Swan's Island: Six miles east of ordinary

Text by Beverly McAloon
Audios created and produced by Meghan Vigeant
Images from the Swan's Island Historical Society

In 1786, Colonel James Swan bought Swan’s Island along with 24 nearby islands from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To have the islands inhabited, Col. Swan offered 100 acres to any settler who would come, bring his family, build a house and cultivate the land. In turn, the settlers had to agree to stay seven years. Initially these settlers came to cut timber for boat building and to cultivate the land for their family’s food.

With the best timber harvested, men turned to the sea for their livelihood rather than leave the island. In the late 1700s and through the 1800s the waters around Swan’s Island were bountiful with flounder, cod, halibut, haddock, and herring.

The work force of Swan’s Islanders from the early homesteading days until the present, was staunchly self-sufficient. This work ethic was passed down from generation to generation. The fishing industry is a good example of the islanders' self sufficiency.

Fishing

By the 1800s fishing became more profitable than either timbering or farming. Farming continued to keep families in produce and meat. With the many varieties of fish available in the Gulf of Maine and the surrounding waters, island fisherman caught the stock that was most plentiful at the moment. When that stock was depleted, fisherman would adjust to catch another variety.

The island inhabitants and the island harbors were also able to support industries such as a cannery, several fish factories both fresh and for salting, blacksmiths, coopers, a medicinal fish oil factory, and continued boat building. The sardine factory alone employed 100 people at the height of its success. A story continues even today that for years and years after the medicinal fish oil factory closed for business, people could still smell the cod liver oil as you got near Johnson Island.

By the early 1900s there were six or more fish factories mostly on the shores of Minturn and Swan’s Island Village. Spurling’s Wharf on the Atlantic side was a factory that baited trawlers coming into Mackerel Cove. Swan’s Island fishermen worked hard and were successful at their trade.

Captain William Herrick was one of the successful fishermen. He was well known up and down the New England coast for his fishing success and business prowess. From 1878 to 1889 he captained the Augusta E. Herrick, a large schooner, and acquired his reputation as a very successful halibut fisherman. He and his wife also owned the Ocean View Hotel in Swan’s Island Village where many dances took place.

From 1874 until 1889 Swan’s Island fishing boats took first or second place in the Atlantic fleet for quantity of fish caught. In 1879 the Swan’s Island fleet landed 15 thousand barrels of mackerel selling at $5 each. In 1881 three of the ten most successful boats of the New England fleet were from Swan's Island.

Seine fishing (hand line fishing) was one form of fishing used by island fishermen. These fishermen were mostly fishing for herring.

During the 1980s Roger May of Swan’s Island used his airplane to help locate the fish. He would fly over the fishing grounds, locate the schools of herring, and radio the location to the fishermen. The fisherman would find the spot and use a "purse" net to collect the fish. Differing from the hand line, the purse net would surround the fish and then be drawn up like closing a woman’s purse.