BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 271 
tween one hundred and twenty-five and one hundred and fifty vessels 
engaged in the vicinity of Eastport in the capture of herring to sup- 
ply the frozen -herring trade. The majority of these were owned by 
Canadian fishermen at Grand Manan, Geer Island, and the various 
fishing towns on the Bay of Fundy between the boundary line and St. 
John. Only thirty or forty vessels belonging to the United States were 
employed in fishing, though the carrying trade was practically controlled 
by New England vessels. During this season it is estimated by Mr. B. C. * 
Green, a gentleman thoroughly familiar with the industry, that about 
3,500,000 herring were shipped in barrels by steamer, and that between 
forty-five and fifty cargoes, averaging 300,000 fish each, were sent by 
vessel. The price paid during the winter varied considerably according 
to supply and demand. At one time it reached 90 cents per hundred 
fish, but during seasons of abundance the fishermen found difficulty in 
disposing of their catch at more than 20 or 25 cents. The average price 
is estimated at about 40 cents. From this estimate it will be seen that 
about 18,000,000 herring were shipped during the winter, these netting 
the fishermen about $72,000. A trifle more than half of the entire catch 
is sent to Boston, from which point the frozen fish are distributed to the 
retail trade of the North and West. At least one-half of the remainder 
go to New York and adjacent cities, where they are purchased by the 
local dealers and by peddlers. The remaining shipments are divided 
between Gloucester and Portland, a majority of those sent to Gloucester 
being purchased by the vessel fishermen of that port to be used as bait 
in the winter cod, haddock, and halibut fisheries. 
With the growth of the industry a disposition has been manifested 
on the part of the principal dealers of the larger cities to combine to 
control the trade, and combinations have been frequently formed by 
which it was hoped to obtain a monopoly of the business. Last year a 
herring company, in which the leading dealers of New York, Boston, 
and Gloucester were represented, was formed, and agents appointed to 
proceed to Eastport to purchase and ship the fish, while others were 
designated to receive and distribute them on their arrival in market. 
This company was practically successful in controlling the trade, and 
fully three-quarters of all the herring were handled by them, though 
owing to the changeable weather and the abundance of frozen lake 
herring, white-fish, and other species in the Western markets the busi- 
ness was not a success financially. 
As the herring are intended for immediate consumption, our tariff 
laws admit them free of duty, even though they may be landed in Ca- 
nadian bottoms. This allows the fish to be brought to Eastport by the 
Canadian fishermen engaged in catching them, and hence the compli- 
cations resulting from the termination of the treaty of Washington do 
not seriously affect this fishery. The determination on the part of the 
Canadian government to prevent any Americans from fishing within 
3 miles of its coast will, however, deter the small vessels from the 
