The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-08-12
NOVA scoTIA's FISHERIES.
Collector Ross of Halifax Describes
the Movements Of MackereI and
Herring.
correspondence of Halifax Herald.l

ICOrreSpOlUoUC6 VI l1etilAesA ASAoau.l
In April and May spring herring full OF
spawn trim along the whole coast OF our
proyince, and this bait is obtained IN abun-
dance by our own fishermen and sought after
bv the Americans. These fish being poor are
not much fished for except as bait, but the
quantity which yearly comes to our coast Is
enormous. Gin ST. AIMS Bay and the Bras dOr
lake alone enough might be caught to supply
the whole provincial and American fishing
fleets with bait AS soon as the drift ice
disappears from our harbOrS these spring
herring arrive and after spawning depart LOT
deep water generally about the 10Th or 10Th
of NAV. Then the spring mackerel appear.
American fishermen meet these same hsn on
Hatteras early in April and follow them north
to the coast of Maine. As a rule they pass
along our coast from the 24th oil May 10 Ine
1st of June, arriving in Cape Breton waters
a little later If the wind is southerly Win
dark foggy weather, they trim the shore very
closely and go into harbors Where they neroL
appear in clear weather.. Old nsnerlleH saJ
that these fish are partially pima, naVIns
scale over their eyes which disappears after
fine spawning season. | have seen nets set
with one end tied to the shore sunk IN tne
day time with the weight of the tish caught
in them This large body OF fish pass up the
Gulf, which must be their natural spawning
grounds. Although spring mackerel are
often large, the quality Is poor anu 0ut
of 1000 barrels not one barrel Oh NUMBER
ones or twos would be found. A great
many of these fish are sent to the West Indies
and the Southern States. Large NUMBERS
are also used for bait as soon as the spring
herring disappear. From time lmmemorlai
the regular route of these fish has been from
south to north along the Cape Breton coast
calling at the Magdalene Island but being
influenced to a certain degree by the wind In
clear or dark weather, harb0rs which teem
with them one year may not pc visited 1ne
next so that they are not SO rehaple nsa In
After the disappearance OF these spring
mackerel the fat summer herring arrive.
These are fish of the best quality and, strange
three or four hundred poor thin maekerel,
and The same number OF beautiful NUMBER
| one herring, showing that in the same waters
| one kind of fish may be poor and anotner
kind fat. These summer herring strlKe tne
| northern coast of Cape Breton and move
| slowly south and then along the whole coast
| of Cane Breton and Nova Scotia. These hsh
are also governed to some extent by the state
of the weather and the prevailing winds, ana
some years they strike in abundance into the
harbors of StAnn's and Sydney and along
Mira Bay. That they work along 10 tne
south and west is proved by the fact tnat
they disappear from Ingonlsh and nortn
shore about week before they are caught
on the southern coast of Cape Breton
Owing to their being so fine ana lat THESE nsn
cannot be sent to the West Indies or other
| hot climates, so that the United States and,
| to some extent Canada, are the only markeLs
| for them, and the prices depend on the eaten
| of Labrador herring being large or small.
| After these herring leave our coast the
| squid comes, fish that is only USED IOr Dalt'
| and for that purpose it excels all otner iish
as it sticks on the hooks better tnan anythihhg Ih
| else, and is very palatable indeed TO tne
| greedy Goldfish. This curious fish belongs 70
| 1lOLIscd tribe, without any bone or frames
| and to appearance nothing but soft Jelly
| like skin, with protruding eyes surrounoed
| by a number of long inger-llke suckers;
| They are caught with squid hooks or ''llgs
| without bait. You only have to throw one Oh
| the curiOuSly constructed jigs (Which may De
| seen at any hardware storel into the water
| when they make rush for it, and, hanging
| on by their suckers they are taken IN, some
| times as many as five or six with one cast OF
| fine line Wonderful how nature under
| Higher Power attends to the requirements
| of man. AS the disappearance OF tne spring
herring is followed by the spring mackerel,
1 and after them the fat herring, then comes
| the squid to supply the fishermen with Dalt
| 1t is quite a sight on calm summer evening
/ to see from fifty to sixty boats moored In
| circle catching squld; every year laIse
/ number of French and Newfoundland hsher-
men come with their vessels to Aspy bay
| and St. Anne's for the purpose OF catching
| and buying squid to be sold to the bankers at
/ ST. Pierre. A few Americans are also IN tne
| habit of calling along the COAST lot squIu
To all appearance the squid would be very
| easy prey to the cod and other larger nsn'
| but this is not the case, as nature has pro
| vided it with very peculiar de1ence; Mhon
/ closely pursued it squirts out thlcK DlaeK
| Iiouid resembling ink which darkens the
| water so that the willy squld is enaDle1 70 es-
| cape unperceived by his pursuer. During
/ the month of August inshore fishing Is not
| so productive as in the earlier part OF the
| summer, the fish apparently moving on INTO
deep water, following the bait.
| Late in July and early August the summer
| mackerel begin to appear but whence they
| come and what laws govern them am not
| able to say, and leave the question TO DC an
|! swered by some one better informed on tnS
smaller in size than the spring mackerel and
1 appear in shoals or schools" Ihey are
| much more lively and active than the spring
| fish, and are seined netted and caugnt WIN
the hook. They improve In fatneSs from
week to week and the further north they are
taken the better the fish. The mackerel
taken off the coast of Shelburne are not near
ly so fat as those taken the same DAY at tne
| Magdalene islands This curious TACT is also
true of fish caught in the Canadian lakes, tne
fish caught in Lake Superior being nSn OF q
far better quality than the same hsh taken In
| Lake Erie. Mackerel are often for weeks al
| a time very abundant without taking tne
hook showing clearly that they are suppIled
with all the food they require. AS RUE on
calm day before a storm mackerel take DalI
and this is noticed at the same time Ior turr nun
dreds of miles. Immediately before storm
they leave the shore and get oil into deeper
| and calm water proving that they must nave
| some means of knowing how to Judge tne
| weather, and they make fewer mistakes IN
this matter than Virgins or CogsweLl.
These I'l, n,ackerei continue to move along the
coast from about the Goth July until OctoDeI
| and supply fishermen with all the Dalt tney
| require These very fish after feeding on our
coasts return south IN octSper roiis f9er tg. the