From collection PMM General Collection
Herring fishery feeling pole
Wooden feeler pole with twine lashing found in a herring fishing supply shed on one of the Muscle Ridge Islands, either Andrews or Hewitt Island. Herring fishermen used a feeler pole to determine the amount of herring in a cove. Depth sounding with the 14-foot pole until they found bottom, the fishermen then stomped on the dory’s floorboards to startle any herring. Based on the number of herring that bumped off the pole, the fishermen determined whether the cove was full of fish and could be “closed off” with a net. Once the net was secure, the fishermen set to work scooping the schooling herring into their dories. The thin, tapered end of the pole was in fact an oar blade that could be used to scull a dory. The versatile 14-foot wooden rod could be a depth sounder, fish detector, and oar all in one.
