MARINE AND FISHERIES 



1-2 EDWARD VII., A. 1902 



the first clams are not used as bait but instead herring, mackerel, capelin, squid are 

 employed. Clams are restricted to hand-line or dory fishing but they are not the only 

 bait used in this fishery. Squid, capelin, birds (puffins, petrels), porpoise, &c., also have 

 their place, but salted clams are the most satisfactory and are nearly always used except 

 when fresh bait can be obtained. Several clams are used each time the hook is baited 

 so that it is completely covered. While fresh bait will secure more fish, yet salt clams 

 seem to be relished by cod and there is a great saving of time — the men are always 

 supplied with bait and do not need to waste valuable fishing time to look for bait. Salt 

 clams retain their flavour while fresh bait, that has been packed in ice, speedily deterior- 

 ates when exposed to the atmosphere in warm weather. In the hand line cod fishery 

 on the ' Banks' about 100 vessels use salt clams (in 1886 the number was 97). Count- 

 ing two barrels for each man this would make 100 x 12 x 2 = 2,400 barrels. But as it 

 requires 12 bushels of clams in the shell to make a barrel of salt bait, it thus takes 

 28,800 bushels of clams to supply annually salt bait for the New England vessels on the 

 ' Banks ' of Newfoundland. These have been largely obtained on the coast of Maine 

 but every town on the New England coast, where clams could be obtained, became a 

 station for bait supplies. Salt bait is of two kinds — ' Full salting' is when one bushel 

 salt is put to a barrel of clams, ' slack salting ' or ' corning ' is using J peck to 2 pecks 

 salt for each barrel. 



As early as 1763 there were regulations in Massachusetts regarding the number of 

 clams that could be dug for each man for bait. In Maine they were first dug for bait 

 about 1850. 



Since the decline of the Labrador cod-fishing Nova Scotia has employed many ves- 

 sels in the dory hand-line cod-fishery on the 'Banks.' In 1886, 5,137 barrels of clam- 

 bait, valued at $28,230, were shipped from Maine to be used by provincials, and in 1887 

 4,430 barrels, valued at |24,440. In 1885, Nova Scotia supplied for bait 1,136 barrels, 

 valued at $5,680, but the number has decreased since then, perhaps on account of the 

 increase in the use of squid. Clams are also used by the fishermen of Gaspe and Que- 

 bec. 



For the last twelve or fifteen years certain Nova Scotia fishermen have regularly 

 visited Passamaquoddy Bay for the purpose of collecting clams to be used as bait in the 

 Newfoundland cod-fisheries. Each sailing vessel was managed by a crew of about 

 ten men, who brought all their requiremeats — food, clothing, clam-hoes, &c. — lived in 

 their vessels, and at each ebb-tide went ashore in small boats to dig their clams. At 

 the approach of flood-tide they would retire to their vessels, shell and salt down their 

 clams, get their meals and take their rest. The usual time for this work is in the 

 autumn or in the spring — during October-November, or April-May. They came usually 

 from Shelburne, occasionally one vessel from Liverpool, Yarmouth, Annapolis or Hali- 

 fax ; and they returned to Lockport, seldom one to Yarmouth, LaHave or Shelburne. 

 The first year for which I have obtained figures is 1889-1890. Only a single vessel 

 was thus employed, the Glide, of Yarmouth, a vessel of 16 tons and with a crew of 8 

 men. It returned to Yarmouth, carrying 67 barrels of shelled clams. In 1894 1895 

 three vessels were employed, one of which made two trips — once in November and again 

 in April. In all they carried away 299 barrels of clams. 



In 1898-1899 14 vessels came with 120 men, and took away 1,532 barrels. During 

 last season, 1899-1900, 14 vessels with 131 men carried off 1,765 barrels of salted clams. 

 Neglecting the intermediate years but selecting the first, second and fourth of the per- 

 iods mentioned, we will see a very substantial increase of the business for each five 

 years of its existence. The following is taken from the records of the Customs officer 

 at St. Andrews, who very kindly allowed me access to the papers concerned : 



