532 MISCELLANEOUS 



PART I CANADA. 

 CHAPTER I. Extent and value of Canadian fisheries. 



It will probably assist the Commission in arriving at a just esti- 

 mation 01 the intrinsic worth of the concurrent fishing privileges 

 accorded to the United. States citizens by the Treaty of Washington 

 to refer briefly to the extent and value of the sea-coast fisheries of 

 the maritime provinces of Canada, as evidenced in part by the profit- 

 able operations of British fishermen. 



The districts within which British subjects carry on fishing on the 

 coasts, and in the bays, harbors, and creeks of Canada, extend from 

 the Bay of Fundy to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, inclusive. The 

 superficial area of these extensive fishing grounds, as shown on the 

 accompanying map, comprises many thousands of square miles, form- 

 ing the home of a great variety of the most prolific and valuable of 

 sea-fish, the capture of which contributes in an important degree to 

 British and American commerce, and supplies vast quantities of food 

 to several millions of people. The chief of these fish, in the pursuit 

 of which British subjects and United States citizens now participate 

 in common under treaty arrangements, are mackerel, codfish, herring, 

 halibut, haddock, hake, pollack, and many of the smaller varieties 

 taken principally for bait. 



It appears by the subjoined statement (Appendix A) that the 

 produce of these fisheries caught by British subjects has greatly in- 

 creased during seven years past. Their steady development and 

 increasing wealth, as shown by this return, proves that a very con- 

 siderable amount of industry and enterprise is embarked therein, and 

 also that they are capable of still further expansion. This marked 

 improvement in their condition and yield for the period specified in 

 the table is an important circumstance in relation to the present 

 inquiry. It shows that, as an article of commerce and a source of 

 food, their actual productiveness keeps pace with the yearly increas- 

 ing demand made on them for all the purposes of foreign and domestic 

 trade and of local consumption. Also, they are now of much greater 

 value than they were during the existence of the reciprocity treaty. 

 The admission of American fishermen to concurrent rights under the 

 Treaty of Washington is, therefore, in every respect highly advan- 

 tageous to the United States citizens. 



CHAPTER II. Advantages derived ~by United States citizens. 

 1. Liberty of fishing in British waters. 



Liberty to prosecute freely the sea fisheries " on the coasts and 

 shores and in the bays, harbors, and creeks " of Canada is in itself 

 a very valuable concession to United States citizens. It concedes 

 the common use of extensive and productive fishing-grounds, which 

 are readily accessible to American fishermen, and are advantageously 

 situated as regards their home market. The full value of this im- 

 portant concession can be but imperfectly determined by reference 

 merely to the precise number of vessels and fishermen engaged in the 

 business of fishing in these waters, or to the exact quantity of fish 

 taken therefrom in the course of each successive season. Doubtless 



