sh; second, by the hurt caused to the codfish by the offals, which being swallowed by the cod, the bones swallowed destroy them. 8. The American mackerelers using seines, fished in the Bay of Gaspé, inside of Sandy Beach and Peninsula, hauling their seines on shore. 9. The privilege of fishing in American waters is of no value to us; our fishermen will never go there. 10. The American free market for our fish is of no value to us; we make a superior dry codfish to them, and we ship to Brazil and ́European markets. I have been in business for 34 years, and have never shipped any fish to the United States. And we do not know of any other merchant ever having done so. 11. It is our interest to keep our fisheries to ourselves, and not to allow foreign fishermen to come into our inshore fisheries. 12. The competition of the Americans is very hurtful to our own fishermen, especially as regards the mackerel and halibut for this coast. 13. American fishermen committed many depredations, and they used to land and sell many articles without paying the duty. I hereby swear that the above statement is, to the best of my knowl edge and belief, correct. WM. HYMAN. The said William Hyman has sworn to the truth of the above deposition, at Grande Greve, in the county of Gaspé, and Province of Quebec, this 4th day of August, A. D. 1877, before me. No. 182. P. FORTIN, J. P. In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington. I, ABRAHAM GAVEY, of Grande Greve, of the county of Gaspé, of the Province of Quebec, make oath and say as follows: 1. I am 35 years of age; I am a practical fisherman, and have been engaged in carrying on the fishery for the last 20 years; I am well acquainted with the fisheries carried on in this bay and the neighborhood. I was born here. 2. The fisheries here are cod, halibut, mackerel, and herring. 3. I have seen a large number of United States vessels fishing in this bay every year for mackerel and cod ever since I can remember, but they were much more numerous during the existence of the Reciprocity Treaty. I should think that there were, during that treaty, at least from one to two hundred American vessels fishing in this bay every year. They were, on an average, from 60 to 100 tons each, manned by from 15 to 20 men; a good many of these vessels, as they themselves have told me, made two voyages. I have seen myself, at one time, as many as 50 American fishing-vessels anchored from Grande Greve to Little Gaspé, a distance of one mile. The average catch of each vessel, as near as I can reckon, was about 500 barrels; and the mackerel they took was, especially at the latter end of the seasou, of the very first quality. That mackerel was taken by hook and seine; the seining was done in the harbor, inside of Sandy Beach, and also in the bay with parse seines. 4. During the first years of the Treaty of Washington the number of American schooners mackerel-fishing in this bay and the vicinity was about a quarter of what it was during the Reciprocity Treaty, although there were as many fish then as during the Reciprocity Treaty; but for the last three years the fishing has fallen off. This year, however, they seem to be increasing again. 5. The throwing overboard of offal is extremely injurious to the fish and fishing-grounds. This is always done by the American fishingvessels, both in the bay and outside. 6. The United States fishermen have often committed depredations on this coast, threatening to do bodily harm to the inhabitants, trampling down' the crops, and stealing sheep and potatoes. One vessel tried to run down my brother, Daniel Gavey, and his partner, who were in their boat going codfishing; this occurred four years ago. 7. It is my opinion, and I am sure all the fishermen on this part of the coast think so also, that the privilege of fishing in United States waters is of no value whatever to us. I hereby swear that the above statement is, to the best of my knowl edge and belief, correct. ABRAHAM GAVEY. The said Abraham Gavey has sworn to the truth of the above affidavit at Grande Greve, this tenth day of August, A. D. 1877, before me. P. FORTIN, J. P. No. 183. In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington. I, PETER FERGUSON, of L'Ance au Beaufils, county of Gaspé, and Province of Quebec, make oath and say as follows: 1. I am 55 years of age. I was born here and have lived here all my life. I began to fish when I was 15 years of age. I am practically acquainted with the fisheries of this coast. 2. The fish found on this coast are codfish, herring, mackerel, and halibut; the principal baits are herring, capelin, squid, mackerel, smelt, and launce. The herring spawn abundantly along the coast, and we see great schools of young herring during the summer. Bait is generally abundant; when one fails we get another kind; we always get bait close inshore, always within the three-mile limit. We find that the codfish is generally as abundant as it was 30 years ago; but the fishing is more abundant; according to the state of the weather, and the supply of bait. In L'Ance au Beaufils Cove, where there are 36 boats, the fish is mostly caught within the three-mile limit, very few going to the Bank. Ninety per cent. of the fish is taken inside the limit of three miles. 3. It would not pay an American schooner fishing on the Bank to remain there fishing without the privilege of taking bait on shore. She could not make a profitable voyage and trust to getting bait on the Bank. I have several times seen American bankers coming to get bait on shore, and last year one of them employed my neighbor to seine caplin for bait for him. 4. During the Reciprocity Treaty and the period of licenses, I saw a great many American mackerel schooners along this coast, and several times I have counted as many as thirty between Whitehead and Cape Despair, within the limit. The average number during each season was between 200 and 250. They used both to take the mackerel inside of the limits and bait them outside. I was on one occasion on board a schooner that baited the mackerel close to the shore, and thus brought them outside. This was an American schooner. I believe this was a common practice. These schooners were from 60 to 100 tons, and took from four to eight hundred barrels each. They told me themselves that they generally made two trips in the season. They used to grind up the small mackerel they took for bait. It is a common practice for the Americans to begin to fish inside the limit. The mackerel generally feed on shrimps, close inshore, and on other small fish. 5. During the first three years of the Treaty of Washington they continued to come in numbers, and fish as before in our inshores. There were at least half the number that used to come under the Reciprocity Treaty fishing each year on this shore; as I have said, after the begin ning of the Treaty of Washington, for the last couple of years, I have not seen so many. 6. I believe that the mackerel spawn along the shore. We have often taken the young mackerel fry in our lance-seines along the beach. We generally see the mackerel schooling along this shore about the end of Angust, and two years ago I saw them as thick as caplin in among the boat-moorings. I believe if the Americans must come they could take as many as during the years past. The mackerel taken along the shore are of fine quality. 7. The right of fishing on the American coast is of no use to us; our people don't want to go there. S. Their free market is of no use to us. Our fish is prepared for foreign markets other than that of the United States. I mean for Brazil, West Indies, Spain, Portugal, and the ports in the Mediterranean. 9. The competition of American fishermen in our waters is a tremendous detriment to our fishing interest. 10. It would certainly be more advantageous for us to keep our inshore fisheries to ourselves. I hereby swear that the above statement is to the best of my knowl edge and belief correct. PETER FERGUSON. The said Peter Ferguson has sworn to the truth of the above affidavit, at Cape Cove, in the county of Gaspé, and Province of Quebec, this fourteenth (14th) day of August, A. D. 1877, before me. No. 184. P. FORTIN, J. P. In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington. I, CHRISTOPHER BAKER, of Cape Cove, make oath and say as follows: 1. I am mayor of Cape Cove. I am 39 years of age. I was born here, and have lived all my life at Cape Cove. I have fished for 14 years. I began to fish at 12 years of age. Since I was 26 years of age, I have been engaged in the fishery business on my own account, and keep fishing-boats. I have always had 10 or 12 boats fishing every season. I am practically acquainted with all that relates to fishing, and the fish trade. I am well acquainted with the coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Bay of Chaleur from Gaspé Basin to Paspebiac, a distance of about 100 miles. 2. The principal fish taken along this coast are the cod, herring, mackerel, and halibut, cod-fishing is the principal, and the baits are herring, caplin, mackerel, squid, smelt, and launce. The run of codfish is about the same as formerly, though there are more boats now than formerly. 3. No vessel, American or other, could make a profitable voyage at Bank fishing without the privilege of taking bait on shore, or bringing it from the fishermen of the coast. I do know that bankers come for bait to the shore. I, last year but one, sold bait to an American Bankfisherman, and hired my seine to another to seine caplin, which caplin he seined from the beach. 4. Herring spawn here along the shore in abundance. 5. I have seen many American vessels fishing along shore during the existence of the Reciprocity Treaty and the period of licenses. I have seen at one and the same time in Cape Cove, when I was fishing, 50 American mackerel schooners anchored in the bay. There were some at the same time at other places. I believe that each year along this coast during the period specified above, at least (200) two hundred American schooners used to fish for mackerel, each from 50 to 100 tons, manned by from 12 to 18 men; some, and I believe the most, made two voyages, and I believe they took on an average 600 barrels each. Most of the mackerel they took was taken inside of the three-mile limit. 6. A smaller number continued to fish for mackerel inshore, even when the cutters were placed on the coast to prevent them. 7. For the first years of the Treaty of Washington the Americans continued to come in numbers, but for the last two years they have not come in such numbers. They fished as formerly, inside of the threemile limit. I consider the number that come about here was about onethird of the number that come during the Reciprocity Treaty. 8. It is a great advantage for the Americans to have the privilege of fishing inshore; without that privilege they would get very little mackerel outside of the limit. I have bought fish (codfish) and oil and cod roes from them. I have heard that they did trade a little on the coast! 9. I have seen the Americans throw offals overboard, and I believe this to be injurious to the fish and the fisheries. 10. The privilege they have of taking bait on shore, of getting ice, and transshipping cargoes is of great value to them. 11. The right we have acquired by the Treaty of Washington of fishing in American waters is not of any value to our fishermen. 12. The American free market is no benefit to us; my fish is prepared for the Brazil and European markets; the price we could get in the States would not pay us. 13. It is certainly our interest to keep our fisheries to ourselves, and not to allow foreigners to participate in them. I hereby swear that the above statement is, to the best of my knowl edge and belief, correct. CHRISTOPHER BAKER. The said Christopher Baker has sworn to the truth of the above affi davit, at Cape Cove, in the county of Gaspe, this 14th day of August, A. D. 1877, before me. P. FORTIN, J. P. No. 185. In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington. I, DAVID PHILLIPS, of Peninsula, in the county of Gaspé, make oath and say as follows: I am 1. I have lived at Peninsula, in Gaspé Bay, for forty-six years. a farmer and have fished. I understand practically all that relates to the taking and curing of fish. I am 72 years of age. 2. The principal fish taken in this bay are the cod, mackerel, halibut, and herring. 3. The codfish taken varies in quantity year by year, but more is taken now than was taken 30 years ago. I believe that the codfish spawn in the bay, and we see great quantities of the young codfish. 4. The herring spawn in this bay. I have seen the sea whitened by the milt of the male. 5. Formerly mackerel were very abundant, and I have seen the mackerel schooling in great numbers. I have seen them so thick that one could almost walk on snow-shoes over them. Last year and the year before but few were caught. This year the mackerel are appearing in quantity, and there is the prospect of a good catch. I have not for many years seen the mackerel so large, and good in quality. When I first came here a few American schooners used to fish in the bay for mackerel, but afterwards they became so numerous that I have seen as many as forty of them in the bay at one time. During the time of the Reciprocity Treaty they fished in the bay in great numbers, and I estimate the annual number that did so at from 100 to 150 and 200. The tonnage of these vessels was from 50 to 100 tons. Some of these vessels made two voyages. I average the number of barrels taken by each to be about 500 barrels. When, after 1868, the coast-guard schooners were put on to keep the Americans from fishing in the inshore waters but few Americans came in to fish. In the first years of the Treaty of Washington about onethird of the number that came under the Reciprocity Treaty visited the bay to fish. These vessels were of the same tonnage, and the catch was about the same. The waters of this bay are most accessible; the bay is sheltered, there is a fine, convenient harbor in all weather, and a good supply of wood and water. 6. The privilege granted to the Americans to fish at our doors is no benefit certainly to us; far from it; it is a serious injury. I certainly wish to see our inshore fisheries kept exclusively for our own fishermen. Our population is increasing rapidly, and we require that all our fisheries should be preserved to ourselves, or otherwise our young men will have to emigrate. 7. There is an abundance of bait for codfish in the bay, especially launcefish, squid, and clams. Our fishermen on the outside coast frequently came in boats a distance of forty miles to get bait, especially launcefish. 8. The privilege of fishing in American waters is no use to us. If fish were plentiful on their coast, why do they come here? I never knew of any of our fishermen having gone to fish there. 9. The privilege of selling our fish duty free in the United States is no use to us. Our fish, especially codfish, has a more suitable market elsewhere. I hereby swear that the above statement is, to the best of my knowl edge and belief, correct. DAVID PHILLIPS. |