40 Fisheries of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 



ARTICLE IV.— Report on the Fisheries of the Gulf of Saint 

 Lawrence. By M. H. Perley, Esq., Her Majesty's Emi- 

 gration Officer at Saint John, N.B.* 



Laid before the House of Assembly by command of His Excellency the Lieutenant 

 Governor, and ordered to be printed 8th March, 1849. 



There is probably no part of the world in which such extensive 

 and valuable Fisheries are to be found, as within the Gulf of Saint 

 Lawrence. Nature has bountifully provided within its waters, 

 the utmost abundance of those fishes which are of the greatest 

 importance to man, as affording not only nutritious and wholesome 

 food, but also the means of profitable employment. 



These Fisheries may be prosecuted as well in the open waters 

 of the Gulf, as within every Bay, Harbour, Creek, Cove, and Inlet 

 in connection with it. Whether on the bleak and sterile coast of 

 Labrador; or on the western coasts of Newfoundland and Cape 

 Breton ; or along the eastern shores of Nova Scotia and New 

 Brunswick ; or within the Bay of Chaleur; or around Prince Ed- 

 ward Island, Anticosti, or the Magdalen Islands, the Fisherman 

 may pursue his labours with nearly equal chances of success, and 

 the full prospect of securing an ample reward for his toil. 



With such valuable and unlimited Fisheries in close proximity 

 to these Colonies, and as it may be said at the very doors of the 

 inhabitants, it is no less strange than true, that they are prosecut- 

 ed to the greatest extent, and with most profit, by citizens of 

 France, and of the United States. 



The French exercise an almost exclusive right of fishing upon 

 the western coast of Newfoundland, the fertility and great mineral 

 wealth of which have only recently become known, and are not 

 yet fully appreciated. 



From seven to eight hundred sail of America fishing vessels 

 enter the Gulf of Saint Lawrence annually ; and scattering over 

 the whole of its wide extent, with little heed of the limits to which 

 they are restricted by treaty, pursue their business unmolested, 

 and but rarely leave their stations without full and valuable fares. 



The Jersey merchants also prosecute these Fisheries with great 

 zeal and assiduity, and, as it is believed, with much profit. They 

 have permanent establishments and Fishing Stations in Gaspe, 



* This Report although issued ten years ago, contains the best ac- 

 count of the Fisheries of the Gulf at present extant. Believing it to be 

 important on account of the statistical and natural history information 

 that may be gleaned from it, we republish it without abridgement. 



E. B. 



