|
back
Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission THE HADDOCK FISHERY FIFTY YEARS AGO.
A writer in the Fishermen's Memorial and Record Book thus describes the haddock fishery in the early part of the present century: "The fitting-out of the fleet for the haddock fishery commenced about the first of April. The first move was to run the boats on the beach, or landing as it was then called, and have them caulked and graved. The latter process consisted in applying a coat of pitch to the bottom and burning it down with a tar-barrel, which gave a smooth and glossy surface. Painted bottoms in those days were very rare. The time occupied in making a haddock trip was from two days to a week, the fish being mostly taken on Old Man's Pasture, Heart's Ground, and Inner Bank, about twelve miles off of Eastern Point. The fish were taken to Charlestown for a market, and purchased by the hawkers-- among whom were Johnny Harriden, Joe Smith, Isaac Rich, and others, who took them over to Boston in hand-carts and retailed them at a good profit. The codfish were generally salted. The smallest were cured for the Bilboa market, and the largest were made into dun fish, as they were called, for home consumption. They were kept on the flakes several weeks, and thoroughly dried until they became of a reddish color, and were highly esteemed as an article of food. The haking season commenced in July, and the pollock fishery was prosecuted from September to the middle of November. Each boat carried three men--skipper, forward hand, and cook, who went at the halves, as it was called, the crew receiving one-half the gross stock, and the owners the balance." END |