CLXXXII REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



large net, wliich had been in tlie water only three hours, came up full 

 to the mouth, but when the tackles were put on the net broke, as in 

 previous trials, and the fish were lost. The vessel made port with 

 15,000 pounds of fish, and the crew set to work to construct a net of 

 superior twine. 



The details of the fourth and final voyage are as follows: The first 

 night on the bank 12,000 pounds of haddock and soles were taken at 

 first haul; at second haul there was a calm, and only 3,000 pounds 

 were secured. Then for nine successive nights the weather was so 

 calm that it was useless to lower the trawl. On the tenth night a light 

 breeze sprang up, and at 4 o'clock the net was shot in 29 fathoms of 

 water; at 5 o'clock the trawl was so full of fish that "the vessel was 

 almost stopped in her drift," to quote Capt. Bradford; at 7 o'clock, 

 when the net was being hoisted, a northeast wind and a heavy sea tore 

 the net from the beam. The vessel lay to for forty-eight hours and then 

 proceeded to market. The parties interested with Capt. Bradford 

 thought he had experimented enough, and declined to prolong the 

 attempt, much to the regret of Capt. Bradford, who had faith in the 

 ultimate success of the venture and thought that the worst had hap- 

 pened that could happen. The captain writes : 



We had tried only one little area of water on the coast and met with success, as the 

 crew shared $7 to $14 per trip. I can name many vessels which had 16 men which 

 came home in debt, while we had only 7 men. We used less than a ton of coal per 

 trip, and 900 gallons of water. 



THE NEWFOUNDLAND BAIT QUESTION. 



One of the most important factors in the fisheries carried on by New 

 England vessels on the more eastern banks is the supply of fresh bait, 

 which has been drawn to a considerable extent from Newfoundland 

 ports. Canadian and French bank fishing vessels have also found it 

 convenient to resort to the Newfoundland coast for bait. The regula- 

 tion by the Newfoundland government of this privilege of obtaining 

 bait from the local fishermen has long been an important question and 

 has attained consid^^rable prominence on account of its international 

 bearing. The original bait laws of the province were formulated for 

 the purpose of discriminating against the French fishermen at Miquelon 

 and St. Pierre, who, on account of the large bounties paid by the French 

 Government, were able to undersell the Newfoundland fishermen, and 

 so control the trade in the common markets, especially those of south- 

 ern Europe. In 1890 the local regulations permitted the purchase of 

 bait by American and Canadian vessels on the payment of a license 

 fee. This at first consisted of a tonnage tax, which had to be repaid on 

 the occasion of each entry into Newfoundland ports, but later was modi- 

 fied to a tax of $1 per barrel on all bait secui'ed, the licenses issued by 

 the Canadian Government under the modus vivendi not being recog- 

 nized by the provincial authorities. In 1891, in a spirit of retaliation 

 against the British Government, the Newfoundland authorities granted 



