1110 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



No. 13. 



DOMINION OF CANADA, 



Province of Prince Edward Island, Kings County, to wit : 



I, JAMES MCDONALD, of East Point, in Kings County, in Prince Ed- 

 ward Island, mariner and fisherman, make oath and say : 



1. That I have been personally engaged in the mackerel and cod fish- 

 ing since the year 1848, and since the year 1854 I have been master of 

 a fishing vessel. From the year 1848 to 1853 I was fishing in American 

 vessels. I commenced the mackerel fishing in 1850. At that time the 

 number of American vessels engaged in the mackerel fishery would be 

 about 500 sail, and that year their average catch would be 600 barrels 

 per. vessel, of which fully nine-tenths would be caught inshore, within 

 the three-mile limit. 



2. From the year 1853 to 1860 I was fishing in British vessels. Dur- 

 ing that time there would be an average of 450 American vessels in the 

 gulf engaged in the mackerel fishery. 



3. That since the year 1860 I have still been engaged in the mackerel 

 fishing. That the average number of American vessels during the four- 

 teen or fifteen years next succeeding the year 1860, in the gulf, engaged 

 in the mackerel fishery, has been 400. The average catch of these ves- 

 sels during that time would be about 500 barrels per vessel. And I 

 have no hesitation in saying that nine-tenths of all the mackerel caught 

 within the last fifteen or seventeen years has been caught within the 

 three-mile limits. 



4. That when the mackerel arrive at the gulf they first strike the Mag- 

 dalens, but there are none caught till they reach the Bay Chaleur 

 and Seven Islands, where the first fare of the season is generally ob- 

 tained. They then cross over to North Cape and along the north side 

 of the island, keeping inshore. 



5. That in the latter part of the season, from the middle of Septem- 

 ber to the first part of November, the weather will not permit of fishing 

 any distance from the shore, being too rough ; and during that part of 

 the season not one barrel in 5,000 is caught outside the limits. 



6. That during the last two or three years the number of American 

 vessels fishing in the gulf has fallen away considerably, owing partly to 

 the mackerel not frequenting our coasts during these years in such large 

 quantities as in former years, but this year the prospects are good. 



7. That the right to transship is of great advantage to the Americans, 

 as they thereby save time, and gives them an extra trip which they 

 would not otherwise have. 



8. That the large amount of offal thrown overboard by the Americans 

 poisons the mackerel, and is an injury to the fishing ground. 



9. That when we saw boats fishing near the shore we made a practice 

 of sailing down on them, and with our good bait took all the mackerel, 

 and the boats would have to give up till the mackerel came back again. 

 The vessels coming in among the boats are also likely to scatter the 

 mackerel, and the boats not being able to follow them any distance, lose 

 them altogether. 



10. That the Canadian and British cutters and men-of-war did not pre- 

 vent the Americans from fishing within the limits, for when they saw 

 one of them coining they stood out to sea till she passed, and then re- 

 sumed their fishing operations within the limits again. 



11. From an experience of nearly thirty years spent in mackerel fishing 

 I would say that the best mackerel fishing ground is close inshore, say 



