AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1119 



employment, and they find the fishing pays them fully as well as farm- 

 ing. 



10. There are large quantities of herring caught along here as a gen- 

 eral thing. Probably ten barrels of herring to a boat are used for bait 

 in the mackerel fishing. 



11. Off Nail Pond the Americans often seine for mackerel, and I have 

 seen them off here looking for the mackerel in order to seine. 



12. This year I am engaged in the salmon fisheries off this coast. The 

 salmon are caught in nets and traps. The salmon here are very fine. 

 The average weight of those caught by me this year has been twelve 

 pounds each. They have been caught on this shore weighing thirty-six 

 pounds. The salmon fishing has only lately been started here. It will 

 pay I believe, and the trade in salmon is springing up. When properly 

 looked after this branch of the fishery will become very valuable. The 

 salmon are all caught off the shore and not in the rivers. 



MAURICE O'CONNOR. 



Sworn to at Kildare Cape, in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, 

 this 27th dav of June, A. D. 1877, before me. 



JOSEPH MAcGILVRAY, 

 J. P. for Prince County, Prince JEdward Island. 



No. 20. 



I, ALEXANDER LARKIN, of Alberton, in Prince County, Prince Ed- 

 ward Island, merchant, make oath and say : 



1. That I have been engaged in fishing for twenty-five years, princi- 

 pally in the boat- fishing; I have had vessels in the business. I have 

 been carrying on the business at stages. 



2. There are about two hundred boats engaged in fishing from Cas- 

 cnmpec to the North Cape. The number has greatly increased during 

 the last few years. The boats are a very much better class of boats 

 now than a few years ago; they are larger and better fitted out. There 

 is also much more capital invested in the business now than formerly. 

 The average crew of each boat, taking large and small together, would 

 be at least three. There are also a number of shore-men employed in 

 connection with the boats. The greatest quantity of the fish, I should 

 say over three quarters of the whole catch, is caught within three miles 

 of the shore. 



3. I account for the increase of the boat-fishing, because people found 

 it profitable to go into fishing. 



4. I have several times known over three hundred sail of American 

 fishing-schooners to be in this harbor at a time, and it was never con- 

 sidered that more than half their fleet were in. They used very often 

 to fish inshore, and often to the injury of our boat-fishermen ; they come 

 among the boats, which are getting fish, and bait the school of mackerel, 

 and carry it off. 



5. The Americans, when the cutters were about, always evaded them 

 if possible, even at a risk to themselves. The cutters kept them off to 

 some extent, and made several seizures. 



6. The right of transshipment here must be an advantage to the 

 Americans, but I cannot state to what extent. 



ALEXANDER LARKIN. 



Sworn to at Alberton, in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, this 

 29th day of June, A. D. 1877, before me. 



JOSEPH MACGILVRAT, 



J. P. for Prince County. 



