AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1101 



keep watch off Kildare Cape, while the balance of the fleet would fish 

 inshore, and the watching- vessel would signal if there was any sign of 

 the cutters. Whenever such signal was given, they would stop fishing 

 and stand out to sea. When the cutter was gone they would come in 

 again. I have seen this done myself. 



7. Fully three-quarters of the schooners' catch is taken within three 

 miles of the shore, and I may say the whole of the boats' catch. 



8. The number of boats fishing here has trebled in the last three 

 years. The reason of this increase is that other business is depressed, 

 and fishermen from the United States, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, 

 and Nova Scotia are coming here to settle, attracted by the good fish- 

 ing, so that we are now able to get crews to man our boats, which for- 

 merly we were unable to do. Another reason is that the year 1875 was 

 a very good year, and owing to the successful prosecution of the fishing 

 that year people's attention was turned to the business, and they were 

 incited to go into it. 



9. The boat-fishers all look upon the arrival of the American fleet as 

 the end of the good fishing. Too much bait is thrown from the vessels, 

 and the boats have to give way to the vessels. The shore fishermen 

 always look upon the arrival of the fleet to fish among them as a great 

 loss and injury to them. 



10. Generally there are more than enough herring caught along the 

 shore for bait ; this year, however, the herring fishery was a failure. 



11. The Americans land here a good deal and transship their fish. 

 This is a very great advantage for them. The advantage is that, when 

 a vessel starts for a trip, she can only fit out for a short time, some five 

 or six weeks, and having the right to transship, they are able to refit. 

 They in this way save about a fortnight each trip, which amounts to an 

 additional trip, for the summer. They can also generally buy their bar- 

 rels and salt here cheaper than at home. They often come here and 

 buy all their barrels, bringing none from home. I have supplied them 

 myself. The right of transshipment saves them time. 



12. The mackerel season is short, lasting, at the outside, from about 

 the middle of June till the middle of October. 



13. The mackerel, in spring, come down the Nova Scotian shore, and 

 then strike up the bay to the Magdalen Islands, from there some shoals 

 move toward the bend of this island, and others toward Bay Chaleur, 

 Gaspe, and round there. The Americans are well acquainted with this 

 habit of mackerel and follow them. They have very smart schooners, 

 and follow the fish along the shore, taking their cue, to a great extent, 

 from 'what they see our boats doing. 



14. In average years, the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence are 

 lined with mackerel. It is their home. American skippers of long ex- 

 perience say that they never want to go fnrther than three miles away 

 from Cascumpec H arbor to catch mackerel. 



15. It is a very great advantage for the American cod-fishermen to be 

 allowed to come inshore to get bait, ice, and other requirements. 



16. The mackerel are the principal part of our fishery, and when our 

 men go out the mackerel are the principal object thoy have in view. 



JAS. F. WHITE. 



Sworn to at Oascumpec, in Prince County, in Prince Edward Islan.l, 

 this 2Gth day of June, A. D. 1877, before me. 



JOSEPH MACGILVRAY, 



J. P. for Prince County. 



