AWABD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1199 



one fleet. The most of these vessels took mackerel and they took the 

 most of their mackerel iushore, and very seldom caught much mackerel 

 beyond three miles from the shore. I have fished codfish inshore around 

 Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton within three miles of the shore, 

 and the vessel in which I was took from four to five hundred quintals, 

 the most of which was taken inshore ; and I have seen many Americans 

 fishing codfish inshore where we fished. The Americans fished inshore 

 for mackerel, and wherever they could get them. 



3. The American mackerel-men carry from fifteen to twenty men each. 

 They take from four hundred to five hundred barrels to each vessel. 

 They make from two to three trips. The American cod- fishermen carry 

 about fifteen men each in the North Bay, and they take from eight hun- 

 dred to a thousand quintals of fish each, and generally make two trips. 

 The vessels on the Banks engaged in cod-fishing take about the same. 



4. In my experience mackerel-fishing has varied, being good for some 

 years and poor again for a number of years. This has been my expe- 

 rience for forty years. Codfish has always been plenty if we had plenty 

 of fresh bait. 



5. The Americans take mackerel mostly with hook and line. They 

 take codfish with hook and line, but mostly by trawling, and I have 

 seen them trawl inshore for codfish around Prince Edward Island. The 

 taking of fish with trawls I consider very injurious, as the mother fish 

 are taken, and I have seen a cargo of 800 quintals the greater part of 

 which were mother fish. In trawling the bait lies on the bottom and 

 the mother fish are taken, in land lining few mother fish are taken. 



The Americans trawled since I can remember, upwards of forty years 

 ago ; our vessels, of which there are about from sixty to a hundred fish- 

 ing out of the La Have, never used trawls, but within the last six years 

 our fishermen trawl in order to compete with the Americans. 



6. The Americans, in my experience, fished inshore whenever they 

 could, whether they had the right to do so or not. They moved out 

 when a cutter hove in sight and returned when she disappeared. 



.7 The inshore fishery is more than double the value of the outside 

 fishery. 



8. The Americans made a common practice of lee-bowing us, and I 

 have often seen them throw overboard bait to draw off the fish, and I 

 have suffered in this way from them. I have also often seen them run- 

 ning into Nova Scotian vessels, and the large number of them made it 

 dangerous for Nova Scotiau fishermen. Since the Americans have the 

 right of fishing inshore they do not practice throwing over bait to draw 

 off the fish. 



9. Since 1871 there has been more codfish taken than formerly. This 

 summer mackerel has struck in very plentiful around this harbor iu. 

 immense schools. 



10. The herring fishery is all inshore, and the Americans buy them 

 for bait in this harbor and all along the coast wherever they can get 

 them. 



11. The mackerel make inshore to feed, and are inshore fish, where 

 they are mostly all taken. 



12. I have seen Americans land in Prince Edward Island and dry their 

 nets on the shore, and this privilege is of value to them. 



13. I have seen the Americans land at the Strait of Canso and trans- 

 ship their cargo ; by doing this they save time, expense, and catch more 

 fish. 



14. The Americans get bait all along the coast, and without this bait, 

 and ice iu which to preserve it, they could not carry on the Bank fishery. 



