AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1137 



longer they are kept in the holds of vessels. The pickle is apt to soar 

 or run off, in which latter case the fish rust, and they get knocked about 

 by the tossing of the ship, and they thus become of an inferior quality 

 by the time they get to market, and command smaller prices. 



17. That I have fished for herring at the Magdalen Islands for four or 

 five springs, and there has always been a large number of American 

 schooners fishing herring there. They seine the herring, catching large 

 quantities. They send a great many of these to Sweden and Norway 

 and the West Indies, besides to the United States. At the Magdalen 

 Islands they fish right inshore 5 iu fact they drag the seines to the shore. 



18. That in my opinion the American plan of seining is injurious to 

 the mackerel and other fishing, as they only keep the good large fish, 

 and throw the small ones and the other kinds of fish overboard, and 

 they are destroyed. 



19. That the mackerel strike about the Magdalen Islands first in the 

 spring, and then they strike down toward Bay Chaleur, and then to 

 North Cape of this island. At the Magdalen Islands they are caught 

 in nets iu the spring, and a great many Americans cateh them there. 

 The Americans know all about the way the fish strike, and they follow 

 them as the fish go from place to place. 



JOHN R. MCDONALD. 



Sworn to at French River, in New London, in Queen's County, iu 

 Prince Edward Island, this 12th day of July, A. D. 1877, before me. 



JOHN SHARPE, 

 Justice of the Peace. 



No. 34. 



I, COLIN McKENZiE, of French River, in New London, Queen's County, 

 Prince Edward Island, farmer and fisherman, make oath and say. 



1. That I have been engaged in fishing, for twelve years, fishing off 

 the north side of this island, in both boats and schooners, and have fished 

 herring in the spring at the Magdalen Islands, and also on the north 

 coast of Newfoundland. I have been dealing iu fish, and had a good 

 opportunity to see the fishing there. 



2. That there are over one hundred boats fishing out of this harbor, 

 and off the shores in this neighborhood. Four years ago there were not 

 half so many as there are uow, and the number is still increasing fast. 

 The boats are of a superior quality in every respect to what they were 

 four years ago. The capital invested iu boats has more than doubled 

 within th'e same time. There are now about twenty fishing stages and 

 more bnilt for carrying on the fishing business, and six years ago there 

 were only one or two. 



3. That the boats carry crews of four men each, on an average, and 

 there are three men to every four boats employed as stage men ; that is, 

 not reckoning the coopers and others employed on shore. The boats 

 also furnish employment to the vessels in the carrying trade during the 

 dull freight season. There is also a lot of money put jn circulation 

 through the country, which creates a trade for the country about the 

 stages. 



4. That the boats, on an average, catch about one hundred barrels of 

 mackerel each during the season, worth about one thousand dollars. 

 As soon as the mackerel are shipped we can draw and get the cash for 

 them. 



5. That I should say that one reason the boats are increasing in num- 

 ber is that good fishermen can now be obtained. Another reason is 



72 F 



