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C O D - F I S H I N G .
ALTHOUGH I had seen, as I thought, abundance of fish along the
coasts of the Floridas, the numbers which I found in Labrador quite
astonished me. Should your surprise while reading the following statements
be as great as mine was while observing the facts related, you will
conclude, as I have often done, that Nature's means for providing small
animals for the use of larger ones, and vice versa, are as ample as is the
grandeur of that world which she has so curiously constructed.
The coast of Labrador is visited by European as well as American
fishermen, all of whom are, I believe, entitled to claim portions of fishingground,
assigned to each nation by mutual understanding. For the present,
however, I shall confine my observations to those of our own country,
who, after all, are probably the most numerous. The citizens of Boston,
and many others of our eastern sea-ports, are those who chiefly engage in
this department of our commerce. Eastport in Maine sends out every
year a goodly fleet of schooners and " pickaxes11 to Labrador, to procure
cod, mackerel, halibut, and sometimes herring, the latter being caught in
the intermediate space. The vessels from that port, and others in Maine
and Massachusetts, sail as soon as the warmth of spring has freed the gulf
of ice, that is, from the beginning of May to that of June.
A vessel of one hundred tons or so, is provided with a crew of twelve
men, who are equally expert as sailors and fishers, and for every couple
of these hardy tars, a Hampton boat is provided, which is lashed on the
deck, or hung in stays. Their provision is simple, but of good quality,
and it is very seldom that any spirits are allowed, beef, pork, and biscuit,
with water, being all they take with them. The men are supplied with
warm clothing, waterproof oiled jackets and trowsers, large boots, broadbrimmed
hats with a round crown, and stout mittens, with a few shirts.
The owner or captain furnishes them with lines, hooks, and nets, and also
provides the bait best adapted to ensure success. The hold of the vessel
is filled with casks of various dimensions, some containing salt, and others
for the oil that may be procured.
The bait generally used at the beginning of the season, consists of
mussels salted for the purpose ; but as soon as the capelings reach the coast,
COD-FISHING IN LABRADOR. 523
they are substituted to save expense; and in many instances, the flesh of
gannets and other sea-fowl is employed. The wages of fishermen vary
from sixteen to thirty dollars per month, according to the qualifications
of the individual.
The labour of these men is excessively hard, for, unless on Sunday,
their allowance of rest in the twenty-four hours seldom exceeds three.
The cook is the only person who fares better in this respect, but he must
also assist in curing the fish. He has breakfast, consisting of coffee, bread,
and meat, ready for the captain and the whole crew, by three o'clock every
morning, excepting Sunday. Each person carries with him his dinner
ready cooked, which is commonly eaten on the fishing-grounds.
Thus, at three in the morning, the crew are prepared for their day's
labour, and ready to betake themselves to their boats, each of which has
two oars and lugsails. They all depart at once, and either by rowing or
sailing, reach the banks to which the fishes are known to resort. The
little squadron drop their anchors at short distances from each other, in a
depth of from ten to twenty feet, and the business is immediately commenced.
Each man has two lines, and each stands in one end of the boat,
the middle of which is boarded off to hold the fish. The baited lines
have been dropped into the water, one on each side of the boat; their
leads have reached the bottom, a fish has taken the hook, and after giving
the line a slight jerk, the fisherman hauls up his prize with a continued
pull, throws the fish athwart a small round bar of iron placed near his
back, which forces open the mouth, while the weight of the body, however
small the fish may be, tears out the hook. The bait is still good,
and over the side the line again goes, to catch another fish, while that on
the left is now drawn up, and the same course pursued. In this manner,
a fisher busily plying at each end, the operation is continued until the
boat is so laden, that her gunwale is brought within a few inches of the
surface, when they return to the vessel in harbour, seldom distant more
than eight miles from the banks.
During the greater part of the day, the fishermen have kept up a constant
conversation, of which the topics are the pleasure of finding a good
supply of cod, their domestic affairs, the political prospects of the nation,
and other matters similarly connected. Now the repartee of one elicits a
laugh from the other; this passes from man to man, and the whole flotilla
enjoy the joke. The men of one boat strive to outdo those of the others
in hauling up the greatest quantity of fish in a given time, and this forms