Fishing Grounds of the Gulf of MaineRich, Walter H. (Walter Herbert)
History
Fishing Grounds of the Gulf of Maine
Rich, Walter H. (Walter Herbert)
Fisheries -- Maine, Gulf of
The whole western coast of Nova Scotia is herring ground at some season
of the year. "Drifting" for herring was formerly a considerable industry
from Digby to Briers Island, but in these last few years it has not been
important, although the year 1927 had a very good run of large food
fish. This western coast is also an important fishing area for lobster
men.
Swordfishing in the Bay of Fundy was formerly profitable in September,
although these fish were never so numerous here as upon the outer shore
of Nova Scotia.
St. Marys Bay is a summer herring ground. Good haddocking may be had
here, also, from April 15 to October 15, with the period from the
opening of the fishing in April up to July 15 the best of it.
The mackerel fishery of the Bay of Fundy seems of comparatively small
importance in these latter years. The local fishermen say that the fish
can not stem the tides of these waters! The abundance of small herring
should be an inducement sufficient to bring them here. Apparently these
fish pass straight inshore northwesterly and reach the coast of Maine. A
considerable amount of this species is taken by traps and by netting in
St. Marys Bay and in the general vicinity of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, as
at Cranberry Head, Burns Point. Beaver River, Woods Harbor, and at
various other points between Yarmouth and Cape Sable; but the inner
waters of the Bay of Fundy show very slim catches when compared with the
great amount taken on the outer shores of Nova Scotia in a normal
mackerel season. It has been 32 years, it is said, since any number of
mackerel have been "hooked" in St. Mary's Bay.
Lurcher Shoal. This lies WSW, from Cape St, Mary 19 miles and WNW, from
Cape Fourchu, distant 13 miles, it is an irregularly shaped piece of
bottom, a rocky ground, about 5 miles long, north and south, by 3 miles
wide, There are a number of "nubbles" arising to 5, 7, and 9 fathom
depths--with a spot reported as having only 12 feet of water over it--
rising from the average depths over the rest of the shoal of from 13 to
15 fathoms. Over this generally rocky bottom are scattered patches of
gravel and of shells, Depths about the shoal are from 30 to 50 fathoms
over a bottom consisting mostly of stones, Tide rips are very heavy
here, The seasons and species found here are as on Trinity: cod,
haddock, pollock, and herring, it is a good lobster ground.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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