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which is a very injurious way of taking fish. Our fishermen have only commenced trawling to any considerable extent within the two years now past, and have been compelled to do so in order to compete with the Americans.

JOHN W. SNOW.

Sworn to at Digby, in the county of Digby, this 3d day of September, A. D. 1877, before me,

No. 297.

JOHN DAKIN, J. P.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, JAMES PATTERSON FOSTER, of Port Williams, in the county of Annapolis, merchant and dealer in fish, make oath and say as follows: 1. I have been acquainted with the fisheries along the coast of this county for twenty-five years now past, and am at present acquainted with them.

2. I have dealt in codfish, hake, and herrings.

3. Since 1871, about half a dozen American vessels come in here, principally for bait, which they get by setting their nets inshore within three miles of the shore, mostly within a mile of the shore. This number have come here every year since 1871. Some of them take cargoes of herring.

4. Some of these American vessels take from four to five hundred barrels of herring around this port and in this vicinity inshore within a mile of the shore; at least four or five do so every year since 1871. These American vessels are from twenty to fifty tons each.

5. The herring taken in this vicinity range in price from two to four dollars per barrel.

6. The American vessels fish off shore beyond three miles from the shore for codfish, haddock, hake, halibut, and pollack, and get the bait which enables them to do so inshore by setting their nets for it.

7. The American vessels which fish around here come early in April, and remain until the last of August.

8. It would be a great advantage to the fishermen in this vicinity and along the coast of Annapolis County if the Americans were excluded from our inshore grounds, as they take large quantities of herring for bait, and also cargoes of herring from our inshore grounds, and injure our inshore grounds by throwing "gurry" overboard.

9. I have never known nor heard of any of our fishermen going to fish on the American coast, and this right given us by the Treaty of Washington is of no value to us.

JAMES P. FOSTER.

Sworn to at Port Williams, in the county of Annapolis, this 6th day of September, A. D. 1877, before me.

JOHN ANTHONY,

Justice of Peace, Acting in and for the County of Annapolis.

No. 298.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, BYRON P. LADD, of Yarmouth, in the county of Yarmouth, merchant, make oath and say as follows:

1. I have been engaged in trading and outfitting fishermen for the

last twenty-five years; at Westport from 1848 to 1870, the remainder in Yarmouth.

2. The fishing by American vessels in Canadian waters varies very much from year to year; from fifteen to twenty vessels yearly usually put in at Westport for supplies, &c.; during my residence there, have known years when mackerel were plenty; as many as seventy or eighty vessels fishing in St. Mary's Bay; the number of American vessels in other waters on the Canadian shores, I have no personal knowledge. 3. There is an improvement in the inshore cod fishery for the past four years.

4. American fishermen use trawls chiefly for cod-fishing, seines and hook and line for mackerel, nets for herring.

5. I consider the value of the inshore fisheries much greater than the outside, particularly for mackerel.

6. American fishermen use purse-seines, and they are considered very injurious to the mackerel fishery.

7. American fishermen yearly catch codfish, halibut, hake, haddock and mackerel on the inshores of Nova Scotia.

8. Americans buy herring for bait from our inshore fishermen. Do not think they fish very much for them.

9. My opinion is that the mackerel caught in the Bay de Chaleur are better than those caught in American waters, and would command a higher price in the American markets.

10. Mackerel feed inshore.

11. It is a very great advantage to American fishermen to land their fish in Canadian waters.

12. The privilege of transshipping cargoes of fish by Americans in Canadian waters is very great, particularly the mackerel fishery; it enables them to prosecute that fishery to much greater advantage and profit.

13. It is more profitable to the Americans to buy bait when they can; they only fish for it when they cannot buy it.

14. The Americans could not carry on the cod fishery with any profit without having access to our Canadian inshores to procure bait and other supplies.

15. The privilege of fishing in American waters is of no practical value or advantage in any way to Canadian fishermen.

The foregoing statement is true and correct to the best of my knowl edge and belief.

BYRON P. LADD. Sworn before me at Yarmouth, in the county of Yarmouth, this 10th day of September, A. D. 1877.

No. 299.

ENOS GARDNER, J. P.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, ABRAM THURSTON, of Sanford, in the county of Yarmouth, fisherman, make oath and say as follows:

1. Have been engaged shore-fishing for the last twenty-eight years, mostly boat-fishing for codfish, halibut, pollock, herring, and mackerel. 2. Inshore boat fishing for halibut and codfish is not as good as it was in the past; haddock are much more plenty; berring are about the same; mackerel are much more plenty, particularly the present year. The increase in the catch of mackerel is very large in the county of Yarmouth.

3. I believe that the practice of throwing fish offal on the fishing grounds is very injurious, and is practiced to a large extent.

4. Some few years ago American fishermen fished close in to our shores in the Bay of Fundy for halibut.

5. The value of the inshore fisheries are much greater value than the outside.

6. American fishermen catch halibut in the inshore waters of Canada; they catch some codfish inshore. Halibut, codfish, haddock, hake, and pollack are caught inshore by Canadian fishermen.

7. I can only speak of the locality in which I reside for boat fishing, mostly since 1871. Codfish are not so plenty; halibut has also decreased; and my opinion is that trawling in the past by American fish. ermen, and some also by our own fishermen, have injured the halibut fishery very much.

8. The food of mackerel is chiefly inshore. The first mackerel that comes on our shores are full of spawn; their principal feeding and breeding places are inshore.

9. Should think the privilege of transshipping cargoes enjoyed by American fishermen since the Treaty of Washington is a very great advantage to them; it would certainly allow them to catch more fish and make more trips.

10. It is a very great advantage to Americans to be able to procure bait in the Canadian inshore bays, creeks, and harbors, and it is more profitable for them to buy it than catch it themselves. I supplied two American vessels with fresh mackerel for bait this present year for $120.

11. I do not consider or believe that the American fishermen could carry on the deep-sea fisheries around our Canadian coasts without the privilege of resorting to our inshores to procure bait.

12. It is a great advantage to Americans to resort to Canadian inshores for ice to preserve bait and other supplies to carry on their fishery business.

13. The privilege of fishing in American waters is no practical value or advantage to Canadian fishermen ; do not believe our fishermen make any attempt to fish in the American waters.

14. I know that it must be very much to the advantage of American fishermen to procure bait and transship cargoes in Canadian inshores, bat cannot give an estimate of the value.

15. American fishermen in their operations do not hinder Canadian fishermen, but the large quantities of fish caught by them would cer tainly make a lower market for Canadian fish than if they were excluded from our inshores.

The foregoing statement is true and correct, to the best of my knowl edge and belief.

ABRAM THURSTON.

Sworn before me at Sanford, in the county of Yarmouth, this 8th day of September, A. D. 1877.

No. 300.

ENOS GARDNER, J. P.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, SAMUEL M. RYERSON, of Yarmouth, in the county of Yarmouth, merchant, make oath and say as follows:

1. I have been engaged since 1861 in outfitting fishermen for cod,

mackerel, and herring fishery, and am at present engaged in that business as one of the firm of Ryerson & Moses to a small extent.

2. I know that there are several hundred American vessels yearly engaged in fishing in Canadian waters; they average from ten to fifteen men per vessel. They fish in the Bay of Fundy and St. Mary's Bay for codfish, halibut, and mackerel.

3. They take from 800 to 1,500 quintals codfish per trip. Halibut is taken to their market in ice in small quantities; cannot give estimate of mackerel trip, as their fares are generally carried to their ports without stopping here.

4. The American fishermen use trawls mostly for codfish, halibut, and haddock; mackerel on the Nova Scotia shores are mostly taken by seines by them.

5. Most of the mackerel caught on the Canadian inshores are caught close inshore, from half a mile to three miles from shore. The Americans catch large quantities of halibut inshore, from one to three miles from the shore.

6. The value of the inshore fisheries are as valuable as the outside; for bait they would be more valuable.

7. I know that American fishermen use purse-seines for taking mackerel, and have taken large quantities in that way, and they are very injurious to the fishery wherever they are used.

8. I know that American fishermen set their nets along our shores for the purpose of catching bait, and get all they require.

9. Large quantities of halibut, codfish, pollack, haddock, hake, and mackerel are caught by American fishermen in the inshore waters of Canada; the same are caught inshore by Canadian fishermen.

10. There has been a large increase in the cod fishery since 1871. Mackerel has also increased in the county of Yarmouth the past few years.

11. I American fishermen had been prohibited from fishing in Canadian waters, the Canadian fishermen would have probably caught double the quantity.

12. The herring fishery in Canadian waters is nearly all inshore. American fishermen catch herring for bait; they buy them for sale.

13. I do not think there is any difference in the quality of the mackerel caught in the Canadian or American waters, and the value in their markets would be about the same.

14. The mackerel follow the shores and feed.

15. It is a great advantage to American fishermen to transship their cargoes at Canso; it enables them to catch two fares during the fishing

season.

16. American fishermen could not carry on their fisheries, or make profitable_voyages, without the privilege of buying and catching bait from the Canadian inshores.

17. It is a great advantage to Americans to have the privilege of purchasing ice to preserve their bait from Canadian inshores, large quantities of which is furnished to American fishermen during the fishing season. They also employ large numbers of our men for crews, which they also find is greatly to their advantage.

18. Do not think Canadian fishermen use American waters for fishing purposes; it is of no practical use, our own fishery being so much better.

19. Should think the privilege to American fishermen procuring bait and being allowed to transship their cargoes in Canadian inshores would be at least from six to eight hundred dollars per vessel yearly.

20. I do think that fishing by American fishermen hinders the fishing operations of Canadian fishermen. Our vessels would take many more fish if they had the exclusive right to the inshore Canadian fisheries.

21. Our fishermen are employed largely by American fishermen, and take their supplies in American ports. The American vessels land the goods to the families of the fishermen without paying duties, and in the fall the wages are mostly expended for supplies, which come over in some of our coasters, aud landed in the same way.

The foregoing statement is true and correct, to the best of my knowledge and belief.

SAMUEL M. RYERSON. Sworn before me at Yarmouth, in the county of Yarmouth, this 11th day of September, A. D. 1877.

No. 301.

ENOS GARDNER, J. P.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, ROBERT S. EAKINS, jr., of Yarmouth, in the county of Yarmouth, merchant, make oath and say as follows:

1. Referring to my memorandum made 12th August, 1973, as then I have some indirect knowledge of the fisheries from 1865 to 1876.

2. The extent of American fisheries in Canadian waters during the (11) eleven years from 1865 to 1876 was very great; I should say from 1,000 to 1,500 vessels from all ports of the New England States fished in Canadian waters, averaging about twelve men to each vessel, during years 1865 to 1870.

3. The quantity of fish usually average, if codfish, two thousand quintals; if part of year codfish, fourteen hundred quintals; balance year mackerel, three hundred barrels for trip.

4. As far as my knowledge goes, the American vessels usually trawl their codfish, halibut, and haddock partly in our waters and partly outside. The mackerel are principally caught in seines, purse seines, dressed on board the vessels, the offal being thrown overboard.

5. For mackerel, in Bay de Chaleur they always fish with hook and line, or used to, during the years I named, and always inshore, quite close to the land, near Magdalen Islands, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton, and Nova Scotia.

6. I should say the value of the shore fisheries was much greater than outside, more especially for mackerel fishing.

7. The American fishermen use purse seines, by means of large boats sweep it around a school of mackerel, draw in the bottom, and have the fish in a sort of large bag, from which they are taken on board the vessel and dressed at leisure.

8. American fishermen yearly catch more or less fish inshore in our water, such as halibut, codfish, and haddock, besides mackerel, which are alomst entirely caught inshore.

9. Do not think the Americans trouble themselves much about catching herrings; they buy them when they can from our people for bait. 10. We formerly cousidered our Bay de Chaleur mackerel the best in America, but for some years past the quality has not been so good as formerly. I have known our mackerel to sell by the cargo in the United States at $26 per barrel gold in the years 1859 and 1860.

11. I am of the opinion that the mackerel feed principally inshore.

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