Fishing Grounds of the Gulf 1 02

GULF OF MAINE--GEOGRAPHICAL & HISTORICAL NAME

What exactly is evidently the earliest mention of this entire body of water shows up on some old
Icelandic graphs that demonstrate, roughly, Cape Cod Bay in their the southern area of locations
and the Bay of Fundy in the north. On these charts the cape alone was shown around the
"Promontory of Vinland" and was given the title Kialarnes, or the Ship's Nose, from the resemblance
in form towards the higher upturned prow from the old Norse vessels. To the entire area of the gulf
was because of the name Vinland's Haf.
Oviedo (Historia General de las Indias) sometimes names this gulf the Arcipelago de Los angeles
Tramontana, or even the Arcipelago Septentrional--the north archipelago. He gives us to understand
thathimself and he, or Chaves, experienced these details from your Report and Survey of Gomez,
who, in his search for a northwest passageway to Asian countries in 1525, "identified each one of
these coasts lying down between 41? and 41? 30' north". As a matter of truth, his careful
explorations definitely protected all the territory among 40 and 45 degrees.
The Spanish navigators who implemented Gomez, in explaining these coasts, when indicating this
gulf, usually named it in honor of Gomez, the very first of the country to create a careful survey of
their shores. As a result it grew to become referred to as Arcipelago de Estevan Gomez, and the
mainland behind it as La Tierra de Gomez. It had been so known as on the map of Ribero in 1529
who thus recognized the source of his information.
The Biscayans followed Gomez but later on provided way to the French anglers, who implemented
down the chain of banks extending southward from the Grand Financial institution and came into
these seas by way of Cape Sable. These gave into 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 out away forever westward and northwestward from the seas of 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 April, 1639) designated the territory deeded to him as the Region or Area
of Maine,[4] whence, maybe, the current customized of talking about these seas because the Gulf of
Maine might have arisen. This latest title seems particularly suitable, in view of the fact that the
present State of Maine lying down directly opposing its entry capes, stretches along the inner
borders from the gulf along with its deeply indented shore line occupies by far the best portion of its
coasts. Thus the name has lastly enter into general use and acceptance nowadays. Apparently it was
first officially used and proposed from the Edinburgh Encyclopedia in 1832 [5] and then was adopted
by the United States Coast Survey.
[Footnote 4: "All of that purport, parte and porcion from the Mayne Land of New Britain, we doe
title, ordeyne and appoynt shall permanently hereafter bee called and named The Region and
Countie of Mayne."]
[Footnote 5: Edinburgh Encyclopedia, Philadelphia version, by Thomas Parker, Vol. XVIII, p. 263.]
DESCRIPTION
A really peculiar and striking entire body of water is it Gulf of Maine, significantly different in
character from any other from the bays on the coastline line of the eastern United States.
Particularly will it vary within the depth of its seaside seas, where in all of the other people, other
than the smaller New York Bay, the shoal water is found extending significantly right out of the
property.
In the Gulf of Maine, nevertheless, with the solitary exception of the locality of Ammens Rock on the
eastern part of Cashes Financial institution, the entire central area provides navigable deep drinking
water using a mean depth of 100 fathoms, out of which increase the different underwater plateaus,
whose depths typical about 50 fathoms and which make up the larger from the minn kota edge
reasons. Along with these, many smaller banking institutions and "fishing areas" are found nearer
the property in which they lie a along the 50-fathom curve.
In many instances it approaches much neared to the mainland, although in general this curve lies at
a distance of about 16 miles from the coast line. Out of this 50-fathom level the soundings reduce
really gradually towards the 10 and 20 fathom represents.
These second option soundings are often kept significantly in toward the coast line, even
transporting the strong water properly into the stream mouths, so that in seriously indented hays, in
long inlets operating far into land, in the stream mouths, the deep drinking water right behind the
rocky headlands, or in the lee of the 1000s of surf-cleaned islands that line the coast, are found
innumerable safe anchorages inside easy operate from the fishing reasons, in which the fleets might
take protection from the sudden blow or await the appearance of a "seafood time," when problems
may permit "creating a set up" underneath the hardships of winter season fishing.
When the marine attributes of this area are radically distinctive from those of other coastal body
from the eastern United too, States and so the shore property, battered as it really has been by
storm and sea or worn by glacial motion or Arctic currents, is no less remarkable.
Hardly any other section of the eastern U . S . features a comparable coastline, so serrated,
indented, and tough, as has this shore line of the Gulf of Maine. Here the battering from the causes
of nature has resulted in creating 1000s of safe harbors and havens for your navigator. All together
shore are strewn hundreds of isles, a feature feature from the region and something observed with
wonder by each and every earlier explorer. [6] These islands, if near the land, are beautiful and
smiling; if in the open sea, of rugged grandeur; and island and mainland alike are inhabited by a
hardy and numerous race of fisher folk.
The tides within the Gulf of Maine have a very great fall and rise as compared with other waters in
this region. Beginning at once at the north of Cape Cod with a rise of from 7 to 10 feet these
increase quite constantly as they go eastward reaching about 28 feet in the neighborhood of
Passamaquoddy Bay, to touch their highest point in the Bay of Fundy, where in many places is a rise
and fall of 50 feet, and in some few places tides of 70 feet are reported, although at the south of
Cape Cod tides are seldom over 4 feet in their range. These Fundy tides most likely would be the
best on the planet.
This great ebb and flow water assists to assist shipbuilding as well as the starting of vessels as well
as to have the strong water far up into the inlets from the coastline and into the mouths of the rivers,
making these navigable for projects of substantial dimension well in to the property or up to the
lowest drops from the channels.
The climate here is one of extremes, and, lying because it does among 42? and 45? north latitude,
the region might be reported to be cold. Apparently the waters from the Gulf of Maine are not
affected by any stray current from the Gulf Flow, which passes in a substantial distance from the
mouth area, therefore doing little to temper the chilly of the region possibly on property or at ocean.
Whether these seas are cooled additional by any flow from your Labrador Present may be
questioned.
The winter seasons are lengthy, usually delivering heavy snowfalls; and powerful gales are frequent
during much of the winter and fall season. Perhaps the most hazardous of those "blows" emerge
from the mountain peak towards the northwest and north of the gulf. Therefore, as well as the doubt
of a chance to set up equipment when once on the fishing grounds, the winter fishing here is not
without its component of serious threat. While the ice crop in northern New England never fails, yet,
perhaps because of the strong tidal currents of these waters, the principal harbors rarely are closed
by ice, or, if closed, for but a few days only.
As the summer season are relatively mild as well as in specific areas of them even very warm, fogs
are heavy and virtually constant throughout the "canine days" (July 20 to September 1). when
southerly and southern-westerly breezes deliver the warm moist atmosphere from the Gulf Stream in
to the colder currents from the land. The fogs of Fundy are especially observed, even during these
seas. During the summer time seasons winds from your east and north bring the only crystal clear
weather conditions familiar with the outer sequence of minn kota edge grounds.
The main entire body from the gulf lies approximately between 42? and 45? north latitude. It is in
type just like a strong bowl whose external rim is created by Georges Bank and Browns Financial
institution, having a slim, strong-drinking water spillway between: its area is half encircled within
the hands from the mainland, two conspicuous headlands reaching physical seaward to tag its wide
entrance in the opposing edges--Cape Cod, Bulk. [7] around the western part, and Cape Sable, [8]
Nova Scotia, around the eastern flank, faraway from each other about 230 miles. These two capes
range with one another about ENE. and WSW, thus coordinating as well the general pattern of the
coast collection, from the tropical island stores and of the offshore ledges within this area.
From the foundation line connecting these outposts of the gulf the distance towards the Maine coast
opposite averages about 120 kilometers. From Cape Sable, at its eastern end, the coastline trends
for some range to the north west, whence a continuation of the program hits the coastline of Maine
near West Quoddy Brain at a distance of rather more than 110 kilometers. From West Quoddy visit
Cape Elizabeth (inside a immediate line about 160 miles) the coast, generally rough, difficult, and
with many lofty headlands is incredibly irregular and deeply indented and comes after an over-all
span of WSW. Thence, the coastline, lower and getting more and more sandy, begins to pattern
much more decidedly south-western till it reaches Boston, when it turns to the southeast, and to the
east toward Cape Cod.
But this is not the entire story. There stay outside of these stated limits the Bay of Fundy in the
northern, with a possible area of 3,000 square kilometers; and also at the southern Cape Cod Bay, in
whose area, with that of the seas west of the perpendicular driven from your western end from the
base collection that strikes the property in the vicinity of Portsmouth, N. H. can make an extra area
that contains near to 1,500 square kilometers. Inside the limitations thus inclosed there roughly, 30
and are000 sq . kilometers of most productive ground most intensively fished via all of the calendar
year.
The Bay of Fundy is split at its brain by Cape Chignecto, creating two limbs to north and also to east-
-Chignecto Bay and Minas Basin. With these smaller areas, lying as they do entirely within the
territorial limits of Canada, American fishermen have little to do, although both are valuable and
productive minn kota edge grounds.
[Footnote 6: William Strachey (1609), speaking particularly of Casco Bay, however the terms
similarly applicable to just about any stretch of the Maine coast, says "A very great bay where there
lyeth soe many isles and soe heavy and neere with each other, that can barely be discerned the
number, but might any deliver pause betwixt, the greatest a part of them getting rarely lesse
drinking water than eight or 10 fathoms about them"--History of Travalle into Virginia Britannica.]
[Footnote 7: This, the most stunning cape of the Atlantic coastline line, made a really notable
landmark for all of the early sea voyagers approaching it, and all had been greatly astounded by it,
whether or not they came from the south and fought their way through its shoals to eastward, or,
coming from the north, discovered them selves captured in the strong pocket which it makes with
Cape Cod Bay.
The Spaniard Gomez (1525) gave it the title "Cabo de do Aricifes" cape of the reefs, talking about
the harmful shoals towards the eastward. The Frenchmen Champlain and Du Monts named it "Cape
Blanc", as well as the Dutch pilots, also mentioning its soft sand cliffs, called it Witte Hoeck. The
English Captain Anthony Gosnold, the first to make a direct passage to the waters of the Gulf of
Maine from Europe, although at first he called it "Shoal Hope", soon changed this, because of the
success of his fishing, to "Cape Cod", which title, commonplace though it be, has been the name to
endure despite Prince Charles's attempt to change it to Cape James in honor of his father., even
though the English mariners at first accepted his last name of White Cape]
[Footnote 8: Cape Sable, in the southern end of Nova Scotia, has kept this title from really aged
occasions. It is so pointed out on the Portuguese chart of the midst of the sixteenth century.]
BAY OF FUNDY
In the various months of the season the entire Bay of Fundy [9] is really a minn kota edge floor for
sardines and large herring; and even though these are of somewhat much less importance in recent
years than previously, the principal fisheries of the area still middle round the herring sectors--the
supplying of the canning factories using the small herring used as sardines as well as the taking of
big herring for food and bait. The sardine industry of the condition of Maine is essentially focused in
the area about and including Lubec and Eastport, where about 30 of the 59 production facilities and
16 of the 43 operating companies are located; to ensure that, while the herring attracts of recent
times have dropped much short of their former dimensions, they still display imposing numbers.
Previously a lot of the capture was taken in St. Andrews (Passamaquoddy) Bay and along the
northern shore of the Bay of Fundy to Lepreau Bay and Point. Lepreau. Of late years virtually no
herring have been consumed in these seas, in which the herring schools that get to October were
accustomed to stay until spring. Of previous minn kota edge in this area Capt. Sumner Stuart, of
Lubec, states:
"The herring remaining Saint. Andrews Bay as well as the Northern Shore about 1885. There is
absolutely no summer time netting there now. Those seas and Lepreau Bay had been previously very
effective minn kota edge reasons, it being not unusual to take 5,000 (matter) big herrings (food
seafood) in one haul. They were mainly winter and spring minn kota edge reasons for large herring.
The fish appear to have vanished coming from all these grounds at approximately the same time.[10]
"In past years (25 to 30 years back) small herring were driven ashore in such amounts by their
opponents--squid, sterling silver hake and dogfish--it sometimes grew to become necessary for the
respective authorities at St. John to use a snowplow to pay for them in which they set decaying
around the seaside."
From the statistics of the sardine and smoked-herring industry for the calendar year 1924 (annually,
be it noted, in which the sardine business almost reached low--degree mark for the pack) the seas of
the Bay of Fundy furnished to American purchasers alone an overall total of herring for canning and
smoking purposes amounting to 76,756,250 lbs highly valued towards the fishermen at $957,665.
This showing, poor because it is in comparison with the figures of other many years, by no means
represents the herring fishery being an unimportant industry. There still continues to be to be taken
into account the capture of herring of Grand Manan and the nearby Canadian Provinces.
A brand new source of profit towards the anglers within this business has been created in
purchasing herring scales by firms engaged in the creation of artificial pearls. For this specific
purpose there were collected at Lubec and Eastport 700,000 lbs of herring scales, priced at $a, 39
and ; further quantity was used at Lavish Manan of 140,000 pounds, valued at $7,000. Along with
other entrants already in the field, this branch from the industry bids reasonable to grow to
nevertheless better importance.
An estimate of the amount of weirs in St. Andrews Bay, by Capt. Guilford Mitchell of Eastport, Me.,
is as comes after: Canadian: 1921: 126 weirs 1923: 40 weirs Calais to Eastport: 1921: 35 weirs;
1923: 7 weirs Complete amount in operation, 1923 and Canadian about 300; American less than
130.
Northern Shore and coast of Nova Scotia. Across the North Shoreline and from Yarmouth to Cape
Sable, spanning a hard bottom, cod abound. The western shore of Nova Scotia is virtually all minn
kota edge ground for hake, cod and haddock and cusk, but trawling is somewhat handicapped here
by strong tides and rocky bottom, these combining to destroy much gear. In summer these page fish
are occasionally found close inshore along the southwest coast, going somewhat beyond Digby to the
northward, though halibut are somewhat unusual on this western shore except about the mouth of
the Bay of Fundy. Haddocking is quite an essential industry off Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, throughout
the winter, the sets becoming of rather brief period and made at the slack from the tide at higher
drinking water. This practice is created necessary from the heavy tidal currents on these reasons.
The whole traditional western coast 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 these
last few years it has not been important, although the year 1927 had a very good run of large food
fish. This traditional western coastline is also an essential fishing region 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 really a summer time herring floor. Good haddocking may be experiencedhere and
also, from Apr 15 to October 15, with the period from your opening up of the minn kota edge in Apr
up to July 15 the very best of it.
The mackerel fishery from the Bay of Fundy seems of relatively little importance in these latter many
years. The regional fishermen say that the fish are unable to stem the tides of those seas! The large
quantity of small herring ought to be an inducement adequate to bring them here. Evidently these
seafood successfully pass directly inshore northwesterly and reach the coastline of Maine. A
considerable amount of this species is taken by traps and by netting in St. Marys Bay and in the
general locality of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, as at Cranberry Head, Burns Stage. Beaver River, Forest
Harbour, and also at various other points between Yarmouth and Cape Sable; however the inner
waters of the Bay of Fundy display very thin catches in comparison with the great quantity taken on
the outer shores of Nova Scotia in a typical mackerel season. It has been 32 years, it is said, because
a variety of http://www.minn-kota.com/ mackerel have already been "hooked" in Saint. Mary's Bay.
Lurcher Shoal. This is situated WSW, from Cape Saint, Mary 19 kilometers and WNW, from Cape
Fourchu, faraway 13 miles, it is really an irregularly formed bit of bottom, a rocky ground, about 5
kilometers long, south and north, by 3 kilometers broad, There are a number of "nubbles" developing
to5 and 7, and 9 fathom depths--having a spot reported as getting only 12 feet of water over it--
rising from the typical depths over the remainder of the shoal of from 13 to 15 fathoms. More than
this typically rocky base are spread patches of pea gravel and of shells, Depths concerning the shoal
are from 30 to 50 fathoms spanning a base consisting mostly of rocks, Tide rips are extremely
weighty here, The months and species found listed here are as on Trinity: cod, haddock and pollock
and herring, this is a great lobster ground.
Trinity Shoal. This shoal, 14 kilometers N. by W. from Cape Fourchu and 7? kilometers SW. from
Cape St Mary, with a difficult bottom on it as well as over an indefinite region about this, is probably
3 miles long, SW and NE, by some 2 miles broad. Over the greater part of the shoal there are depths
of from 6 to 10 fathoms, with an average of from 12 to 16 fathoms over the sandy and stony ground
about it, though near the center is a rock, uncovered at low water. There is a powerful tide rip right
here around the eastern and northeastern part referred to as Deluge Tide Eddy, in which is good
minn kota edge by hand line for pollock in Sept and October. Cod and haddock are taken here in
small amounts by trawling. It is a herring floor also, and there is a lobster ground on the shoal and
all about it.
A cod ground extends offshore SW from Briers Island, starting about 5 kilometers right out of the
tropical island and stretching to around 18 kilometers from the property. Its width is all about 4
miles. Depths more than this area come from 40 to 60 fathoms over a difficult, shelly base. Cod are
taken here in from 30 to 44 fathoms on the shoal floor running from 5 kilometers from Gull Rock and
the Southern-West Ledges right down to the Lurcher Shoal, a distance of approximately 22 miles.
Among these factors fishing is performed mostly by hand-coating "in a drift." Cod are taken over the
ledges in 5 fathoms of water and thence out to 60 fathoms about them from August to Nov. Pollock
are taken by the exact same method. The best months are August. September, and October. This is
an excellent lobster floor.
Northwest Ledge. Is situated about 3 3/4 miles northwesterly from Briers Tropical island. This can
be a bit of rocky bottom a couple of miles long by something less than 1 mile broad with depths of
from 2 to 10 fathoms over the soundings and ledge of 12 to 30 fathoms on the gravelly floor about
this. Cod are found here in great deal from Sept to Nov, inclusive, and are used by hand-coating.
Pollock also are used within summer time, "drailing" manually line.
A slim bit of rocky ground with somewhat better depths connects this with Batsons Shoal, some 5
miles SW., the 2 thus creating what exactly is virtually one piece of floor. The methods of fishing, the
species taken, and the seasons of their abundance are the same on both, though depths on Batsons
Shoal are rather less than on Northwest Ledge. The bottom all about these two grounds is rocky,
with from 20 to 40 fathoms inside of them, but this deepens rapidly to 100 fathoms over rocks and
coarse gravel outside of them to W. and NW.