THE MENHADEN FISHERY. 355 



" For mackerel the Americans use ' pogies' and clams, chopped fine, as halt. The 'ponies' 

 arc found only on the coast of the United States, and, when imported into the Dominion, cost 

 about $6 per barrel. 



"The bait with which the Americans arc .supplied is far superior to any which can be secured 

 in this country, to which may be attributed in a great measure the success of the Americans pre- 

 viously to the recent restrictions, although even now the local fishermen complain that they have 

 no chance while an American schooner is fishing near them."* 



"The menhaden fishery has within ten years grown into an immense business. Formerly they 

 were taken only for bait, and were either ground in hand-mills, for mackerel, or used in what is 

 called ' slivers,' for codfish bait. There is now a large fleet of steamers and sailing vessels engaged 

 in this fishery. Large factories have been erected on shore for extracting the oil. As these fish 

 are not valuable until they are fat, which is in August and September, they are not much taken 

 in their spawning time, and they will not therefore be exterminated. They are caught solely with 

 seines, near the shore, their food being a kind of marine seed which floats upon the waters; con- 

 sequently they will not take the hook. This fishery is one of the most profitable of all the fish- 

 eries, the oil being used for tanning and currying, extensively at home, and being exported in 

 large quantities. The refuse of the fish, after being pressed, is used for manufacturing guano or 

 fish phosphate, and is very valuable as a fertilizer. This fishery is purely an American fishery, 

 uo menhaden ever being found north of the coast of Maine. It is entirely an inshore fishery, the 

 fish being taken within two miles from the shore." 



THE REPLY ov HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT. The "Keply on behalf of Her 

 Britannic Majesty's Government to the Answer of the United States of America" responds: 



"The answer (pp. 18 and 19) lays much stress on the importance to Canadian fishermen of the 

 menhaden bait fishery on the coast of the New England States. The menhaden is here repre- 

 sented to be the best bait for mackerel, and is said to inhabit exclusively the American coast. An 

 entirely fictitious value has been attached to this fishery. British fishermen do not frequent United 

 States waters for the purpose of catching bait of any kind or for any other purposes connected 

 with fishing; consequently the privilege of entering those waters to catch menhaden is of no prac- 

 tical value. Any bait of that description which they may require may be purchased as an article 

 of commerce. 



"There are not now, nor have there ever been, treaty stipulations to prevent British fish- 

 ermen from entering American waters to buy bait, if they prefer to do so. As a matter of fact, 

 whatever mendadeu bait British fishermen use is either purchased from American dealers or from 

 Canadian traders, who import and keep it for sale like any other merchandise. Reference is made 

 in the Answer to the possible contingency of legislation prohibiting the export or sale of menhaden- 

 bait, the implied consequence being a serious disadvantage to Canadian fishermen in prosecuting 

 the mackerel fishery. It would, in such contingency, be necessary to use other baits equally good, 

 or resort to some other method of fishing, such as that described at page 10, enabling the fishermen 

 to dispense with bait. Moreover, it is well known that menhaden are now caught in the open sea, 

 many miles distant from the American coast. The Answer asserts, at page 19, that 'it is entirely 

 an inshore fishery.' It can be proved that menhaden are chiefly caught oft' shore, frequently 'out 

 of sight of land.' 



" Mr. S. L. Boardman, of Augusta, Me., in an interesting report to the State Board of Agricult- 

 ure, of which he is secretary, published in 1875, at page 60, says: 



" Parties engaged in taking menhaden now go off ten or twenty miles from shore, whereas they 



* Annual Report of the Department of Marino and Fisheries for the year ending June, 1870, pp. 312,342. 



