The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1842-11-12
COd-Fishias and Seal Catch
ing,

bout N ewioundland," by }. Is. JUKEs, has
recently been published. The writer thus
describes the operation OF Cod-tishing:
"About the beginning of May, all the
population are on the alert, preparing for
the fishery. laying in stores Of summer
provisions, and hooks, lines, nets, clothes
and the riggngs of their boats. Towards
the middle or end of May the first shoal
of herrings, called by the natives the spring
herrings, appear. These are Immediately
caught in nets, and used as bait for the
Goldfish. In the middle Of June the cape
lin come in and last to the middle Of Ju-
ly; and with them commences the height
of the fishery. Every man, woman and
child is then fully employed. A married
man having family usually goes out
with his sons, takes his bucket full Of
capelin for bate, and rowing to the fish
ing ground generally mile or two out
side the larbor, anchors and commences
fishing. Each person in the boat has two
lines, about twenty five iathoms long,
with two or more hooks. These he
filings one on each side of the boat, the
end of the line being made fast TO the
thwart Feeling each occasionally, the
moment he strikes fish he hauls him in
filings him down in the boat, bats the
hook, and throws out his line again.
When they get what they call good
squirt of fish, each person will sometimes
be fully employed hauling in one line af-
ter the other as fast as he can bait them
and throw them out again. When this
happens all hour or two suflices TO fill
the boat, which then sails away with her
cargo to the stage-head. Here the fish
are forked out of the boat with kind of
boat.hook or pikel, the prong being stuck
into the head, and the fish thrown up on
to the stage much in the same manner as
are usually the females of the family, or
u man or two assisted by females as the
case may he. The two most skilIul of
thesear called respectively the header and
the splitter. The business Of the first is
to cut the fish open across the throat and
down the belly, and pass it to an assistant
who, taking out the liver, drops that into
a tub on one side, and tearing Off the
head and entrails throws them down on
the other side. The liver is preserved to
make oil, and the head and garbage drop
into the water which flows underneath.
The fish is then passed to the splitter,
who by deXlerous movement cuts ont
the backbone from the neck nearly to
the tail, and thus LAYS the fish entirely
open, and capable of being laid flat on its
back.
This is the most important part of the
operation, and good splitter always
commands superior wages at merchants
establishment. When split open the fish
are sailed, laid in plies to drain, washed
and sailed again, and finally laid in the
sun on clear days to dry and harden
While thus exposed they require much
attention. and the women are constantly
looking after them, laying them up in
round heaps with the skin oulwards at
night, or on the approach Of rain. in
which state they look very much like
small hay-coCks."
He calculates that fisherman, when
most fortunate, may catch in one day
quantity of cod weighing over 1000 lbs
With respect to the abundance OF the fish
says:
Zone calm July evening was in
boat outside St. Johns harbor, when the
sea was pretty still, and the fish were
'breaching,' it is termed. For several
miles around us the calm sea was alive
with fish. They we've sporting on .lhe
surface of the water, flirting their tails
occasionally into The air, and as far as
could be seen the water was rippled and
broken by their movements. Looking
down into its clear depths, Goldfish under
Goldfish, of all sizes, appeared swimming
about as if in sport. Some boats were
fishing, but not bite could they get, the
fish being already gorged with food. /
speared one great fellow with the spike Of
the bat-hook, but there being no tail to
it, he got away; and as far as could see
that was the only fish touched. Had the
ground been shallow enough TO use
nets, the harbor might have been filled
with fish"
The most interesting part of his work
is that which relates to the seal-catchlng,
which he made voyage to the ice to
witness. Next to codfshing, sealing is
the most profitable occupation of the
Observation-Disclosures. The seals are met
with in great numbers on the floating
fields Of ice, to the north of Newlound-
land, and vessels are sent out there every
spring, manned by some of the hardest
and most energetic seamen in the world.
The annexed extracts refer TO this sub
ject:
"In passing through thin skirt of ice,
one of the men hooked up young seal
with his gaf. Its cries were precisely
like those ola young child in the extrem-
ity of agony and distress, something be-