United States of America, but now of Port Hood, in the county of Inverness, fisherman, make oath and say as follows: I. I have been engaged in the fishing vessels fitted out by the Americans for the past five years, and have been engaged during that time in fishing in all parts of the gulf, on the coast of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and P. E. Island and on the shores of the Magdalen Island. 2. A large number of American vessels have been engaged in fishing in these waters for some years past, taking chiefly mackerel and codfish. The average cargo of an American vessel is about 450 barrels of mackerel during one trip, though I have known some vessels to take a much larger number. The average cargo of codfish is from 600 to 1,000 quintals per trip. On an average these vessels make two or three trips per season. 3. The American fishermen are in the habit of throwing offal overboard while they are fishing on the coast, and this practice has been injurious to the fishing grounds, and glutted the fish in the neighborhood, and it is found necessary to move away after a while from the places where the offal has been thrown. 4. American fishing vessels are sometimes accustomed to use the purse seines in fishing for mackerel, and the effect of this I consider very injurious to the fishing grounds. I have known our fishermen to take as many as a thousand barrels of mackerel in one haul, and they cannot cure all these, and consequently have to let a good portion of them go adrift, and many of the fish are killed. This practice must do serious damage. 5. Mackerel chiefly feed and breed inshore. They have to go inshore for food, because the smaller fish on which they feed live wholly or chiefly in shoal water. 6. Very large quantities of mackerel are taken by our fishermen inshore on Canadian fishing grounds, but I cannot say what proportion of the whole catch. In September and October a large part of the mack. erel fishing is done inshore. 7. The present system of trawling practiced by the American fishermen in cod-fishing is most dangerous to Canadian fishing grounds. It destroys the mother-fish, and being followed up the whole season it takes fish during the spawning season. Being anxious to get cargoes of large fish the Americans throw the small fish overboard. I believe if this trawling system is pursued much longer, it will very greatly damage the Canadian fishing grounds, if not ruin them. 8. It is a very great advantage to American fishermen to be able to procure bait and ice in Canadian ports along the coast, and to catch it near the shore. It is considered by the Americans more advantageous to buy the bait for the cod-fishery than to catch it themselves. If the American fishing vessels could not procure bait on the Canadian shores, they would almost have to abandon the cod-fishery. Bait will only last about three weeks in ice, and if the Americans could not get the ice here we could only preserve our bait by salting it, which injures it. It would be impossible for us to carry on the cod-fishery profitably if we had to return to American waters and ports to procure all our bait. WM. H. SWEET. Sworn to at Port Hood, in the county of Inverness, this 20th day of July, A. D. 1877, before me. D. CAMPBELL, J. P. No. 123. In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington. I, JAMES ARCHIBALD, of Boston, in the State of Massachusetts, United States of America, at present of Port Hood, in the county of Inverness, fisherman, make oath and say as follows: 1. I have been engaged in the fishing business for twenty years past, and during seven years past I have been fishing in American vessels, in American and Canadian waters. I have been engaged in various kinds of fishing on the coasts of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, in the gulf, and about the Magdalen Islands, and P. E. Island. I came into this port in an American fishing vessel, and have been engaged in fishing here during the present season. 2. Since I have been fishing in these parts, I have known of a large number of American fishing vessels frequenting these coasts, chiefly engaged in taking codfish and mackerel. Each vessel carries about 450 barrels of mackerel at a cargo, and makes two or three trips during the season. The average cargo of codfish is from 600 to 1,000 quintals each vessel. The vessels average about 60 or 70 tons, and I have known some vessels to take larger cargoes. 3. I know that our fishermen are in the habit of throwing offal overboard after catching the fish, and I think this must be injurious to the fishing-ground, and the vessels have to move away from the places where they throw over the offal every little while. 4. I have known American fishing vessels to use the purse-seines in fishing mackerel quite often, and I know it must do great injury to the fishing-grounds. They make such large hauls in these seines that they cannot cure all the fish unless they have other vessels near, and so they have to send many fish adrift, and some are killed in the operation. This practice will do great harm to the grounds. 5. Very large quantities of mackerel are taken by our fishermen now inshore, but I would not like to say what proportion of the whole mackerel catch. Late in the autumn a great deal of the fishing is done inshore. According to the best of my knowledge and experience mackerel breed and feed for the most part inshore. They feed on smaller fish which are found almost entirely in shoal water. 6. The system of trawling for codfish is practiced now quite largely by American fishermen in these parts, and I believe it will be very injurious to the fishing-grounds. It destroys the mother fish, and as the fish are taken all through the season they must be caught while spawning. American fishermen for the sake of getting large cod throw the small fish overboard, which tends to damage the grounds very seriously. 7. It is considered by American fishermen a very great advantage to be able to procure bait and ice in the Canadian ports adjacent to the grounds, either by buying it or catching it near the shore. It is more profitable to our fishermen to buy it than to catch it, as a rule. If the Americans could not procure bait on the Canadian shores I do not see how they could carry on the cod-fishery. Bait only lasts about three weeks in ice, and if we could not get ice here we could only preserve our bait by salting, which is always considered an injury to bait. We could not carry on codfishing with any profit on these shores if we had to return to American waters and ports to get bait all the season. his JAMES + ARCHIBALD. mark. Sworn to at Port Hood, in the county of Inverness, this 20th day of July, A. D. 1877 (being first read aud explained). No. 124. D. CAMPBELL, J. P. In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington. I, RICHARD THOMAS, of Booth Bay, in the State of Maine, United States of America, at present of Port Hood, in the county of Inverness, fisherman, make oath and say as follows: 1. I have been engaged on board of American fishing vessels for the past twenty-four years, and have been engaged in fishing on all parts of the coasts of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, and the Magdalen Islands; and am familiar with the whole fishing business in these parts. I entered this port only a few days ago in an American fishing-vessel, and have been fishing in these waters during the present season. 2. I have read over the affidavit of James Archibald, of Boston, made herein on this date, the 20th of July, A. D. 1877, and I say that the statements contained in said affidavit in reference to the fishing business on this coast are, to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief, correct and true in every particular. RICHARD THOMAS. Sworn at Port Hood, in the county of Inverness, this 20th day of July, A. D. 1877, before me. D. CAMPBELL, J. P. No. 125. In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington. I, JOHN R. HAMILTON, of New Carlisle, county of Bonaventure, Prov ince of Quebec, make oath and say as follows: 1. Have been engaged in the fisheries for the last seventeen years, having had establishments on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, at Seven Islands, on the Bull Island, River Moisie, St. John's River, and Long Point near Mingan. 2. I consider that the fishery by the Americans in Canadian waters has been very extensive between 1854 and 1866; I have seen as many as 100 schooners in Paspebiac Harbor, and as many at Seven Islands. At least 200 schooners have visited our shores for mackerel during part of the Reciprocity Treaty that I have mentioned, yearly. The average tonnage of these vessels is 80 tons, each vessel having from 12 to 15 men for a crew. 3. The principal places where I have seen them fish for mackerel were Bay Chaleurs and Seven Islands on the north shore. 4. During the Reciprocity Treaty the American schooners generally made good voyages and sometimes two, averaging 400 barrels each voyage. 5. I have seen American schooners frequently fishing for cod and halibut, at Seven Islands, inshore. 6. The cod-fishery fluctuates, but the fishery now is equal to, if no superior to, that of fifteen years ago. The herring about the same. Mackerel are not as plenty here as they were twenty years ago, but it might be accidental. 7. The Americans take mackerel with hand-lines, purse and haulingseines. 8. The Americans mostly fish inshore at Seven Islands, and half of the time at Bay Chaleurs. 9. I have seen American vessels leave Seven Islands loaded with mackerel caught inshore. I have also seen them hauling the seines ashore, I should say with over a hundred barrels of mackerel. 10. The inshore fishery is of greater value than the outside. All the herring, caplin, launce, two-thirds of the codfish, and most of the halibut are taken inshore. 11. I have seen the Americans throw bait and entice the mackerel to their vessels, and the boats belonging to our coast could not take many. 12. A good part of the mackerel are taken by the Americans with seines. Most of those that I have seen seining were fishing inshore. 13. The bait the Americans take on these shores for the cod and halibut fisheries is taken inshore. I have seen them several times taking bait with nets and seines. 14. I think the codfishing has not changed since 1871. 15. The Americans take all the herring inshore; they take them for bait. 16. Mackerel feed along the shores of the Bay Chaleur, Seven Islands, Moisie and Mingan, and in fact all the places that I have visited. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the North Shore and Bay Chaleur they feed inshore on small fish, &c. 17. I consider it a great advantage to the Americans to be able to land, dry their nets, and cure their fish. 18. I consider it a great advantage to Americans to be able to transship their cargoes because it enables them to continue fishing, instead of going to the United States or elsewhere with their cargoes. 19. It is an advantage to the American fishermen to be able to procare bait in our waters, either to buy or catch it. If they buy it, it is because they find it more profitable than to catch it themselves in order to save time. 20. It would be impossible for the Americans to carry on the cod and halibut fishery without being able to procure bait in our inshore, that is to say profitably. 21. It is of no advantage to us to be able to fish in American waters. 22. The privilege of transshipping cargoes is worth a load; and the privilege of getting bait in our inshores for cod and halibut is equal to their fishery. 23. I believe that the privilege of fishing by the Americans in our waters injures the fishery very materially. JOHN R. HAMILTON. Sworn, to the best of his knowledge, information, and belief, at New Carlisle, county of Bonaventure, Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada, this 24th day of July, A. D. 1877, before me. N. LAVOIE, Justice of the Peace, Province of Quebec. No. 126. In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington: I, BAPTISTE COUTURE, of Grand River, county of Gaspé, Province of Quebec, fisherman, make oath and say as follows: 1. I have been engaged in all the fisheries on this coast for forty years. 2. The fishing by the American fishermen was very extensive on this shore between Newport and Cape Despair, a distance of 27 miles, from 1854 to 1866. On this shore during the Reciprocity Treaty, from 1854 to 1866, fully sixty schooners have been engaged in the mackerel fishery yearly, each of these vessels being about 70 tons, having a crew of fifteen men. 3. On an average these schooners have made good voyages of 400 barrels each. 4. The cod-fishery seems to be on the increase, and considerably. Herring are about the same, and mackerel seem to be in as great abundance on our shores here as in former years. Our Canadian fishermen take them as plentifully now as in the best years. 5. The Americans take mackerel with hand lines and seines. 6. During the Reciprocity Treaty, between 1854 and 1866, the American fishermen that have resorted to these shores for mackerel have caught the most of them inshore, and sometimes very close to the shore. I have seen them fish with hand lines only, and they have got their load in a few days. Every year I have been alongside of them and have seen them fishing. 7. Our inshore fisheries are of much greater value than the outside. Herring, caplin, launce are caught inshore, and two-thirds of the mackerel also. 8. It is the common practice of the Americans to come in among the boats and, by throwing bait, entice the mackerel away with them. They have done the same to me many times. And if a school of mackerel were to come into any of our coves, and the Americans to come in after them, they would catch them all before we could get one. 9. I have seen the Americans several times come into our inshores and catch caplin with seines, and herring with nets, for bait. 10. Since 1871 all the fisheries-that is to say, mackerel, herring, and codfish-have increased, and there is as much bait as ever; and I am sure this increase is due to the withdrawing of American fishermen from our waters. 11. Mackerel feed inshore; their food is lance and other small fish which live inshore. 12. It is a great advantage to the Americans to be allowed to transship their cargoes in our inshores; it enables them to keep on the fishing-grounds and to double their fares. 13. It is a great advantage to the Americans to be able to catch bait in our inshores, or to buy it. If they buy it, it is because they find it more profitable. 14. The Americans could not carry on the cod and halibut fishery profitably if they could not procure bait in our inshores. 15. It is of no advantage to Canadians to be able to fish in American waters, and I never knew of any vessel from here going there to do so. 16. The privilege of transshipping cargoes enjoyed by the Americans |