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122<br />
fathoms, respectively; 4,384 men have been engaged in the fisheries afloat and<br />
ashore. Last year the number was 4,059.<br />
An estimate of the capital employed in the Prince Edward Island fisheries may<br />
be' thus made: In sea fishing, $216,750; lobster fishery, $152,629; oyster fishery,<br />
$10,000; total, $3T9,379.<br />
The Prince Edward Island fisheries for the year 1888, may be briefly summarised<br />
thus: Mackerel, one-half less; herring, one-sixth less; cod and hake, onethird<br />
more; haddock, one-fifth more; lobsters, one-fourth less; eels, double; other<br />
fish, one-fourth more; fish products about the same as compared with last year.<br />
Details are given under the respective headings.<br />
BERRINO.<br />
This fishery is entirely subsidiary to the mackerel, cod and lobster fisheries,<br />
almost th'3 whole catch being used for bait, but a small proportion being put on the<br />
food market. In addition to those caught at home quantities for bait are imported,<br />
chiefly from the Magdalen Islands.<br />
56,000 fathoms of nets—not a large stretch for our long coast line—were set.<br />
Salt is an expensive article not to be wasted on herring, but kept in reserve for'<br />
mackerel. Consequently the actual herring food-fishery is limited to a few barrels<br />
for home supply and the payment of store bills, the remainder being sold to lobster<br />
and other fishermen for bait. This year of the 32,883 barrels taken only about 7,000<br />
barrels were put up as food.<br />
None are smoked, and there is no material for preparation as sardines.<br />
Shoals of herring appear as soon as the ice breaks up, say from 20th April to<br />
iit May, or when the temperature of the water is about 4S° Fahrenheit (at a few<br />
degrees higher lobsters likewise approach the coast). Striking the shore irregularly<br />
herring remain on the whole seaboard for six weeks, or until the middle of June,<br />
when mackerel come in when the temperature is 60°. Large quantities of herring<br />
are frequently found mixed with mackerel schools in summer. In fall, herring shoals<br />
of a much superior quality again strike our coast.<br />
In previous reports I have drawn attention to the prospects of a profitable fall<br />
herring fishery that exist around three sides of this island, were fishermen enteryrieing<br />
enough to take the matter up. Good. fat herring were seen along the coast<br />
ihis year in July. To do any good with a fall fishery it ought to commence as early<br />
as August or beginning' of September, but at that time mackerel fishing is in full<br />
force, and fishermen hesitate to leave a known business for an unknown one. It<br />
requires only an outfit of fixed nets of 2k-inch mesh instead of the spring size of 2<br />
inches. These nets would fish by themselves when set, and herring catching need<br />
zot interfere with the mackerel fishery, unless drift nets were used, which would<br />
require more time to attend to. In every fall of the past ten years the fishery<br />
wardens have reported good herring on the coast. This is an industry su re to be<br />
leveloped in the future, especially in poor mackerel years. For these reasons, in<br />
reply to recent enquiry by the Fishery Commissioners for Scotland as to the chance<br />
of purchase of Scotch pickled herrings in Prince Edward Island, I felt justified in<br />
answering to the effect that this Province has the raw material for a herri!ig fishery<br />
of her own, even to the extent of considerable export.<br />
Were an export herring fishery established it would be wholly a Canadian in-<br />
3ustry, with no fear of competition from the United States.<br />
Later.—3ince the above was written, considerable quantities of good fall herring<br />
have been taken, until the middle of December, on the coast of King's County, and<br />
aome have been sent fresh to Boston.<br />
MACKEAEL.<br />
Although so few were taken there was no lack of fish on the coast. Er- -<br />
qting in he early part of the season they do not seem to have schooled freely,.<br />
and later they were exceeding wild and unwilling to bite. Including the few canned<br />
arid others that were transported along shore, the catch may be set down as sligntly-