themselves entirely to it and study the habits of the fish, are by far the best and most successful fishermen. The business of fishing is now be coming respectable, whereas formerly it was not considered so. The fishery affords employment to an increasing population, which has not land of its own to farm. People gather from the inland parts to the fishing parts, in order to get employment in fishing. People come from other provinces here attracted by the fishing. It is particularly the mackerel fishing that is increasing. 7. The year I was out fishing in the Frank; we made a poor year's fishing. We made two trips in the bay and caught only three hundred barrels of mackerel. The Frank was about sixty-three tons and carried seventeen hands. 8. The year I was in the Frank was the year the cutters were around, and there were a good many Americans kept away and some taken. We were all in and about the American fleet that year, and they would number three hundred sail. They know the inshore fishing is the best and they will run risks rather than not have it. I do not think it would be worth their while to come down here to fish in the gulf if they could not fish within three miles of the shore; and it certainly would not be worth their while if they could not fish within the three-mile limit. I should certainly say that seven-eighths of the catch of the American catch is caught within three miles of the shore. 9. They lie among the boats. When they see the boats getting mackerel they come up and lee-bow the boats, throwing bait and drawing off the fish, when the boats have to leave. They certainly do harm to the fishing by throwing the offal overboard. By it the fish are glutted and poisoned. They also interfere with the bait-nets and get foul of the set-lines and trawls. The set-lines are now being used very much along here, and are increasing very fast, and as they increase, the damage done by the Americans is becoming greater. 10. The right of transshipment is of very great consequence to the Americans, as they save the time they would otherwise consume in going home with their fish, and that right in the middle of the fishing season. The time saved in this way would certainly be equal to another trip for the vessel during the season. By having this right they are also enabled to take advantage of the markets, so that if the price of mackerel is up they can at once send their fish up to take advantage of the high price. They can do this even if they have only a few fish. The mackerel market is one of the most fluctuating in the world, so that it is a very great advantage to get them into market quickly. The mackerel also get worse-looking the longer they are kept and command a smaller price. If they are kept in the hold of the vessel they are getting poorer all the time. By being transshipped this deterioration is avoided. 11. There are plenty of salmon off this shore, and since attention has been directed to them, the salmon fishery is found to pay, and when properly attended to it will become very profitable. They are caught off this coast in nets and traps. It is only recently that they were known to be there. There are also plenty of shad and some bass off this coast, which can be caught in traps. The sounds taken from hake are now very valuable. For three years here the price of sounds averaged a dollar a pound, and the lowest price they have sold for was thirty-five cents. They would average seventyfive cents a pound one year with another. I would say that about four pounds of sounds are got to a quintal of green hake weighing two hundred and eighty pounds. The value of the sounds is greater than the hake from which they are taken. 13. Codfish tongues and sounds are also put up and sold to some extent out of this island and are valuable. 14. The oil taken from the codfish and hake is of considerable importance, and there would be, on an average, about half a gallon, worth twenty-five cents, taken from every quintal of hake and codfish. JAMES H. DAVIDSON. Sworn to at North Cape, in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, this 28th day of June, A. D. 1877, before me. JOSEPH MACGILVRAY, J. P. for Prince County, Prince Edward Island. No. 15. DOMINION OF CANADA, Province of Prince Edward Island, Kings County, to wit: I, JOSEPH CAMPBELL, of Souris, in Kings County, in Prince Edward Island, master mariner, make oath and say: 1. That I have been personally engaged in the fisheries since the year 1855. From 1855 to 1858 I was fishing in boats off the north side of the island. We caught all our fish at that time within three miles from the shore. 2. That from the year 1858 to 1867 I was constantly and actively engaged in fishing aboard American vessels, and during that time I fished on all the fishing grounds. 3. We got our first fare generally in the Bay Chaleur. Fully ninetenths of this fare would be caught close inshore, within the three-mile limits. 4. The mackerel, after leaving the Bay Chaleur, strike across to the North Cape of Prince Edward Island, and some of them return to the Magdalenes. We generally got our second fare from the north cape of the island to East Point and at the Magdalenes, generally catching the fish within the limits. I would say that fully seven-eighths of this fare is caught within the three-mile limits. 5. From the year 1863 to 1867 the average number of American vessels fishing for mackerel in the gulf would, in my opinion, be about five hundred sail, and during those years the catch was good, averaging about six hundred barrels per vessel per season. 6. From my personal knowledge and actual observation I would say that fully seven-eighths of that quantity of mackerel were caught inshore, that is, within three miles from the shore. 7. Our usual mode was to go in close to the shore; if in bold water, close up to the rocks, throw our bait and drift off, the mackerel following after the bait. When we lost the mackerel we again tacked for the shore. 8. That the American fleets of fishing-vessels very materially injure the boat fishing off shore. The Americans have always made a practice of sailing down among the boats, and by throwing bait and drifting off draw the mackerel away with them. This is a very common occurrence, and must have been a great injury to the boat-fishing. 9. I think that the large amount of offal thrown overboard by the fishing fleets has a tendency to injure the fishing. The fish eat up this dirty and poisonous food and they will not then follow or take the bait. In this way this practice must be very hurtful to the fishing-grounds. 10. That the American vessels fished within the limits almost as much after the expiration of the Reciprocity Treaty as before. The treaty did not seem to make any material difference. The cutters did not to any extent prevent the Americans from fishing within the limits, as we could always see them coming, and had time to get outside the limits. Sometimes we merely pulled up our lines and fishing gear, and as soon as the cutter would pass we would resume our fishing. 11. From the year 1867 to 1872 I was master of a British fishingschooner. During these years there would be about four hundred and fifty American vessels in the bay, and their average catch per vessel would be about four hundred and fifty barrels per season. Fully seveneighths, in my opinion, of all the mackerel caught in the bay by Americans during the years between 1867 to 1872 would be taken within the three-mile limit. 12. The American vessels in large numbers would often sail down on the few British vessels fishing in the bay and lee-bow them and by their larger numbers generally succeeded in drawing away the fish from the British vessels. 13. The right of transshipping is a great benefit to the Americans. They thereby save time enough to make an extra trip, which they could not otherwise make without this right. 14. That I have also been engaged for several years in the herringfishery off Labrador in American vessels. There are about two hundred and fifty to three hundred American vessels engaged on the coasts of Labrador, Newfoundland, and the Magdalenes in this fishery. These vessels are of a larger build than those engaged in the mackerel-fishery. The average quantity taken from these coasts by these vessels would be about one thousand barrels per vessel per season, making a total of from 250,000 to 300,000 barrels per year. A proportion of this quantity is bought from the fishermen along the coasts of Newfoundland. I would say about one-half are bought. All the herring are caught close inshore, from one-quarter to one-half mile from the shore. JOSEPH CAMPBELL. Sworn to at Souris, in Kings County, in Prince Edward Island, this twenty-seventh day of June, A. D. 1877, before me. DOMINION OF CANADA, No. 16. JAMES R. MACLEAN, Province of Prince Edward Island, Kings County, to wit: I, ALEXANDER CHIVERIE, of Souris, in Kings County, in Prince Edward Island, formerly fisherman, now merchant, make oath and say: 1. That I commenced mackerel fishing in the year 1847, in an American schooner named the "Triton." In those years there would be from 500 to 600 sail in the bay. The schooner I was in was generally in company with 100 to 200 sail. At that time I did not hear anything of the three mile limits. It was not till the year 1852 that I first heard any talk regarding the limits. 2. The first year I was fishing, we left the American ground in the fall in September, and came to the bay. We fished off the north part of Cape Breton and caught the whole of our fare within three miles from the shore. 3. The custom generally adopted by the fishermen is to go within a mile of the shore, heave our bait and then drift off, taking the fish with us. 4. The cutters did not to any extent prevent the Americans fishing within the limits. They would simply sail off till the cutters had gone by and commence fishing again within the limits. 5. I remained fishing in American vessels till the year 1867. I would say that the average number of American vessels fishing mackerel in the bay, between the years 1847 and 1867, was from four hundred to five hundred sail each year, and that the average catch per vessel during those years was 400 barrels each season. 6. That without a doubt two-thirds of the above quantity was caught within three miles from the shore. 7. That in the year 1867 I was master of a British fishing-schooner. The first trip of that season we fished between the Miramichi and Bay Chaleur. During that trip the fish played chiefly inshore, about a mile from the shore. At times during that trip I would be getting a good catch, when the American vessels, to the number of fifty or sixty, would come along, and by drawing off the fish spoil my fishing. During that trip the Americans, I would say, caught fully three-fourths of their fare within the three-mile limit. During the second trip of that season I was fishing on the north side of the island and caught all that fare within three miles from the shore. On several occasions during that trip a fleet of American vessels would come up alongside and spoil my fishing. 8. That since that year I have not been personally engaged in fishing, but I have owned fishing-stages and have had boats engaged in shore-fishing. 9. That I have noticed the American vessels come in among the boats fishing from one to two miles from the shore, heave their bait, and draw off all the mackerel. The boats would then be obliged to give up fishing for that day. This is a very common practice among the American vessels, and I have noticed it on several occasions during the last few years. 10. That the numbers of boats engaged in prosecuting the mackerel fisheries have largely increased during the past few years. 11. That fully three-fourths of all the mackerel caught in the boats is caught inshore well within the three-mile limits. 12. Without a doubt the Americans would not come to the bay at all for fishing purposes if they could be kept outside of the three-mile limit altogether. ALEXANDER CHIVERIE. Sworn to at Souris, in Kings County, in Prince Edward Island, this twenty-seventh day of June, A. D. 1877, before me JAMES R. MACLEAN, No. 17. 1, JAMES J. MORRISAY, of Tignish, in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, fish-stage proprietor, make oath and say: 1. I have fished for four years and have been proprietor of a fishingstage at Frog Pond the whole time. The first year I had one boat, and caught about forty-five barrels of mackerel in her; that year I also got about one hundred and twenty barrels of herring, worth about three dollars a barrel; I caught about ten quintals of codfish in that boat the same year; she was a small boat. 2. The second year I had five boats, and caught about four hundred barrels of mackerel. I also caught about eighty quintals of ling the same year, in those boats, and about sixty of codfish, and about two hundred and fifty pounds of sounds, then worth sixty cents a pound. 3. The third year I had six boats, and caught about one hundred and sixty barrels of mackerel, and about forty quintals of codfish and hake, and about fifty-five barrels of herring. That was a really poor year. 4. This year (1877) I have nine boats, and have caught about fifteen barrels of herring. I have also more codfish already caught than I had the whole of last year. This promises to be a good year, so far as I can judge. 5. At Nail Pond I should say the number of boats has increased about one-fifth during the last three years. I think the boats are now much better built, rigged, and fitted out than they were. 6. The average crew of the small boats is about three men, of the large boats the crew would be four men. There are twenty dollars now invested in the business to the one there was ten years ago. 7. The boats get near about the whole of the mackerel caught by them within a mile and a half to two miles of the shore; the boats very seldom go beyond two miles out. The hake are generally caught within three miles of the shore, and the codfish generally further out. The 8. About three years ago I have seen as many as three hundred American schooners anchored off this shore, within a mile. I have seen some of them fishing so close inshore that they got aground. principal part of the fishing that I have seen the Americans do, has been within three miles of the shore. Taking one year with another, I do not think it would be worth their while to fit out for the gulf fishing if they could not fish within three miles of the shore. I have heard the American captains say so. 9. I have seen the Americans drift down on the boats, not minding the latter, on several occasions, and on several occasions the boats, lying at anchor, had to cut their cables to save themselves from being sunk. 10. The Americans spoil the fishing in this way: they see the boats fishing and drift down on them, when the boats have to get out of the way and thus lose the mackerel. They have also better bait than we have and by its means draw off the fish, and they throw out a great deal of bait. 11. Very few Americans fished within three miles of the shore the year the cutters were here. I saw them within three miles of the shore, when they saw the cutter's smoke, clear out. 12. Whenever the Americans heave in the fishermen from boats grumble and complain that the good fishing is at an end, and that the Americans sink the mackerel with bait. The boat-fishermen look upon the arrival of the Americans as a serious loss and injury to themselves. 13. The mackerel season here lasts from about the 20th of June till about the middle of October. 14. I would look upon the right of transshipment as a very great privilege to the Americans, as they could ship away their mackerel without losing much time going with them, and by this right they would be enabled to catch the markets, two or three days often making a very great difference in the mackerel market. They are also enabled through having this right to refit here instead of losing time going home for that purpose. 15. About three years ago the Americans did some seining here, but I have not seen them doing any since. 16. I would give as a reason for the increase of the number of boats that the young men think they can do better in it; and also because the |