Eel Fisherman
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Le Pêcheur d'anguille | The Eel Fisherman
French eel fishermen ("La descente des anguilles", drawing (artist unknown) appearing in the 1880 book Les poissons des eaux douces de la France, Wikimedia Commons)
The pêcheur d'anguille, or eel fisherman, was a person who caught eels either for personal consumption or for sale. Eel fishing was practiced mainly in the St. Lawrence, but also in the Richelieu River, Lake St. Pierre, near L'Islet and Kamouraska.
Fishing was the first resource of early inhabitants, as they waited for their land to be cleared and start producing wheat. The first French settlers noticed that the natives captured eels and smoked them for their winter reserves. Since eels were abundant and very easy to catch, they were an important part of the diet of Aboriginal people and the first European settlers. Enterprising colonists would transport and sell eels to urban areas after salting and storing them in barrels.
The eel fishing season would begin in September and continue until November, but fishermen would prepare their traps much earlier during springtime. At low tide, they would set up long wooden poles perpendicular to the shore, in a zigzagging fashion, then set up their nets. Once the traps were installed, the eels would simply move towards the hatch that formed the very end of the trap, and get caught there.
In Acadia, in contrast, eels would be caught by canoe on calm and clear nights. Using a torch made of birch bark, the fishermen would catch the eels with a type of harpoon as they swam up to the canoe, attracted by the light. Acadians learned this method from local aboriginal fishermen.
Eel fishing nets off l’Île-d’Orléans ("Vue de Château-Richer, du cap Tourmente et de la pointe orientale de l'île d'Orléans, près de Québec", 1787 painting by Thomas Davies, Wikimedia Commons).
Feeling adventurous? Try these eel recipes from a few centuries ago:
Eel “à la matelote”:
"We cut it in sections that are added to a roux with a little flour, a little fish broth or puree, mushrooms, herbs, green onions and chopped parsley, set and pepper. We let everything boil; halfway through the cooking, we add in a glass of wine: after boiling for a while, we remove and serve. " Dictionnaire portatif de cuisine (1765)
Roasted Eel:
"Cut a large eel in three or four. Score it on both sides and marinate with salt, pepper, fine herbs & oil, skewer the pieces & affix them on the spit. Wrap with buttered paper. Once cooked, wipe the eel down & serve it with any sauce or stew you desire. " François Marin, Les dons de Comus (1739)
Sources:
Francoeur, Jean-Marie. 2015. Envyclopédie de la cuisine de Nouvelle-France (1606-1763). Groupes Fides : Québec. 119-120
“Pêche à l’anguille”, GrandQuébec.com (https://grandquebec.com/faune-quebecoise/peche-anguille/).