AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1217 



States fishing vessels off and in Broad Cove, Torbay, and Portugal Cove 

 aforesaid, the particulars of name and tonnage of which I did not take 

 a note of, but I know these vessels also belonged to the United States, 

 and came for fresh bait, which they, with the vessels first referred to, 

 procured, catching in part and buying in part from local fishermen. The 

 price paid for the first squids was ten cents, afterward it was raised to 

 fifteen cents, and then to twenty cents per hundred squids. 



WILLIAM TULK. 



Sworn before me, at St. John's, this 30th July, A. D. 1877. 



J. O. FRASER, 

 Commissioner of Affidavits. 



No. 98. 



JAMES PICOT, aged 78 years, residing at Portugal Cove, Newfound- 

 land, maketh oath and saith : I have followed the fishery of Newfound- 

 land when niy mother was obliged to dress me ; that is, for over sixty- 

 five years. I know all about the fisheries. 



I saw a great many United States fishing vessels in this neighborhood 

 last year, off and on, between first August and end of October. There 

 were eight here at one time, but also a large number coming and going. 

 These eight hit it very nicely; they came about noon, with wind N. E. 

 That evening and next morning they got their bait, all over fifty barrels 

 and some one hundred barrels, and in the evening about two o'clock 

 they all left for the Banks with a fair breeze from the westward, which 

 increased to a fine sailing breeze or as much as they could fly away 

 with, and we all said they were very fortunate, as they would be on the 

 Banks in about forty -eight hours from the time of starting therefrom. 

 They purchase from our people principally, but they do put out their 

 dories and go upon the jigging ground themselves. 



Newfoundland fishermen generally catch fish within a mile of our 

 shores ; hereabouts we fish within a half a mile. The caplin and her- 

 rings for bait are taken in shoal water close to shore ; squids are taken 

 in up to twenty-five fathoms of water. 



I never heard of a Newfoundland fishing vessel prosecuting any fish- 

 ery on any of the shores or coasts of the United States of America. 

 United States fishing vessels have sold cod-oil in this neighborhood last 

 year, and provided themselves with water. When bait happened to be 

 scarce their crews used to come on shore and go scampering over the 

 hills for " harts." They made repeated raids for harts, which freshened 

 them up and took the stiff out of their joints. 



I think the supply of bait to United States fishermen, last year, very 

 much shortened the supply to our own people. I do believe the traffic 

 by them with herrings has something to do with the non-appearance of 

 herrings this spring in this locality, which I never knew to be so scarce 

 before with such fine open weather. We have had nets out since Saint 

 Patrick's day and have not caught five dozen herrings. 



I do believe that the United States fishermen on the Banks off our 

 coasts, well supplied with fresh bait, tends greatly to reduce the catch of 

 codfish by local fishermen, and that the short catch along the south- 

 west coast last year was mainly attributable to their operations. _ The 

 average of the catch of codfish per hand in this harbor for 1875 and 

 1876 would not exceed forty quintals. Previously, the catch would run 

 from eighty to one hundred quintals per hand. 

 77 P 



