32

NATURAL RESOURCES OF QUEBEC
SALT-WATER FISHERIES

The extensive coast of Quebec from Chaleur bay to the straits of
Belle Isle has numerous harbours and coves in many of which valuable
fish are taken in considerable quantities with little effort. The principal
kinds caught in the salt water of the gulf and of Chaleur bay are cod.
herring. mackerel. lobster. salmon and smelts.

Deep Sea and Coastal Fisheries.—The fisheries of the Atlantic
coast may be divided into deep-sea and inshore or coastal fisheries. The
deep-sea fisheries are pursued in vessels of from 40 to 100 tons, carrying
crews of 12 to 20 men, and the fishing grounds lie at a distance of 20 to
90 miles off shore. The inshore or coastal fisheries are carried on in small
hoats with crews of 2 to 7 men. The inshore area extends from Quebec
to the mouth of the Saguenav, while bevond is known as the deep-sea
area.

Cod, the Most Valuable.—The most valuable salt-water fish caught
in the province is the cod, the total marketed value of which in 1927 was
$1.011.795. or 37 per cent of the total value of the fisheries production

Cod fishing at Percé—Provinee of Ouebee

of the province. Heralded by schools of herring and capelin, schools
of cod appear in the gulf and Chaleur bay generally in May. The fishermen
 usually fish for them in small open boats along the shore, but occasionally
 venture out to a distance of 20 or 30 miles.
Cod cured on the Gaspé coasts is of the finest quality and shipments
are made regularly to Spain, Italy and Brazil. The importation of dried