HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 145 



mackerel bait they take capling — a very fat little fish — and they make 

 out that it is a better bait for mackerel than porgies. 



"Q. But the large proportion of the bait is herring'^ — A. Yes; butthey 

 uso porgies, which they often buy for bait. 



"Q. To any extent ? — A, The vessels which go fishing generally buy 

 them. They prefer herring when they cannot get porgies good. 



"Q. Where do ihey buy porgies "? — A. They generally buy them on the 

 island, where they are imported. 



"Q. They buy ihem from the merchants? — A. Yes. It would not pay 

 to send down to American waters to fish for porgies for the number of 

 vessels engaged in mackerel- fishing. 



"Q. They prefer to take herring, to do that? — A. Y'es. * 

 " Cross-examined by Mr. Dana : 



"Q. And your people are buying bait from the United States? — A. 

 They sometimes do so. 



"Q. You said that they very often bought j)ogies, which were used by 

 your people ? — A. Yes. 



'•Q. You meau menhaden — it is the same thing? — A. Yes. 



"Q. Where do the merchants get their pogies? — A. From the States. 



"Q. Do you really suppose that the American fishermen, instead of 

 buying menhaden from first hands, would buy them of your merchants, 

 paying their profit, and commissions, and freight, and all that ? — A. Yes. 

 I have seen these fishermen buy them when their own bait had turned 

 sour or was bad. If the merchants have a quantity of good bait on 

 hand, they can generally sell it. 



" Q. Is that considered an article of trade ? — A. No ; not to a great 

 extent. 



"'• Q. Then the Americans get caught; their bait sometimes turns 

 sour f — A. Yes. Consequently, of course, if out with other vessels fish- 

 ing, a vessel having bad bait could not secure her share of the fish. 



" Q. Can they not catch something else to be used in place of it ; her- 

 ring, for instance ? — A. Not always. The mackerel-catchers could not 

 wait for this. Their business is to catch mackerel. 



" Q. But they can obtain it at the Magdalen Islands ? — A. It would 

 take too much time to cross at that point. 



" Q. Your own fishermen could not get across any sooner ? — A. No. 



" Q. If you could fit out a great number of large vessels for mackerel- 

 fishing, you would want to import a good deal of this bait, pogies or 

 menhaden, would you not ? — A. Yes ; we would tben, likely, import 

 quite a lot of it. They could, however, use herring if no menhaden or 

 poges were thrown into the fishing ground. Herring would do nearly 

 as Avell. 



" Q. But the fish want something better. — A. Yes."t 



Mr. George Mackenzie, fisherman, of New London, Prince Edward 



* Pj(oceedings of Halifax Commission, 1877. Appendix F, p. 24. 

 Uhid., p. 2<J. 

 10 F 



