THE NEWFOUNDLAND COD FISHERY
The cod is widely distributed in the northern and temperate seas of
Europe and America. It lives close to the bottom, in from 25 to 50
fathoms of water, and feeds upon fish, small crustacea, worms and
mollusca. The cod spawns in the Spring. Of the 4,000,000 or so eggs
that are spawned by a single female cod, comparatively few are hatched,
and fewer still reach maturity. The young are about 1 in. long by the
beginning of the summer, and become fit for the market at the end of
the second year. Usually, the fish are mature at the end of the third
year, and then measure about 3 ft. in length, and weigh from 12 to 20
lbs. They are in the finest condition in October, November and December.
In addition to its great value as a food fish, the cod, like the
sturgeon, yields isinglass (a pure fish gelatine) from its swimming
bladder, and oil from its liver. Cod-liver oil is largely used as a
remedy for scrofulous complaints—probably owing to its content of
vitamins. It is also used effectively in cases of pulmonary consumption.
Cod is fished along the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador, and on
the Banks. The Banks stretch for about 300 miles in a south-east
direction from the coast of Newfoundland towards the middle of the
North Atlantic. They are swept by the cold Labrador current. A branch
of the Gulf Stream passes over the southern portion of the Banks. These
currents bring enormous quantities of plankton and small fish, which
provide excellent food for the many varieties of fish and small,
invertebrate, marine animals that inhabit the Banks. These, in their
turn, provide abundant food for the cod.
The cod, together with other demersal fish, including haddock, hake
and pollack, is caught with baited hooks and lines. This fishery has
continued with unbroken prosperity for nearly four centuries. In
addition to the Newfoundland boats, a large number of American boats
set out for the Banks from Gloucester (Mass.). Most of the boats are
sailing boats of about 35 tons capacity, and of sturdy construction.
Each boat carries eight dories—small row-boats about 15 ft.
long—amidships. The crew consists of a captain and cook, and sixteen
men—two for each dory.
The “Banks” stretch for about 300 miles, by 200 miles wide, in a
south-easterly direction, towards the centre of the North Atlantic. The
depths in which the fishing is carried on range from 20 to 120 fathoms
off the coast of Newfoundland, from 15 to 90 fathoms on the Banks, and
from 100 to 135 fathoms at the edge of the Banks. The vessel starts
out for the fishing grounds with about 400 hogsheads of salt, and from
15,000 to 25,000 lbs. of bait. The bait is generally frozen squid
and herring. Capelan is also used as bait, but has to be obtained at
Miquelon, the last port of call before putting out to the Banks. The
bait must be well iced, as the cod will not bite well if the bait be
tainted.
During the second trip, squid is used as bait and is caught on the
fishing grounds.
As the boat approaches the fishing grounds, the dories are made ready.
Each dory carries four tubs of baited lines. A tub contains nine
lines, each 50 fathoms long. When fishing, these lines are all strung
together, so that each dory will run a string 1,800 fathoms long—about
two miles. Each line carries about 90 hooks—that is, 3,200 hooks to
each dory. A vessel with eight dories will thus set about 16 miles of
line, carrying about 25,000 hooks. The hooks are attached to the lines
by means of shorter lines called “gangings”—in Scotland they are known
as “snoods”—about 2 ft. long. The complete line, as set by a dory, is
called a “trawl.”
On arriving at the fishing grounds, soundings are made to determine the
depth and character of the bottom. The best fishing is obtained over a
gravel bottom. The trawls are then set while the vessel is in motion (a
flying set), and if the fish are found to be abundant the vessel drops
anchor.
The flying set is carried out as follows: The dories are towed astern
and, when the right spot has been selected, are dropped at regular
intervals until all are away. Each dory as it is dropped rows off at
right angles to the course of the vessel, and in the same general
direction, throwing out its trawl as it proceeds until it is all set.
The vessel then returns diagonally across the fishing grounds to the
starting point, picking up the dories as their trawls are set. After
a time, the dories are dropped again in the same order as before, and
the men haul up the trawls and take the fish off. Each dory is then
picked up in succession together with her catch. If this flying set is
successful, and other conditions are favourable, the vessel drops her
anchor and fishing proceeds.
The manner in which the trawls are set depends upon the tide. They are
always set as far as possible with the tide. Thus, the dories on the
side of the vessel against which the tide is flowing row out against
the tide, until they are about a trawl-length from the ship. They then
set the end of the trawl at the point, and work towards the vessel.
On the other side of the vessel the trawl is set from the vessel with
the tide towards the dory. Each end of the trawl is attached to an
anchor by a line 1 fathom in length, and to a buoy by a line 25 fathoms
longer than the depth of the water at that point. Thus, the trawl is
situated just above the ground. The trawls are set once a day and drawn
three hours afterwards, or set in the afternoon and drawn the following
morning. The shorter the time between setting and drawing, the better
the condition of the fish. In hauling the trawl, one man stands in the
bow of the boat and hauls in the trawl, detaching the fish, the other
man receiving the trawl and coiling it. A dory carries on an average
1,000 lbs. of fish, and may sometimes make two or three trips before
the line is cleared.
The fish are “gaffed” from the dories to the fishing vessel and are
kept on deck, packed between division boards to prevent sliding or
turning of the fish by the movements of the vessel.
When the fish are all aboard, they are split and cleaned and salted
down. The crew is divided into splitting gangs, each consisting of
three men—the throater, the gutter, and the splitter. The throater
grasps the fish by the head with the left hand, and, holding it with
its back on the edge of a tub, cuts its throat just behind the gills,
and makes a slit down the belly. The head is then broken off by
downward pressure against the edge of the tub, and the fish is passed
on to the gutter. He opens the belly with his left hand, removes the
liver for oil, and tears out the viscera. The fish then goes to the
splitter, who completes the ventral splitting of the fish and removes
the backbone.
After being well washed, care being taken to remove all blood, the fish
are passed down a canvas chute into the hold, where they are carefully
salted and piled in “kenches.” The fish are laid on their backs
alternately nape and tail, salt being liberally sprinkled between the
adjacent layers. Nearly 1-1/2 bushels of salt are used per 100 lbs. of
fish. The pickle formed by the salt and the juices of the fish drains
away to the bottom of the hold, from which it is pumped overboard.
As the kench or pile settles, more fish are added, so as to keep the
compartment full. Kenching begins in the forward compartment of the
hold, and is carried on from side to side of the vessel. Each kench is
about 4 ft. by 7 ft., and the full height of the hold. The refuse is
thrown overboard.
In addition to the “trawl” fishing, many boats use hand-lines. For this
purpose, the lines are somewhat smaller, and only 13 ft. long. About
100 barrels of bait are taken (slack-salted clams obtained on the coast
of Maine), any additional bait that may be required being caught on the
fishing grounds—squids, hagdens, and clams taken from the stomachs of
fish.
When the vessel reaches the fishing grounds, the dories row away in
all directions, each man for himself. The dory is anchored in water
from 18 to 40 fathoms deep. Each fisherman uses two lines carrying two
hooks a piece. The boats generally go out at sunrise and return to the
fishing boat about six hours later. Two boatloads—that is, 2,000 lbs.
of fish—make a good day’s work.
On returning to the vessel the fish are pitched on deck and counted,
only cod of over 22 ins. length being considered. Smaller fish, and the
“shack”—pollack, haddock, cusk and hake—being counted separately. The
fish are then dressed and salted, as already described.
In some cases, hand-line fishing is carried on from the deck of the
fishing boat itself, while the boat drifts. Each man uses one line
carrying two hooks. The bait consists of iced cockles, broken with a
hammer. The positions on the deck are followed by the crew in rotation,
to give all an equal chance. As the fish are “landed” they are thrown
on to the deck, each man keeping his count by cutting out the tongues
and keeping them in a separate bucket.
On the Georges Bank, south-east of Gloucester, which is one of the
favourite fishing grounds, the fish are caught by hand-line from the
deck of the ship while at anchor. Frozen herring are used as bait, when
possible. All the fish caught on the Georges Bank are salted, except
the halibut, which is iced. Some idea of the value of these grounds is
gained from the fact that a single fisherman may take 500 fish in a
day. The Georges Bank area yields about 70 per cent of the total catch,
the Grand and Western Banks accounting for the remaining 30 per cent.
Approximately 60 per cent of the fish are brought in iced, and 40 per
cent salted.
On returning to port the fish are pitchforked on to the wharf, and
sorted into snappers (less than 16 ins. from nape to tail), medium,
and large (over 22 ins.) Generally, they are divided as follows: 4 per
cent snappers, 41 per cent medium, and 55 per cent large. Each class
is weighed separately and carefully examined for any indication of
spoilage. Any suspected fish are thrown out. The fish are then washed
and put with salt into butts in the store. Fish that are brought in
iced whole are sorted and weighed, and then beheaded, gutted, and split
and salted. About eight bushels of salt are used to each hogshead of
fish. The fish are kept, salted down in hogsheads until required, care
being taken that the fish are kept covered with strong brine.
After salting, the fish are dried. The salting process effects partial
drying by extracting a large proportion of the flesh fluids of the
fish. The extraction of water by the salt is assisted by kenching, the
fish at the bottom of the kench being pressed down by the weight of
those above.
The fish are taken from the butts as required, and are piled in a kench
about 4 ft. high, to express and drain off the pickle. At the end of
two days the fish are re-piled, the top fish becoming the bottom, and
so subjected to full pressure. If the weather is unfavourable for
drying, they are re-kenched every two or three days.
The fish are then dried by exposing them to wind and sun on a bed of
latticework about 8 ft. wide and 30 ins. above the ground, and as long
as necessary, called a “flake.” The drying yard is known as the flake
yard. The latticework is constructed of triangular-section, wooden
laths, placed about 3 ins. apart, the fish resting on the upper edges
of the laths.
In the hot weather, the fish are protected from sunburn by canvas
awnings, and from rain at night by coops.
With a warm sun and a good breeze, drying will be complete in about 10
hours. Thorough drying throughout the body of the fish is accomplished
by drying on the flakes until the surface is dry and crystallized. The
fish is then kenched, and the dry surface salt extracts more moisture
from the interior. The fish is then dried again, thus ensuring a much
more complete result.
Fish are also dried in some factories in large, steam-heated shelf
driers. This method is inclined to be too rapid, with the result that
the fish are only surface dried instead of being uniformly dried right
through.
After drying, the fish are kenched in the store until required. They
are then skinned, the bones are removed, and they are moulded into
blocks which are cut up into cakes for packing and export.
It is estimated that the loss in weight during the different operations
is as follows—
Dressing 40 per cent
Salting (full pickle) 17 „
Drying 4 „
Skinning and boning 13 „
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Total loss 74 „
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The fresh waste, skins, bones, etc., of the fish are worked up for
glue, the residue being manufactured into fertilizer. The best glue is
obtained from the skins. The cod and cusk skins are superior in this to
the skins of hake and haddock.
The oil is extracted from the livers. That from fresh livers is refined
and used for medicinal purposes, while that from old livers is used for
tanning chamois leather. The value of this oil is considerable, as much
as £150 being received by a boat in one trip for the oil alone.
In 1914, Newfoundland exported 60,000 tons of cod meat, worth
£1,600,000. The chief market is the Mediterranean.