AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1151 



19. That the Americans are now seining down here, and thereby doing 

 a great deal of harm. They take so many more fish than they can save 

 in the seines, that large quantities of fish are smothered and are thrown 

 overboard. They take large quantities of herring in these seines, which 

 they throw away and the fish are destroyed. One seiner last week here 

 seined a trip of about a thousand barrels which he had to throw away, 

 as his vessel was loaded. Several of the American vessels have already 

 taken their loads and gone. The fish which are thrown overboard by 

 the seiners rot at the bottom and drive the other fish away. 



his 



JAMES + MCDONALD. 



mark. 



Sworn to at Souris, in King's County, Prince Edward Island, this 

 24th day of July, A. D. 1877, before me, the words opposite my initials 

 having been first interlined, he fully understanding the same, and know- 

 ing the contents. 



JAMES E. MACLEAN, 



Justice of tite Peace for King's County. 

 No. 41. 



I, JAMES NOWLAN, of Souris, in King 7 s County, in Prin. Edward 

 Island, fisherman, make oath and say : 



1. That 1 have been engaged in fishing for about thirty-six years, part 

 of that time in boats and in schooners. I fished for eight summers in 

 American schooners, and I know the fishing grounds all around the 

 north side of this island, the Cape Breton coast, the Magdalen Islands, 

 and up the Bay Chaleur. 



2. That there are about one hundred and fifty boats fishing out of 

 the New London Harbor, where I am now fishing, and along the beach, 

 and the number is increasing fast has doubled at least within the last 

 six years and the boats themselves are now very much better than 

 they were then ; the boats are better built, better modeled, and are 

 smarter boats than they were; they are worth much more. There is 

 very much more money now invested in boats than there was a few 

 years ago. People find that the fishing pays, and they are going in for 

 it more and more. The boat-fishing affords employment to a lot of men 

 who otherwise would not be at work. 



3. The average crews of the boats are from four to five men to each 

 boat, besides the men employed on shore, who are a good number. 



4. That the average catch of mackerel for each boat off here is about 

 one hundred barrels. Some years they catch more and some years less. 



5. That the greater part of the mackerel caught by the boats is caught 

 near the shore. More than three-quarters of the whole catch are caught 

 within three miles from the shore. 



6. That 1 was on board a small island schooner called the Motintie 

 R., of about sixteen tons burden, and carrying seven bauds. 1 was out 

 in her for about one month two years ago, and we caught seventy-live 

 barrels of mackerel; all we caught were caught within three miles of 

 the land. 



7. That I fished one year for mackerel on board the Nova Scotia 

 scooner Let-her-Rip, of about twenty-seven tons burden, and carrying 

 eight hands. I w,as in her only two months and thirteen days, and 

 caught one hundred and fifty barrels of mackerel. 



8. That I fished in American schooners eight summers, the last time 

 being in the summer of 1874, on board the schooner Uncle Joe, of 

 Southport, Maine. She was of about sixty tons burden, and carried 



