THE HERRING FISHERY. 435 
by them each season. The law is practically of little value, as many of the inspectors fail to 
report on their work, and a considerable quantity of herring salted at Eastport and elsewhere are 
never inspected. 
In Massachusetts the in&Spection of herring intended for pickling is not required by law, 
though the fish are often properly packed and branded before being placed upon the market. 
Section 36 of chapter XLIX, of the General Statutes of Massachusetts for 1859, says: 
“Under the supervision of the inspector-general and his deputies, respectively, all kinds of 
split pickled fish and fish for barreling, except herring, and all codfish tongues and sounds, 
halibut fins and napes, and swordfish, whenever said articles are intended for exportation, shall 
be struck with salt or pickle,” &c. 
THE MARKETS.— The principal markets for salt herring along the New England coast are 
Portland, Boston, Gloucester, and Eastport. Portland probably, takes the lead in this trade, 
receiving the bulk of the herring taken about Wood Island, as well as those caught in Penobscot 
Bay, and on the spawning grounds off Boisbubert. This port also secures a considerable portion of 
the fish caught off Cape Ann. Boston is more of a distributing center fer the fish, and many of 
those bought and packed by the Portland dealers are shipped there for distribution te the trade. 
Gloucester affords a fair market for the catch taken about Cape Aun by the local fishermen; and 
when the export trade will warrant it sometimes buys largely from the herring dealers of other 
cities. 
Eastport, being situated in the center of the principal herring fisheries of the United States, 
necessarily handles a large quantity of these fish. The fisheries are prosecuted chiefly in winter, 
when the herring can be frozen, and the merchants have come to make a specialty of this trade, 
and they now, in connection with several Boston companies, control the frozen-herring trade of 
New England. During the spring and fall, and at such times during the winter as the weather 
will not admit of freezing the fish, a limited quantity are pickled and sold to the Eastport 
dealers for shipment to Boston and New York. 
Prior to the rebellion the bulk of the pickled herring were consumed by the negroes of the 
Southern States, but the liberation of the slaves had a decided influence on the trade, which has 
since come to be of little importance. At the present time a majority of the herring are shipped 
to the mining districts of Pennsylvania, though considerable quantities find their way to the West, 
where they are consumed largely by the poorer classes, noticeably by the Germans, the Scotch, and 
‘other foreigners. 
HERRING FOR BAIT.— Mention has already been made of the extensive herring fisheries in 
different localities for the purpose of supplying bait for the New England fishing fleet. Those 
vessels engaged in the various branches of the codfishing, as well as some of those employed in 
the fresh halibut and winter haddock fisheries, are dependent almost entirely upon herring for 
their bait. The whole question of the use of frozen herring as bait will be found in the chapter on 
frozen herring, but the bait used by the vessels in summer will more properly be considered in this 
connection. . 
For the last twenty years few vessels, with the exception of those employed in the shore 
fisheries, have carried nets for the purpose of securing their own bait, as they have found it more 
desirable to purchase their supply from the weir, net, or seine fishermen at different points along 
the shore. A portion of the fleet depended largely on the catch of menhaden in the Gulf of 
Maine, and these in a measure took the place of herring. Since 1879, however, the menhaden have 
been almost wholly absent from these waters, and the fishermen have been seriously inconvenienced 
