FIS
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FIS
Some Perfons, well {killed in the Naval Architecture, hold its Figure the moil commodious for Swimming of all others, and propole it as a Model for the Building of- Ships.
'Tis ordinarily about a Foot long : When in the Water, it appears yellow ; and when out ot it, of a Silver White, ex- cepting for Streaks, or Speckles of a deep Blue, on the Back, and Sides.
The Mackarel is found in large Shoals, in divers Parts of the Ocean; but efpecially on the French and 2;/,!g///2> Coafts.
The Fiftiing is ufually in the Months of April, May, and 'Time, and even July, according to the Place. They en- ter the E?2gli!b Channel in April, and proceed up to the Streights of SDover, as the Summer advances; fo that by June they are on the Coafts of Corneal, Sttffex, Norman- dy, Picardy, <kc. where the Fi/Iiery is moil confiderable. They are an excellent Food, frefh ; and not to be defpifed, when well prepared, pickled, and put up in Barrels.
Naturalifts have obferved, that the Water wherein Mac- karel has been boiled, yields a Light, after itirring it a little.
The Fifh. is taken two ways; either with aLine, or Nets: the latter is the more confiderable; and is perform'd in the Night-time. The Rules obferv'd in the Fifhing of Mac- karel are much the fame as thofe already mentioned in the Fijhery of Herrings.
•There are two -ways of pickling them: The firft is, by opening and gutting them, and filling the Belly with Salt, cramm'd in as hard as pofiible with a Stick : Which done, they range them in Strata ot Rows, at the Bottom ot the VetTel, if rewing Salt between the I ayers.
In the fecond way, they put them immediately into Tubs full of Brine, made of frefh Water, and Salt ; and leave them to fteep, till they have imbibed Salt enough to make them keep : After which they are taken out, and barrel'd up ; taking care to prefs them clofe down.
Cod Fishery.
The Cod is a Fifh ofPaffage, pretty large, with a fright- ful Head; Teeth in the Bottom of the Throat; its Flcfh, white; its Skin, brownifli on the Back, white under the Eelly; and cover'd with thin, tranfparcnt Scales.
It eats excellently, when frefh ; and, if well prepared and faked, will keep a long Time. 'Tis this Fifh, com- monly eaten among -us in Lent, t£c. under the Denomina- tion of Salt-Fijh, or Stock-Fiji^.
There are two Kinds of Salt Cod ; the one called Green or White ; and the other Xtricd, or Cured: Tho' it is all the fame FiJh ; only differently prepared. — —
Green Cod;
"the chief Fijheries for Green Cod are in the Bay of Ca- nada, on the Great and Little Sank near the Coaft of New-found Land, the Ifland of St. 'Peter, and the Hie of Sable : And hither, Veffels are yearly fent from divers Parts, both of America and Europe.
The Veffels ufed herein, are from an hundred, to an hun- dred and fifty Tuns ; which will bring thirty, or thirty five thoufand Fifh a-piece.
The moft effential Articles in this Fificry are three Per- fons, who know how to open the Fifh, to cut off the Heads, and to fait them ; upon the Ability of which laft the Suc- cefs of the Voyage chiefly depends.
Several Authors will have it, that the Sifcayam. in pur- fuing their Whales, made the firil Difcovery of the Great and Little Sank of Cods, New-found Land, Canada, &c. a hundred Years before Columbus's time ; and that it was a Sifcayan Newfound-lander, that gave the firft Intimation thereof to Columbus.
Others fay, that the Great Bank was difcovcr'd by a Na- tive of St. Makes, named Cartier. But, be the Inventor of what Name or Nation he will, the Invention is certainly highly valuable : Not a trading Nation in Europe, but al- lows the Commerce of Cod Fifh one of the moil fecure and gainful that is known.
The beft, largcfl, and fatteft Cod, are thofe taken on the South Side of the Great Sank; which is a kind of fub- marine Mountain, 150 Leagues long, and 50 broad ; and at the Diftancc of 2 5 from New-found Land : Thofe on the North Side are much fmaller.
The belt Seafon is from the Beginning of February, to the End of April; at which Time the Cod, which during the Winter had retired to the deepeft Parts of the Sea, return to the Bank, and grow very fat.
Thofe caught from March, to June, keep well enough; but thofe in July, Auguft, and September foon fpoil.
The Fiftiing is fometimes done in a Month, or fix Weeks; fometimes it holds fix Months. As Lent draws on, if the Fifhers have but half their Cargo, they ltrivc to make home- ward the firtt ; the Market being then the beft.
Some will make a fecond Voyage, before others have got Loading for tho firft. Each Fifher only takes one Cod at
a time; and yet the more experiene'd will take from 550 to 400 per Day : But this is the 1x1.0ft ; for 'tis very fatiguing Work, both on account of the Weightinefs of the Fifh, and of the extreme Cold which reigns on the Bank.
The Salary ufualiy allowed the Captain and Sailors, is one Third of the Cod they bring home found.
They fait the Cod on Board. The Head being cut off} the Belly open'd, and the Gats out ; the Salter ranges them in the Bottom of the Veffcl, Head to Tail; and having thus made a Layer thereof, a Fathom or two fquare, co- vers it with Salt: Over this he lays another, which he co- vers as before; and thus he difpofes all the Fifh of that Day, taking care never to mix the Fi/h of different Days together.
By that time the Cod has lain thus to drain three or four Days, they are moved into another Part of the Veffel, and falted a-frefh. After this, they are no more to be touch'd, till the Veffel have its Burthen.
Sometimes they put them up in Barrels, for the Con- veniency of Carriage. — —
Shy Cod.
In the Fifhing of Dry Cod, Veffels of all Sizes are ufed; though fuch are generally chofe, as have large Holds, by reafon this fort of Fifh incumbers more than it burthens.
As Cod is only to be dried by the Sun, the European Veffels are obliged to put out in March, or April, to have the Benefit of the Summer for Drying. Indeed, we fend Veffels for Cod in June, and July ; but thofe only buy what has been fiifi'd and prepared by the Inhabitants of the En- gUjh Colonies of New-found Zand, and the neighbouring Parts; in exchange fci which, we carry them Meals, Bran- dies, Bifcuits, Pulfe, Molofles, Linen, £5"c.
The principal Fi/bery for Dry Cod is along the Coaft of Placcntia, from Cape-Rofi, to the Say des Experts ; in which Compal's there are divers commodious Ports for the Fi/h to be dried in. '
The Fifh intended for this Ufe, tho' of the fame Kind ■with the Green Cod, is yet much fmaller ; whence it is the fitter to keep, as the Salt takes more hold.
The Method of Fifhing is much the fame in both ; only this latter is the more expenfive, as it takes up more Time, and employs more Hands; and yet fcarce halt fo much Salt is fpent in this, as the other. \
When feveral Fifhing Veffels meet, and intend to fifh in the fame Pott ; he whole Chaloupe firft touches Ground, becomes entitled to the Quality and Privileges of Admi- ral ; has the Choice of his Station, and the Refufal of all the Wood on the Coaft at his Arrival.
As fafl as the Captains arrive, they unrig all their Vef- fels, leaving nothing but the Shrouds, to fuftain the Mafts ; and' in the mean time the Mates provide a Tent On Shore, cover'd with Branches of Fir, and Sails over them ; with a Scaffold, fifty, or fixry Foot long ; and one third as much broad. While the Scaffold is making ready, the Crew are a-fifhing ; and as faft as they catch, they bring their Fifh, open them, and fait them on moveable Benches : But the main Salting is perform'd on the Scaffold.
When the Fifh has taken Salt, they .vafh thetn ; and to drain them again, lay them in Piles on the Galleries or the Scaffold: When drained., they range them on Hurdles, a Fifh thick, Head againit Tail, with the Back uppermoit ; obferving, while they lie thus, to turn, and fhift them four times every 14 Hours.
When they begin to dry, they lay them in Heaps, of ten or twelve a-piccc, to retain their Warmth ; and con- tinue to inlargc the Heap every Day, till it becomes double its firft Bulk : At length they join two of thefe Heaps into one, which they turn every Day, as before. Lallly, they fait them over again ; beginning with thofe that had been falted firft ; and thus lay them in huge Piles, as big as Hay- Stacks.
And thus the reft : Till they are carried a Ship-board, where they are laid on Branches of Trees; difpoled for that purpofe in the Bottom of the Veffel, with Mats all around, to prevent their contracting any Moifture.
There arc four kinds of Commodities drawn from Cod, CTS. the 'Tripes, and Tongues, which arc falted at the fame time with the Fifh, and barrel'd up: The Rows, or Eggs, which being falted and barrel'd up, ferve to caft into the Sea, to draw Fifh together, and particularly Pilchards : And laflly, the Oil, which' is ufed in the dreffing of Leather, i£c.
The Scots catch a fmall kind of Cod on the Coafts oi Stir chan, which is highly prized, tho' very much like Ling. They fait it, and dry it in the Sun, upon Rocks ^ and lome- times in the Chimney: But the greateft Part of it is ipent at home.—
Sturgeon Fisher v.
The Sturgeon is a large Sea Fifh, which at its Seafon
tuns up the Rivers ; having a fharp-pointed Snout, flat
r * M Belly,
