1226 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



their passing in towards our shores. Last year's catch of codfish along 

 these shores was not nearly an average catch. 



THOMAS L. NEWHOOK. 



Sworn before me at New Harbor, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, this 

 27th April, 1877. 



J. O. FRASER, 

 Commissioner of Affidavits. 



MOSES PARSONS, aged 42 years, school teacher at New Harbor, Trinity 

 Bay, Newfoundland, maketh oath and saith : 



I followed the Newfoundland fisheries for ten years. I was present 

 when Thomas Newhook made the above statement, which I believe to 

 be true in every particular. 



MOSES PARSONS. 



Sworn before me at New Harbor, Trinity Bay, 27th April, 1877. 



J. O. FRASER, 

 Commissioner of Affidavits. 



No. 108. 



EDWARD MORSE, aged 52 years, planter and fisherman, residing at 

 Dildo, in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, maketh oath and saith: 



I saw nine or ten United States fishing-schooners in this harbor last 

 year; they came in from the Banks for fresh bait and ice. Captain 

 Newhook was master of one of these schooners ; they all hailed from 

 Gloucester, United States of America; their tonnage ran from sixty to 

 seventy-five tons. I boarded two of them to see how they were fitted 

 out. One of these schooners was at Renteen, in this bay, for caplin ; 

 the others seen by me came for squids, which they jigged in part, and 

 in part purchased from local fishermen. The price given for squids, for 

 what they purchased, was from one shilling to two shillings per hundred. 

 They thought to haul squids with seines, but our peopole would not 

 allow that, because such a plan would destroy the fishery for local fish- 

 ermen. Seining would inclose all the squids in the harbor, as both on 

 entering and leaving the harbor squids strike into the North or the 

 South Cove, where one seine would inclose the whole school, and then 

 local fishermen who only need from fifty to one hundred squids each per 

 day could not be supplied. Should United States fishermen begin sein- 

 ing squids, as they wished to do last year, and as they have threat- 

 ened to do, it will destroy the squid-bait fishery, as far as local fisher- 

 men are concerned. 



My sons sold about one hundred squids to the United States fisher- 

 men referred to. Newfoundland fishermen catch codfish generally 

 within two miles of the shore. The codfishery is an inshore fishery. 

 The bait fishery including squids, herrings, and caplin is an inshore 

 fishery. The supply of bait to United States fishermen decreases the 

 supply for our local fishermen. 



I am of very strong opinion that the presence of the large number of 

 United States vessels, fishing on the Banks with fresh bait, and con- 

 stantly supplied with such bait, must injuriously affect our shore fishery, 

 and to this cause I attribute the short catch last year along our south 

 and west coasts. The catch hereabouts last year was not over half a 

 fair average of years previous to 1874. 



American captains told me that it was a great advantage to them to 



