At the end of the French regime, the village of Chateau Richer, on the outskirts of Quebec City, was a cluster of little, whitewashed houses with stables, chicken coops and vegetable gardens. The people fished to supplement their farming activities; note the fish weirs which many farmers have extended from their properties into the St. Lawrence. Since fishing rights were a privilege of the seigneur, he was usually entitled to a certain percentage of the catch. On some seigneuries this right was closely controlled, as was the case at Chateau Richer which was located in a seigneury of the SΘminaire de QuΘbec. During this period there was an abundance of all sorts of fish in the St. Lawrence and they formed an important food source. The Quebec City area was especially noted for its eels, which were salted and shipped to the urban markets in barrels. This watercolour is by Thomas Davies (ca.1737-1812)
Courtesy: The National Gallery of Canada, National Museums of Canada
