A Community Mainstay

A cornerstone of Yarmouth's economy from its first settlement, fishing continues to the present day to be an important aspect of life in the community. Yarmouth fishermen have always pursued a diversity of species: lobsters, scallops, cod, haddock, herring, sword fish, and other species. Because of the variety and productivity of its fish stocks, Yarmouth has not experienced the dramatic cycles in its fishery that have affected other Atlantic coast communities. Fish processing plants in the community add value to the product and create employment for local workers. For several decades in the mid-20th century Yarmouth was a popular tourist destination for a lucrative sports tuna fishing industry.
[Photo captions, from left to right, read]
Until the depletion of the stocks in the 1990s, cod was one of Atlantic Canada's most sought after species. Cod is particularly suitable for salting and drying and in that preserved state was easily stored for future use or transported to markets in Europe and the West Indies. The photographs show cod set out to dry on fish flakes. This was a labour intensive exercise since the fish could not be allowed to get wet. It had to be covered or removed from the flakes and stored inside in wet weather conditions. The fish also had to be protected from sunburn in sunny conditions by
turning up the skin side.
Among its various business interests, Parker-Eakins was a successful fish exporting firm and supplier to the fishing industry. These buildings were located across the harbour from Yarmouth at Yarmouth Bar. Note the windmill used to pump water for a lobster canning operation.
Scallop fishing is a lucrative industry. Many Yarmouth scallop draggers fish in the productive waters of Georges Bank, 140 nautical miles south of Yarmouth.
Fish processing adds value to the catch and has been a major employer for Yarmouth people.
South Western Nova Scotia has been one of the most productive lobster fishing area[s] in Atlantic Canada.
The fish weir is an ancient form of fishing that can yield large catches of fish trapped in the weir when the tide goes out. This type of fishing is particularly suited to the Bay of Fundy where the variation between high and low tides is among the greatest in the world. These photos depict a weir at Cranberry Head near Yarmouth. Various species of fish are caught in weirs including mackerel, shad, and herring.
Sports fishing for tuna was once a thriving tourist industry in the Yarmouth and Wedgeport area. Now fewer tuna are caught in the Yarmouth area because of changing migration habits. The photo shows a proud angler for a tuna caught off Yarmouth.
Learn more about Yarmouth's fishing heritage at the
Yarmouth County Museum and Archives, 22 Collins Street, the Wedgeport Sport Tuna Fishing Museum and Interpretive Centre, Wedgeport and the W. Laurence Sweeney Fisheries Museum, 120 Water Street.

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