8
Fishing Grounds of the Gulf 1 02 GULF OF MAINE--GEOGRAPHICAL And Historic NAME What is apparently the very first mention of this entire body water shows up on some aged Icelandic charts that demonstrate, roughly, Cape Cod Bay in their the southern area of areas and the Bay of Fundy within the northern. On these maps the cape alone was demonstrated on the "Promontory of Vinland" and was given the name Kialarnes, or the Ship's Nose, from the resemblance in form towards the higher upturned prow of the aged Norse ships. Towards the whole area of the gulf was given the name Vinland's Haf. Oviedo (Historia General de las Indias) sometimes brands this gulf the Arcipelago de La Tramontana, or even the Arcipelago Septentrional--the northern archipelago. He provides us to understand thathe and himself, or Chaves, experienced these details from your Report and Survey of Gomez, who, in his look for a northwest passage to Asian countries in 1525, "identified all these coasts lying between 41? and 41? 30' northern". As a matter of fact, his careful explorations definitely covered all the territory among 40 and 45 levels. The Spanish language navigators who followed Gomez, in explaining these coasts, when implying this gulf, generally known as it in honor of Gomez, the very first of their country to make a careful survey of their shores. As a result it grew to become referred to as Arcipelago de Estevan Gomez, as well as the mainland behind it as Los angeles Tierra de Gomez. It had been so known as around the map of Ribero in 1529 who thus recognized the source of his details. The Biscayans followed Gomez but later gave method to french anglers, who followed down the chain of banks stretching southward from your Lavish Financial institution and entered these waters by means of Cape Sable. These provided to it the name Gulf of Norumbega or Ocean of Norumbega. The name Norumbega was for a time placed on the coast areas and also to the inland country stretching away forever westward and northwestward from your waters from the gulf. This name was afterwards restricted to the smaller section of the gulf at present so termed, even though later, with the coming of the English and the establishment of their colony in Massachusetts, the title Massachusetts Bay came into general use. The charter of Gorges (in Apr, 1639) designated the territory deeded to him as the Province or County of Maine,[4] whence, perhaps, the modern custom of referring to these waters as the Gulf of Maine may have arisen. This newest name seems especially suitable, in view of the fact that the current State of Maine lying immediately opposite its entry capes, stretches along the internal borders from the gulf and with its deeply indented shore line occupies undoubtedly the best portion of its coasts. Thus the title has lastly come into basic use and acceptance in modern times. Evidently it was first officially proposed and used from the Edinburgh Encyclopedia in 1832 [5] and then was adopted by america Coastline Study. [Footnote 4: "All that porcion, parte and purport of the Mayne Land of New England, we doe name, appoynt and ordeyne will forever hereafter bee called and named The Region and Countie of Mayne."]

Fishing Grounds of the Gulf 1 02

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

GULF OF MAINE--GEOGRAPHICAL And Historic NAMEWhat is apparently the very first mention of this entir...

Citation preview

Page 1: Fishing Grounds of the Gulf  1 02

Fishing Grounds of the Gulf 1 02

GULF OF MAINE--GEOGRAPHICAL And Historic NAME

What is apparently the very first mention of this entire body water shows up on some aged Icelandiccharts that demonstrate, roughly, Cape Cod Bay in their the southern area of areas and the Bay ofFundy within the northern. On these maps the cape alone was demonstrated on the "Promontory ofVinland" and was given the name Kialarnes, or the Ship's Nose, from the resemblance in formtowards the higher upturned prow of the aged Norse ships. Towards the whole area of the gulf wasgiven the name Vinland's Haf.

Oviedo (Historia General de las Indias) sometimes brands this gulf the Arcipelago de La Tramontana,or even the Arcipelago Septentrional--the northern archipelago. He provides us to understand thatheand himself, or Chaves, experienced these details from your Report and Survey of Gomez, who, inhis look for a northwest passage to Asian countries in 1525, "identified all these coasts lyingbetween 41? and 41? 30' northern". As a matter of fact, his careful explorations definitely covered allthe territory among 40 and 45 levels.

The Spanish language navigators who followed Gomez, in explaining these coasts, when implyingthis gulf, generally known as it in honor of Gomez, the very first of their country to make a carefulsurvey of their shores. As a result it grew to become referred to as Arcipelago de Estevan Gomez, aswell as the mainland behind it as Los angeles Tierra de Gomez. It had been so known as around themap of Ribero in 1529 who thus recognized the source of his details.

The Biscayans followed Gomez but later gave method to french anglers, who followed down thechain of banks stretching southward from your Lavish Financial institution and entered these watersby means of Cape Sable. These provided to it the name Gulf of Norumbega or Ocean of Norumbega.The name Norumbega was for a time placed on the coast areas and also to the inland countrystretching away forever westward and northwestward from your waters from the gulf.

This name was afterwards restricted to the smaller section of the gulf at present so termed, eventhough later, with the coming of the English and the establishment of their colony in Massachusetts,the title Massachusetts Bay came into general use.

The charter of Gorges (in Apr, 1639) designated the territory deeded to him as the Province orCounty of Maine,[4] whence, perhaps, the modern custom of referring to these waters as the Gulf ofMaine may have arisen. This newest name seems especially suitable, in view of the fact that thecurrent State of Maine lying immediately opposite its entry capes, stretches along the internalborders from the gulf and with its deeply indented shore line occupies undoubtedly the best portionof its coasts. Thus the title has lastly come into basic use and acceptance in modern times. Evidentlyit was first officially proposed and used from the Edinburgh Encyclopedia in 1832 [5] and then wasadopted by america Coastline Study.

[Footnote 4: "All that porcion, parte and purport of the Mayne Land of New England, we doe name,appoynt and ordeyne will forever hereafter bee called and named The Region and Countie ofMayne."]

Page 2: Fishing Grounds of the Gulf  1 02

[Footnote 5: Edinburgh Encyclopedia, Philadelphia version, by Thomas Parker, Vol. XVIII, p. 263.]

DESCRIPTION

A really striking and peculiar entire body of water is it Gulf of Maine, significantly different incharacter from any other from the bays around the coastline line of the eastern U . S .. Particularlydoes it vary in the level of their seaside waters, where in all of the other people, except the muchsmaller New York City Bay, the shoal drinking water is found stretching significantly out from theproperty.

Within the Gulf of Maine, nevertheless, using the single different of the Full Report locality ofAmmens Rock and roll on the eastern a part of Cashes Financial institution, the entire main areapresents navigable strong water using a imply level of 100 fathoms, from which rise the differentunder water plateaus, whose depths typical about 50 fathoms and which make up the larger of theminn kota edge reasons. Along with these, numerous smaller sized banks and "angling areas" arenormally found nearer the land in which they lie a across the 50-fathom bend.

In general this curve lies at a distance of about 16 miles from the coast line, but in many instances itapproaches much neared to the mainland. From this 50-fathom depth the soundings reduce reallygradually to the 20 and 10 fathom represents.

These second option soundings tend to be kept significantly in toward the coast collection, evencarrying the deep drinking water well into the stream mouths, so that in seriously indented hays, inlong inlets running far into land, in the river mouths, the deep drinking water behind the rockyheadlands, or perhaps in the lee from the thousands of browse-cleaned islands that collection thecoastline, are normally found innumerable secure anchorages within easy run from the fishingreasons, in which the fleets might take shelter from the sudden blow or await the appearance of a"seafood day," when conditions may permit "making a set up" under the struggles of winter seasonfishing.

When the marine attributes of this area are significantly distinctive from those of other seaside bodyfrom the eastern United States, so and too the shore property, battered as it really has been bystorm and sea or used by glacial motion or Arctic currents, is not any much less remarkable.

No other portion of the eastern United States features a comparable coastline, so serrated, indented,and tough, as has this shoreline line of the Gulf of Maine. Here the battering by the forces of naturehas led to making thousands of safe harbors and havens for the navigator. All together shoreline arestrewn hundreds of islands, a feature feature of the region and one observed with question by everyearly explorer. [6] These islands, if near the land, are beautiful and smiling; if in the open sea, ofrugged grandeur; and mainland and island alike are inhabited by a numerous and hardy race offisher folk.

The tides within the Gulf of Maine have a very great fall and rise as compared with other seas in thisregion. Beginning at once at the north of Cape Cod with a rise of from 7 to 10 feet these increasequite constantly as they go eastward reaching about 28 feet in the neighborhood of PassamaquoddyBay, to touch their highest point in the Bay of Fundy, where in many places is a rise and fall of 50feet, and in some few places tides of 70 feet are reported, although at the south of Cape Cod tides

Page 3: Fishing Grounds of the Gulf  1 02

are seldom over 4 feet in their range. These Fundy tides most likely are the best on the planet.

This great flow and ebb water serves to aid shipbuilding and the starting of vessels as well as tocarry the strong water far up in to the inlets from the coast and into the mouths of the rivers,making these navigable for projects of considerable dimension well into the land or up to the lowestfalls from the channels.

The weather right here is just one of extreme conditions, and, lying as it does among 42? and 45?northern latitude, the location may be said to be cold. Apparently the seas from the Gulf of Maineusually are not affected by any stray current from your Gulf Stream, which goes by at a substantialdistance from the mouth, thus performing little to temper the chilly of the area possibly on land or atsea. Regardless of whether these seas are cooled additional by any stream from the LabradorCurrent might be questioned.

The winter seasons are lengthy, generally bringing heavy snowfalls; and strong gales are frequentduring much of the winter and fall period. Perhaps the most dangerous of these "blows" emergefrom the mountain to the northwest and north of the gulf. Therefore, in addition to the uncertainty ofan opportunity to set gear when as soon as upon the minn kota edge grounds, the wintertime minnkota edge the following is not without its component of serious threat. Yet, perhaps because of thestrong tidal currents of these waters, the principal harbors rarely are closed by ice, or, if closed, forbut a few days only, while the ice crop in northern New England never fails.

While the summers are relatively mild as well as in certain parts of them even extremely warm, fogsare weighty and virtually constant during the "dog days" (July 20 to September 1). when southerlyand south-westerly breezes bring the warm moist atmosphere from the Gulf Flow into the coldercurrents from the property. The fogs of Fundy are especially observed, even in these seas.Throughout the summer time months winds from your eastern and north deliver the only clearweather experienced in the outer chain of fishing reasons.

The main entire body of the gulf lies approximately between 42? and 45? northern latitude. It reallyis in type like a deep bowl in whose external edge is created by Georges Bank and Browns Financialinstitution, having a slim, deep-water spillway among: its region is half encircled within the armsfrom the mainland, two conspicuous headlands getting to bodily seaward to mark its wide entranceat the opposing sides--Cape Cod, Bulk. [7] around the western part, and Cape Sable, [8] Nova Scotia,on the eastern flank, faraway from one another about 230 miles. These two capes array with oneanother about ENE. and WSW, therefore matching as well the overall pattern of the coastlinecollection, from the island stores and of the offshore ledges within this region.

Page 4: Fishing Grounds of the Gulf  1 02

From the base line connecting these outposts from the gulf the space to the Maine coastline oppositeaverages about 120 miles. From Cape Sable, at its eastern finish, the coast trends for a few range tothe north west, whence a continuation of this program hits the coast of Maine near West QuoddyHead far away of quite a lot more than 110 miles. From Western Quoddy head to Cape Elizabeth(inside a immediate collection about 160 kilometers) the coastline, in general tough, difficult, andwith many lofty headlands is extremely unusual and deeply indented and follows an over-all courseof WSW. Thence, the coast, reduced and getting more and more sandy, starts to trend moredecidedly southern-western until it gets to Boston, in the event it transforms to the southeast, andalso to the east towards Cape Cod.

But this is simply not the entire story. There remain outside of these mentioned limitations the Bayof Fundy in the northern, having a feasible area of 3,000 square kilometers; and at the southernCape Cod Bay, in whose region, with that of the waters west of the perpendicular drawn from yourtraditional western finish from the base line that hits the property within the locality of Portsmouth,N. H. makes an additional section that contains near to 1,500 square kilometers. Within the limitsthus inclosed there 30, roughly and are000 sq . kilometers of many productive ground mostintensively fished via all the year.

The Bay of Fundy is split at its head by Cape Chignecto, making two limbs to north and to eastern--Chignecto Bay and Minas Basin. Both are valuable and productive minn kota edge grounds,although with these smaller areas, lying as they do entirely within the territorial limits of Canada,American fishermen have little to do.

[Footnote 6: William Strachey (1609), talking especially of Casco Bay, however the terms equallyrelevant to almost any stretch from the Maine coast, states "A really great bay in which there lyethsoe many islands and soe thick and neere with each other, that can barely be discerned the number,yet might any ship pause betwixt, the best part of them getting seldom lesse drinking water thaneight or 10 fathoms about them"--Background of Travalle into Virginia Britannica.]

[Footnote 7: This, by far the most striking cape of the Atlantic coastline line, made a very notable

Page 5: Fishing Grounds of the Gulf  1 02

landmark for all of the earlier ocean voyagers nearing it, and all were greatly impressed by it,whether or not they originated from the south and fought their way via its shoals to eastward, or,from the northern, found them selves caught in the strong wallet which it makes with Cape Cod Bay.

The Spaniard Gomez (1525) gave it the title "Cabo de do Aricifes" cape of the reefs, referring to theharmful shoals towards the eastward. The Frenchmen Du and Champlain Monts known as it "CapeBlanc", and the Dutch pilots, also noting its soft sand cliffs, called it Witte Hoeck. The EnglishCaptain Anthony Gosnold, the first to make a direct passage to the waters of the Gulf of Maine fromEurope, although at first he called it "Shoal Hope", soon changed this, because of the success of hisfishing, to "Cape Cod", which title, commonplace though it be, has been the name to endure despitePrince Charles's attempt to change it to Cape James in honor of his father., even though the Englishmariners at first accepted his last name of White Cape]

[Footnote 8: Cape Sable, at the southern end of Nova Scotia, has kept this title from really oldoccasions. It is so indicated on a Portuguese map of the midst of the sixteenth century.]

BAY OF FUNDY

In the various months of the year the entire Bay of Fundy [9] is really a minn kota edge floor forsardines and huge herring; and while they are of relatively much less significance in recent yearsthan previously, the main fisheries of this area still middle around the herring industries--theproviding from the canning factories using the small herring utilized as sardines and the getting oflarge herring for bait and food. The sardine business of the State of Maine is essentially focused inthe area about and including Eastport and Lubec, in which about 30 of thehttp://www.trollingmotors.net/model/minn-kota-trolling-motor 59 factories and 16 of the 43operating companies are located; to ensure that, while the herring catches of recent years havedropped a lot lacking their previous proportions, they still display imposing numbers.

In the past a lot of the capture was taken in St. Andrews (Passamaquoddy) Bay and along the north

Page 6: Fishing Grounds of the Gulf  1 02

shoreline of the Bay of Fundy to Lepreau Bay and Point. Lepreau. Of late many years hardly anyherring have been consumed in these waters, where the herring schools that arrive in October werefamiliar with stay till spring. Of past fishing in this area Capt. Sumner Stuart, of Lubec, states:

"The herring remaining St. Andrews Bay and the North Shoreline about 1885. There is absolutely nosummer netting there now. Those seas and Lepreau Bay were formerly very productive fishingreasons, it becoming not unusual to take 5,000 (count) big herrings (meals fish) in a single haul.These were primarily spring and winter minn kota edge grounds for large herring. The fish appear tohave disappeared from all these grounds at about the same time.[10]

"In past many years (25 to thirty years back) little herring were powered ashore in these amounts bytheir enemies--squid, sterling silver hake and dogfish--that it sometimes grew to become necessaryfor the respective authorities at St. John to utilize a snowplow to pay for them in which they setdecaying on the seaside."

From your data from the sardine and smoked-herring business for the calendar year 1924 (a year, beit observed, in which the sardine business almost achieved reduced--degree mark for the pack) theseas of the Bay of Fundy furnished to United states purchasers alone an overall total of herring forsmoking and canning reasons amounting to 76,756,250 pounds valued to the fishermen at $957,665.This showing, bad because it is in comparison with the numbers of other many years, by no meansrepresents the herring fishery as an insignificant industry. There still remains to be taken intoaccount the capture of herring of Grand Manan and the neighboring Canadian Provinces.

A brand new source of profit towards the anglers within this business has been created in thepurchase of herring scales by companies involved in the manufacture of artificial pearls. For thisspecific purpose there were collected at Eastport and Lubec 700,000 lbs of herring scales, valued at$39, a and ; further quantity was used at Lavish Manan of 140,000 lbs, priced at $7,000. With otherentrants currently within the area, this branch of the business bids reasonable to grow to stillgreater importance.

A quote of the amount of weirs in Saint. Andrews Bay, by Capt. Guilford Mitchell of Eastport, Me., isas follows: Canadian: 1921: 126 weirs 1923: 40 weirs Calais to Eastport: 1921: 35 weirs; 1923: 7weirs Total number in Canadian, operation and 1923 about 300; United states less than 130.

North Shore and coast of Nova Scotia. Along the Northern Shoreline and from Yarmouth to CapeSable, over a hard bottom, cod are plentiful. The western shore of Nova Scotia is virtually all minnkota edge ground for cod, haddock and hake and cusk, but trawling is somewhat handicapped hereby strong tides and rocky bottom, these combining to destroy much gear. In summer these fish areoccasionally found close inshore along the southwest coast, going somewhat beyond Digby to thenorthward, though halibut are somewhat unusual on this western shore except about the mouth ofthe Bay of Fundy. Haddocking is very an important industry off Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, during thewinter, the units being of rather short period and made at the slack of the tide at high drinkingwater. This practice is made necessary from the weighty tidal currents on these grounds.

The entire traditional western coastline of Nova Scotia is herring floor at some season of the season."Drifting" for herring was formerly a considerable industry from Digby to Briers Island, but in theselast few years it has not been important, although the year 1927 had a very good run of large foodfish. This western coastline is also an important fishing area for lobster guys.

Page 7: Fishing Grounds of the Gulf  1 02

Swordfishing in the Bay of Fundy was formerly profitable in September, although these fish werenever so numerous here as upon the outer shore of Nova Scotia.

St. Marys Bay is a summer herring ground. Great haddocking might be experiencedalso and here,from Apr 15 to October 15, with the period from your opening of the minn kota edge in April up toJuly 15 the best of it.

The mackerel fishery of the Bay of Fundy appears of relatively small importance during these secondoption years. The local fishermen state that the fish can not originate the tides of these seas! Theabundance of little herring should be an inducement adequate to take them here. Apparently thesefish successfully pass directly inshore northwesterly and reach the coast of Maine. A considerableamount of this species is taken by traps and by netting in St. Marys Bay and in the overall vicinity ofYarmouth, Nova Scotia, as at Cranberry Brain, Burns Stage. Beaver River, Woods Harbour, and atmany other factors between Yarmouth and Cape Sable; however the internal waters from the Bay ofFundy show very thin attracts when compared with the fantastic quantity adopted the externalshores of Nova Scotia in a normal mackerel period. It really has been 32 years, it is stated, because avariety of mackerel have already been "hooked" in St. Mary's Bay.

Lurcher Shoal. This is situated WSW, from Cape St, Mary 19 kilometers and WNW, from CapeFourchu, distant 13 kilometers, it is an irregularly formed bit of bottom, a difficult floor, about 5miles lengthy, north and south, by 3 kilometers broad, There are a variety of "nubbles" arising to5

Page 8: Fishing Grounds of the Gulf  1 02

and 7, and 9 fathom depths--with a place noted as having only 12 ft water more than it-- rising fromyour typical depths over the remainder of the shoal of from 13 to 15 fathoms. More than thistypically rocky bottom are spread areas of pea gravel and of seashells, Depths about the shoal comefrom 30 to 50 fathoms over a base consisting mostly of stones, Tide rips are extremely heavy righthere, The seasons and varieties found listed here are as on Trinity: haddock, pollock and cod andherring, it is a great lobster floor.

Trinity Shoal. This shoal, 14 miles N. by W. from Cape Fourchu and 7? miles SW. from Cape St Mary,having a rocky base upon it as well as over an indefinite region about it, is perhaps 3 kilometerslong, NE and SW, by some 2 kilometers wide. Near the center is a rock, uncovered at low water, butover the greater part of the shoal there are depths of from 6 to 10 fathoms, with an average of from12 to 16 fathoms over the sandy and stony ground about it. There is a powerful tide rip here on thenortheastern and eastern component referred to as Flood Tide Eddy, where is good fishing by handline for pollock in Sept and October. haddock and Cod are taken here in small amounts by trawling.This is a herring floor also, and there exists a lobster ground on the shoal and all of about it.

A cod ground extends overseas SW from Briers Island, beginning about 5 kilometers right out of thetropical island and stretching to around 18 kilometers from the property. Its width is all about 4kilometers. Depths more than this region are from 40 to 60 fathoms spanning a hard, shelly bottom.Cod are used here in from 30 to 44 fathoms around the shoal ground running from 5 kilometers fromGull Rock and the Southern-Western Ledges right down to the Lurcher Shoal, a distance of about 22kilometers. Between these factors minn kota edge is performed mainly by hand-lining "at a drift."Cod are bought out the ledges in five fathoms of water and thence to 60 fathoms about them fromAugust to Nov. Pollock are used from the exact same method. The best season is August. September,and October. This is an excellent lobster ground.

Northwest Ledge. Lies about 3 3/4 miles northwesterly from Briers Island. This can be a bit of rockybase a couple of miles long by some thing less than 1 distance wide with depths of from 2 to 10fathoms over the soundings and ledge of 12 to 30 fathoms around the gravelly floor about it. Cod arefound here in great deal from September to November, comprehensive, and therefore are usedmanually-lining. Pollock are also taken here in summer time, "drailing" manually line.

A narrow piece of rocky ground with somewhat better depths connects this with Batsons Shoal,some 5 miles SW., the two thus creating what is virtually a single piece of floor. The methods ofminn kota edge, the species taken, and the seasons of their abundance are the same on both, thoughdepths on Batsons Shoal are rather less than on Northwest Ledge. The bottom all about these twogrounds is rocky, with from 20 to 40 fathoms inside of them, but this deepens rapidly to 100 fathomsover rocks and coarse gravel outside of them to W. and NW.