146 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 
9. EARLY LABRADOR FISHERIES FROM PORTS IN MAINE. 
During the first half of the present century, writes R. E. Harll, the Labrador fisheries were 
extensively prosecuted from the towns of Westport and Booth Bay. 
The first vessel engaging in the business of which we get any trace was the schooner Ruby, 
115 tons (old measurement), Capt. James Sennett, of Harpswell. The vessel was sent from North 
Booth Bay about 1817, and was joined the next year by the schooner Union, 84 tons, Capt. Timothy 
Kemp, from the same place. The next season (1819) there were two other vessels, the Dennis, 78 
tons, from North Booth Bay, and one from Westport. 
These vessels continued yearly to visit Labrador, but it seems that they were about the only 
ones from this section to engage in the business for some years. They fished in and about the 
Straits of Belle Isle and frequently farther north, to Cape Harrison, starting about the 10th of 
June and returning by the middle or last of September. 
The fish were generally very light salted, only 8 bushels being used to 10 quintals. The 
vessels got full trips and frequently took a part of their fish out and spread them on the rocks to 
partially dry them and thus lighten the vessel and save salt. They always brought full fares of 
from 1,000 to 1,500 quintals, but the fish were small and brought a low price. Mr. Timothy Hodg- 
don, an old man who was interested in curing at that time, is authority for the statement that in 
those days no large fish were ever taken by these vessels, and that when thoroughly dried it took 
one hundred and thirty in number to make a quintal. After being cured they were invariably 
sold to Boston parties for exportation to Bilboa, and came to be known as “ Bilboa fish.” 
The business in later years began to grow, and about 1840 East Booth Bay began sending ves- 
sels, while Westport sent a larger fleet. Mr. Daniel Cameron, of Southport, thinks that in 1844 
Westport and East Booth Bay each sent four vessels, while North Booth Bay had a like number. 
This seemed about the height of the business, and soon after it began to decline, so that by 
1850 almost no vessels were sent, but through William T. Maddocks, we learn that his father sent 
the Osprey as late as 1856 from Southport. 
The vessels averaged about 100 tons, the extremes being 45 and 140 (old measurement), carried 
yawl boats at first and always remained in the harbors while the men were fishing. The crew 
were divided up into a dressing and fishing gang, the former remaining on board and dressing 
the catch of the others. They were provided with small drag-seines and caught their bait each 
morning before the fishing began. They used capelin wholly, which were always found in great 
abundance in the shoal waters along the shore. The crews fished in shoal water and usnally very 
near the vessel, fished at the halves, counting their fish as they were thrown aboard the vessel, 
and generally averaged about $140 to $160 per man for the trip. 
The fishing was always good, and we get no record of a vessel from this section returning 
without a full fare, neither can we learn of either a man or vessel being lost. But, notwithstanding 
the abundance of fish, they were so small that they brought even less than those classed as small 
from other localities, and the firms were driven out of the business. 
The following additional statements concerning this fishery are made by Capt. A. P. Hodgdon: 
While fishing in the vicinity of Partridge Harbor in 1844 or 1845 the crew of the schooner 
Dennis, Captain Hodgdon, caught 1,100. quintals in fourteen days. The fish came in great num- 
bers after the capelin, and frequently the water would be filled with them for acres at the surface, 
where they would make a good deal of noise splashing about in chasing their prey. They only 
