BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 175 
the fishermen to be on hand promptly when the weirs were seined, and 
the more faithful and energetic ones thus secured the bulk of the herring. 
By way of reward for faithfulness the wages were changed so that the 
boatmen should receive about $30 per month, with about 50 cents addi- 
tional for each hogshead of fish landed ; and some of the factories now 
make a practice of paying no stated wages, but give the boatman $1 
for each hogshead of fish obtained. 
During the season of 1885, the owners of the canneries organized 
an association for the purpose of regulating the price both of fish at 
the weirs and of the manufactured product, and held a meeting each 
week to confer regarding proposed changes. The average price for the 
season, prior to November, when the compact was broken, was about 
$5 per hogshead. From this date, when the canners ceased to be un- 
der obligations to restrict themselves to certain figures, the price of 
fish advanced enormously, and as high as $30 was frequently paid, 
while in exceptional instances the rivalry was so strong as to cause 
them to bid upwards of $100 per hogshead on small lots. As the ma- 
jority of the fish were bought at the lowest figure named, the average 
price would be between $6 and $7. 
The present season the packers have acted independently, and the? 
fish have varied in price from $2 to $30, averaging between $8 and $10. 
The price can never fall below $2, and ought not to go below $3, for 
if the herring are of good size, the fishermen can sell them for about 
that price to the herring smokers, or, as many of the weir fishermen 
own smoke-houses, they could utilize their own catch. They are prob- 
ably worth at least $2 a hogshead for use in the manufacture of oil and 
fertilizer. 
Methods of collecting the fish. — As soon gs the fish have been 
purchased, the boats start immediately for the cannery, as a few hours 
will suffice in warm weather to render the fish worthless, while even in 
winter they ought not to be heaped together in any considerable quan- 
tities for more than ten or twelve hours. During the summer months 
the boats are often so long delayed by calm weather that their fish are 
injured and perhaps rendered worthless for canning purposes. To over- 
come this difficulty, a small steamer is employed in towing the collect- 
ing boats to the canneries, the owner receiving 50 cents per hogshead, 
in addition to the price paid to the boatmen, for each hogshead of fish 
contained in the boats which he assists. The boatmen, however, are 
supposed to depend upon their sails when they have a fair wind, and to 
accept a tow only when they consider it necessary in order to insure the 
arrival of the fish in good condition. At Jonesport a small steamer is 
employed by one of the canneries for collecting the fish, these being 
placed in baskets and carried in the hold of the steamer, and one of the 
canneries at Bobbinston also owns a steamer which is employed in a 
similar manner. At Eastport and Lubec all of the fish are now brought 
(in by collecting boats, but at Bobbinston, Pembroke, and places farther 
