AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1127 



4. That the principal part of the codfish brought into this harbor are 

 caught along the shore, between Wood Island and Souris. 



5. That it is not an unusual thing to see from eighty to a hundred sail 

 of American fishing vessels hove to, fishing mackerel between this and 

 Georgetown, many of whom fish on Sunday as much as on any other 

 day. The number above mentioned are the vessels seen at one time, 

 and by no means include the whole number of their vessels in the 

 Straits. I could not make an estimate of the amount of fish taken by 

 them, but judge it must pay them well to come here to fish, otherwise 

 they would not continue to come. 



6. That the Americans interfere with our boat hake-fishing, as the 

 boats are dependent on the shore mackerel-fishing for bait, and the 

 Americans come in, throw large quantities of bait and glut the fish, so 

 that they will not bite and the boats cannot get them. Complaints are 

 also being continually made by the fishermen that the garbage and 

 offal from the fish thrown out by the Americans injure the fishing. 

 Now, also, by the use of sefe-liues for codfish and seines for mackerel, 

 much larger quantities of fish are taken by the Americans than formerly. 



7. That by having the right to land their fish here and transship 

 them, and refitting, I believe the Americans are enabled to make an 

 additional trip in the season, which they would be unable to do were 

 they obliged to take the fish home in their own vessels. They can also 

 watch and take advantage of the fluctuations in the mackerel* markets, 

 which are very variable. 



SAMUEL PROWSE. 



Sworn to at Murray Harbor, in Kings County, Prince Edward 

 Island, this 30th day of July, A. D. 1877, before me. 



MALCOLM MAOFADYEN, 



J. P. for Kings County. 

 No. 28. 

 DOMINION OF CANADA, 



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



I, DANIEL MCPHEE, of Big Pond, in Lot Forty-five, in Kings County, 

 in Prince Edward Island, fisherman, make oath and say : 



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

 fishing in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence since the year 1863. 



2. That in the year 1863 I commenced mackerel-fishing in the Ameri- 

 can vessel Messina, and that during that year we fished in the Bay 

 Chaleur, and took home with us six hundred barrels of mackerel during 

 the fishing-season of that year, one-third of which quantity, I would say, 

 was caught within three miles of the shore. 



3. That during that season, and up till about the year 1870, there were 

 about 500 American vessels in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence engaged in 

 the mackerel-fishery. 



4. That during the years intervening between the years 1863 and 

 1870, my opinion is that the average catch of mackerel per season would 

 be 500 barrels per vessel. 



5. That from my experience and from my personal observation, I would 

 say that one-half of the total quantity of mackerel caught by the Ameri- 

 can fishing-fleet has been caught within three miles of the shore. 



6. That during the years 1867 and 1868, I would say that 100 of the 

 American vessels fishing in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence took out a 

 license, paying fifty cents per ton for the privilege of fishing within the 

 three-mile limits. 



7. That those vessels that did not take a license (and which were by 



