barge n Cp Fisheries of U S i, 138. In the Strait of Belle Isle and on the Labrador, a large boat serving as an ancillary craft in the fishery from schooners; a craft used to collect, hold and process the catch.
   1856 Trans Lit & Hist Soc of Quebec iv, 337 American schooners coming to fish carry several of these [barges], and at the close of the season willingly sell them to the fishermen. 1860 Atlantic Mo vi, 443, 445 [We secured] a substantial fishing-barge, laden rather heavily in the stem with at least a cord of cod-seine, but manned by six stalwart men... That heavy cod-seine, a hundred fathoms long, sank the stern of our barge rather deeply, and made it row heavily. [1886 GREGORY 54 La morue se pêche à la ligne dans des barges.] 1888 STEARNS 181 The large ones you see, anchored out there in the water, are the barges. P 102-60 Twenty miles west of Blanc Sablon it was all hook and line fishermen using a boat what they called a barge, carrying two men with two spruce oars, about 12 to 15 feet, two spars with a mainsail and foresail and jib. A barge looked like an English life boat, sharp at both ends. 1979 Evening Telegram 21 Apr, p. 47 The Provincial Department of Fisheries is inviting proposals from interested parties for operation of the barge 'Labrador No. 1' during the coming fishing season in the Smokey area of coastal Labrador. The Barge had been utilized in the past years as a floating salt fish plant but it could be used as a fresh fish handling and/or holding facility.

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