1208 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



Sworn to at New Dublin, in the county of Lunenburg, this 9th day of 

 August. A. D. 1877, before me. 



BENJ. KYNARD, J. P. 



In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax under the Treaty 



of Washington. 



I, WILLIAM N. ZWICKER, of Lnnenburg Town, in the County of Lu- 

 nenburg, merchant, make oath and say as follows : 



1. I have been engaged in the buying and selling of fish for about 

 twenty-five years, and have had a number of vessels engaged in the 

 taking of fish for the said time. Those vessels were engaged in taking 

 mackerel, codfish, and herring around Cape Breton, Prince Edward 

 Island, east side of New Brunswick, and the Magdalenes, and am ac- 

 quainted with the inshore fishery in the county of Lunenburg. 



2. The fitting out of vessels for the mackerel fishing has been almost 

 discontinued in the county of Luneuburg. Mackerel is taken to some 

 extent along the shore of this county in nets, and are taken inshore. 

 There is a larger trade done in herring in Lunenburg during the past 

 six years than any time previous. On the Banks during the past four 

 years the catch of codfish has been good. 



3. The Americans carry on the cod-fishery principally by trawling, 

 and in my opinion this is a very injurious method of taking fish, and 

 will eventually destroy the fishing grounds. When our men first went 

 out fishing they caught fish with hook and line ; now they practice 

 trawling on the Banks in order to compete successfully with the Ameri- 

 cans. The throwing over of offal on the grounds I also consider injurious 

 to the fishery. 



4. The Americans have fished inshore treaty or no treaty, and when 

 the fishery was protected our mackerel men made better fares. Since 

 the Treaty of Washington the Americans have fished inshore so exten- 

 sively that they have driven our mackerel men out of the business. 



5. In my opinion the inshore fishery are two-thirds the value of the 

 entire fishery. 



6. Among the masters of my vessels it was a common complaint that 

 the Americans lee- bo wed them and drew away the fish off shore by 

 tb rowing overboard bait. 



7. In my opinion the plan of taking mackerel with purse-seines is 

 improper and injurious to the fishery. 



8. The Americans purchase bait all around our coast in the county of 

 Lunenburg, and wherever they can get this privilege of getting bait 

 inshore, is a great injury to the Canadian fishery, as the price of bait 

 is thus made much greater for Canadian vessels, and also more difficult 

 to get. The Americans get this bait and ice in which to pack it, before 

 the mackerel and herring set in, in large quantities. By buying bait 

 the Americans save time and expense. 



9. The herring fishery on this coast is all inshore, and our vessels also 

 catch herring inshore on the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland. 

 The Americans purchase the inshore herring and mackerel for bait. 



10. I have purchased American mackerel and found them inferior in 

 quality to Canadian mackerel. 



11. Unless the Americans were able to purchase bait or catch it, and 

 ice in which to pack it, it would be impossible for them to carry on the 



