On its arrival to the bay where it was to fish, the boat was firmly an- 

 chored as close as possible to shore, generally with two anchors. Its two 

 long-boats were put over and all the crew went ashore to build a landing 

 dock called echafaud or chafaud which served as a place for unloading and 

 working on the cod, an installation at first very primitive, for which they 

 used small pines, the "pignadac" of the fishermen of the Biscay coast. 



These preparations accomplished, the crew was divided into two groups, 

 one of which was employed in fishing, the other in preparing the fish. The 

 work was pursued from the first hour of sunrise until nightfall, with a short 

 interruption for a meal at noon. 



It is probable that in the 16th century, during the first period of the 

 shore fishery, the crew returned to sleep on board the boat each night. 

 This was safer in a country inhabited by unknown people, and the shore ac- 

 commodations were very simple. Finally however the custom prevailed 

 little by little to completely empty the boat after its anchorage. Barracks 

 were constructed to lodge all the crew and provisions were also unloaded. 

 During all the period of their stay on shore the fishermen lived thus at the 

 same place as their work which made for no loss of time. 



During the 17th and 18th centuries, they installed at the extremities of 

 the dock facing the sea two cannon near which two cannoneers were perma- 

 nently stationed to defend against all attack, whether from the natives or 

 from the Anglo-American pirates. 



Up to the 19th century the shore fishery was a net fishery. The gear 

 employed was a kind of seine which was stretched out by means of the long- 

 boats and which was hauled to the shore. The cod caught were thrown in 

 the boats which took them to the landing dock. Then they underwent prepar- 

 ation for salting and drying according to a technique about which one finds 

 definite rules for the operation process practiced in the 18th century. 



As soon as landed on the wharf, the cod passed to a convenient cutting 

 table where they were headed, gutted, split and washed. 



The fish, opened flat by the operation of splitting, were immediately 

 salted. For that, they were piled orderly, head to tail, each cod being 

 vigorously rubbed with salt, then covered with a layer of salt proportional 

 to its weight. 



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