198 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



This is exclusive of any of the Southern fisheries,, exclusive of the lake fishery, of tue 

 whale, porpoise, and seal fishery, and of the salmon, shad, and herring fishery. 



By Sir Alexander Galt : 

 Q. Does it include the Grand Bank fishery and that at George's ?— A. Yes. 



By Mr. Dana: 



Q. It is exclusive entirely of the fresh-water fish of the lakes and rivers, shad, her- 

 ring, and salmon, of the whale and fur-seal, of the oysters, lohsters, and crahs. The 

 total coast-line on which the fisheries are pursued is 1,112 miles, from Cape May to 

 Eastport, including the islands. The ratio to the mile is 940,510 pounds, the ratio of 

 value is $11,718. 



Q. Will you state how the returns are ohtained ?— A. The figures in regard to the 

 herring, cod, and mackerel are ohtained from the reports of the Bureau of Statistics 

 of the United States for 1876, the other figures are made up from a series of tables for 

 each kind of fish. I had an estimate prepared of the production of each fishery, and 

 those figures have been obtained partly from witnesses who hav e been here to testify, 

 partly from the books of dealers in Gloucester, Boston, Newburyport, and elsewhere, 

 partly and very largely from the returns I have gathered through agents I have sent 

 out, and from circulars I have distributed. I have here an enumeration of all the 

 different kinds of fish and quantity caught ; it is simply a combined table from a great 

 many sub-tables. 



Q. These tables you will put into the case?— A. The tables were not made up by 

 me, but under my direction. They are put in by the compiler under an affidavit. 



Q. An examination will show they are very much in detail?— A. These tables, like 

 all those of all nations, excepting, perhaps, those of France, are imperfect, and are 

 short of the true figures. I have no doubt that a large percentage should be added 

 to the tables of both nations in the New World. But they are accurate as far as they 

 go ; if they err, it is in the direction of deficiency, not of excess. 



Q. It is so ou both sides ?— A. Yes. 



Q. You are allowed a pretty large staff of persons to assist you as writers ? — A. I 

 have all the clerks aud assistants I require. But a great many of those returns have 

 been made to circulars I have distributed through the Departments of the Treasury 

 and Post-Office, and other functionaries. 



Q. Iu view of those vast resources of the country, and the supply of sea-fish of all 

 kinds, the improved and increased methods of catching the fish, do you think there 

 is any one kind of fish, the entire failure of which would prove a very serious matter, 

 6uch, for instauce, as the mackerel obtained in the Gulf of St. Lawrence ? — A. I do 

 not think that the entire failure of any kind offish would affect the supply; but this 

 would stimulate the fishermen to renewed efforts regarding some other fish. If all 

 the mackerel disappeared, their places would be supplied by the Southern mullet, 

 which are more abundant than the mackerel, and which could be taken in twice the 

 quantity, if not more. If every mackerel was destroyed the mackerel fishermen 

 would go down to the Southern coast, and take the mullet and pickle them. 



Q. Your last statement applies only to fish caught north of Cape May ?— A. Yes ; 

 it does not include any Southern fisheries at all, or auy catch of the same fish in 

 Southern waters, such as the bluefish or the mackerel. 

 By Mr. Foster : 



Q. Is Cape May far north of the treaty line ? — A. It is directly on the treaty line ; 

 this line cuts off Cape May and runs just at the north point of the coast there. 



By Mr. Dana : 

 Q. So that these tables do not include the opeuing of Delaware Bay ?— A. No ; but 

 only the fisheries on the coast of New Jersey— the outer coast of New Jersey — and 

 from that northward. 

 By Mr. Thomson : 

 Q. All this evidence which you have given, with reference to the mullet. becoming 



