1138 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



that there is now a surplus population growing up, who have no land, 

 and take to fishing for employment. The chief reason for the increase 

 is that the business is found to pay. 



6. That the boats along this part of the island catch large quantities 

 of codfish before the mackerel season comes on, but the principal part 

 of the boats leave off cod-fishing when the mackerel come. If followed 

 up here, the cod fishing would be valuable. 



7. That there are considerable quantities of herring caught about 

 here in the spring, and if people went into herring-fishing they might 

 get as many herring as they wanted. We get herring also down at the 

 Magdalen islands. The herring are used lor bait during the mackerel 

 season, and also for home use. Each boat, on an average, wants about 

 twenty barrels of herring for bait, during the season. 



8. That nearly all the mackerel and all the herring taken by the boats 

 are caught iusbore ; that is, within three miles of the coast line. About 

 half the codfish are caught within the same distance from the shore. 



9. That I have fished in schooners belonging to this island for several 

 seasons. That I fished in a schooner called the Garland about twelve 

 years ago, a schooner of about fifty tons burden and carrying eight 

 hands. We fished in her off this island for the whole season, and got 

 at least three hundred barrels of mackerel. Most of these fish were 

 caught inshore. 



10. That I fished for a season in the schooner Hannah, of this island, 

 also of about fifty tons burden and carrying eight hands. We fished off 

 this island ; that was about eight years ago. We caught about three hun- 

 dred barrels of mackerel in her, the greater part of which were caught 

 close to the shore. 



11. That 1 fished, about seven years ago, for a couple of seasons on 

 board the Minnie E., carrying nine hands. In her we fished along the 

 island shore and up the Bay Chaleur, and caught about two hundred 

 and eighty barrels each year, but we did not fit out till nearly the first 

 of August. In all these vessels we traded along through the spring, 

 and did not tit out for fishing till late. Every year we fished I noticed 

 that we used to fish closer to the shore, which I consider shows the 

 mackerel are working closer to the land. 



11*. That during the seasons I was fishing in schoolers there were 

 large fleets of American fishermen fishing in the gulf. IThey used mostly 

 to fish within three miles of the shore, especially during the last two 

 years I was out. I should say that at least two-thirds of their catch of 

 mackerel were caught inshore. I have seen some of their vessels take 

 their entire loads close inshore, never going off. 



13. That, taking one year with another, for the last eight or ten years 

 there have been fleets of American schooners fishing in this gulf, of 

 about four hundred sail each year. For the last two years they have 

 uot been so many ; the reason for that is that they have had good fish- 

 ing on their own shores in those two years, which they do not often 

 have. During the last two years I should not think there were more 

 than three hundred of them in the bay. 



14. That the American schooners often interfere with the boats, by 

 coruing in, throwing bait, and drifting away, taking the fish with them. 

 They, in fact, break up the boat-fishing to some extent. Their couiing 

 is looked upon as an injury to the boats; fishermen would sooner not see 

 them coming. When the boats are lying at anchor getting fish, the 

 vessels drift down and lee-bow the boats, spoiling their fishing for that 

 time. 



15. That I was down at the Magdalen Islands some years ago, herring 



