Smelt Fishing: A Dying N.B. Tradition?

Years ago, the frozen rivers and bays of Northern New Brunswick were busy places. Not only did the ice provide a means of winter transportation, it came alive with the sights and sounds of smelt fishing. Hundreds of pickets and poles dotted the waterways to hold the nets in place. There was net upon net up and down the Tabusintac River and out in the bay. Shanties were pulled with horses from nearby shores onto the ice or onto the beaches. Men lived in these small hovels from Monday to ...