to the French Oovemment, 

 1862, given in Report by Prof. Baird, pt. Ui. p. 282 (1878). 



• Contular RepvrU, part J., 1877. 



