THE MACKEREL FISHERY 265 



fishing to American fishermen for twelve years in Canadian 

 waters by the treaty of Washington in 1873 ; and the pro- 

 hibition of the southern spring mackerel fishery by the 

 National Government between the years 1888 and 1892. 



The development of the southern fresh fishery led, in a 

 few years, to a fresh fish business at New York that was 

 prosperous for a little more than a decade. The rise of a 

 fresh-mackerel trade caused jealousy on the part of the salt- 

 fish owners and dealers, who raised the cry that the catch- 

 ing of mackerel in the spring was detrimental to their busi- 

 ness and threatened to destroy the mackerel industry as 

 a whole. Legislators were appealed to that the mackerel 

 fishery might be saved, with the result that the very pros- 

 perity of the southern mackerel fishing business brought 

 about its prohibition for the space of five years. 



The extension of the privilege of inshore fishing in 

 Canadian waters to our fishermen was in the nature of a 

 barter, as it was originally intended. In its outcome it 

 proved to be a trade in which the British government got 

 the better of our government by several million dollars. 

 In brief, American fishermen were privileged to catch fish 

 in Canadian waters within the three-mile limit. This con- 

 cession was especially beneficial to the mackerel fish rather 

 than to the ground-fish industry. The inhabitants of the 

 provinces were allowed to import their fish and fish-oil into 

 the United States free of all tariffs. Provision was made 

 for a Commission to determine which country was thus 

 given the greater privileges and to assess on that country 

 a sum of money equivalent to the balance of privileges. 

 The matter was determined by the Halifax Commission in 

 the fall of 1877; and, by the finding of that body, the 

 United States paid Great Britain the sum of $5,500,000 for 

 twelve years of fishing in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. 

 The Commission made a most thorough examination of the 

 condition of American and Canadian mackerel fisheries in 



