180 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
Q. Why is it not used here ?—A. I don’t know except that they have other bait 
that they get at more readily, and they have not learned how to use this. 
Q. But it is very abundant?—A. Yes; quite as abundant as it is anywhere. This 
is arather small specimen. The advantage of this kind of bait is that it can be kept 
alive for a long time merely by moistening it or keeping it in water, so there is no 
question about salting it or using ice or any other application. 
By Sir ALEXANDER GALT: 
Q. Isthere any particular locality for that ?—A. It is extremely abundant all through 
the northern seas. I ama little surprised that I have not seen more of them here. 
It is a northern shell. I presume it is very abundant in Newfoundland, and to the 
north. At any rate it isin any desired abundance in the Bay of Fundy, but not south 
of Cape Cod. 
Q. From all you have Icarned, have you any doubt that, supposing the fishermen 
of the United States were precluded from using any bait except what could be got 
upon their own coast, they could obtain wu sufficient supply there?—A. Well, unless 
the American fishery should be expanded to very enormous limits, far in excess of what 
it is now, I can’t see that there would be any difficulty. I may refer to one bait at 
our command, which is an excellent bait—salt liver. Insome parts that is considered 
an excellent bait. Of course each part of the world swears by its own particular bait. 
While the Cape Cod man swears by menhaden, the Newfoundlander by herring and 
eaplin, and the Englishman by winkles, the Dutchman swears by salt liver. 
Q. We could have that, of course.—A. Yes. Then the roes of cod are good for bait. 
Q. What do you say about gurry? We hada good deal about that in the early part 
of this inquiry. Beso good as to tell what opinion you have or what conclusion you 
have come to about its use and abuse.—A. It hardly applies to cod any more than to 
any other fish cleaned at sea. The gurry is the offal, and that of course may be of 
salmon or cod or haddock or mackerel. The practice of throwing overboard gurry is 
in many respects reprehensible, because in the first place it is a very great waste of an- 
imal matter. The applicability of this offal to commercial purposes is such that when- 
ever it can be had in sufficient quantities it should be utilized. It is so on the coast 
of Norway, An enormous number of pounds of fertilizer are made out of the gurry, 
and the heads are dried and used for food for dogs and cattle. I presume you refer, 
however, to the supposed influence of the gurry on the fishing-grounds, more partic- 
ularly. Well, in the first place, more of it can bo used now. In the process of hard 
freezing applied to cod it is brought in more as a fresh fish. But a large proportion 
of what is thrown overboard can be utilized. It can all be utilized, and it would be 
very proper, I think, to impose some penalty upon the waste of the gurry by throw- 
ing it overboard, in favor of securing its preservation and utilization. But of course 
the question is as to what influence the gurry can exercise upon the sea fishery, sup- 
posing it to be abundant and to be thrown overboard. J have no practical experi- 
ence in regard to that. I know a great many persons testify that it is very objection-— 
able. The reason why I should be inclined to attribute very little importance to the - 
objection is the readiness with which all such offal is consumed in the sea by the scav- 
engers appointed by nature to destroy it. In the northern seas, where codfish are 
most abundant and this gurry is in the greatest abundance, the waters abound with 
countless numbers of minute crustaceans whose business it is to destroy animal mat- 
ter. The so-called sea fleas are so active that if you take a fish the size of a codfish 
and put it in a bag of net-work and put it overboard where it will be exposed for a — 
tide in water of anywhere from five to ten or twenty fathoms, you will find, as a gen- 
eral rule, that next day you will have the bones picked clean and a perfect skeleton 
without a single particle of flesh. I have had thousands of skeletons (I may say lit- 
erally so) of fishes and birds and small quadrupeds prepared for museum purposes by 
simply exposing them to the action of the sea fleas. I have put them in bags perfo- 
rated with holes and left them at the edge of low tide for a tide or two, and the skel- 
eton would be perfectly complete without a bit of meat left, 



