1234 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



never knew them to be taken beyond three miles from the shore. Dur- 

 ing the past nine years I have not taken so many fish. The reason for 

 the decrease I think is the throwing over of gurry and the large num- 

 ber of vessels engaged in fishing with trawls. 



5. The mackerel in my experience have been some years plenty and 

 some scarce, and this fall may be very plenty. 



6. In my experience the Americans take mackerel inshore, and I 

 think if they were not allowed to take them inshore it would not be 

 worth their while to come here to fish mackerel. 



his 



WILLIAM + KELLY. 

 mark. 



Sworn to at Lingan, in the county of Cape Breton, this 23d day of 

 Jnlv, A. D. 1877, before me. 



WALTER YOUXG, J. P. 



In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the treaty 



of Washington. 



I, ISAAC ARCHIBALD, of Cow Bay, in the county of Cape Breton, 

 merchant, make oath and say as follows : 



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

 ermen's supplies during the past twelre years. I have bought and sold 

 mackerel, codfish, and herring, and am well acquainted with the fishing 

 business as carried on here. 



2. American fishing-vessels have resorted to this harbor for bait and 

 ice, and have to some extent purchased provisions. The bait and ice, 

 they stated, was indispensable to their voyage, for without it they could 

 catch no fish. They also purchased herring for bait from our inshore 

 fishermen in order to save time, as it was more convenient to do so than 

 to remain and catch it, time being thus saved, and they have also pur- 

 chased mackerel for bait. 



3. Some years during the past twelve and down as late as eighteen 

 hundred and seventy-three and four, as many as ten American fishing- 

 vessels have been supplied each season with ice ; each vessel took from 

 five to ten tons. 



4. Our fishermen have and still complain to me that the Americans 

 trawl so deep that they catch the mother fish which are full of spawn, 

 and clean their fish on the fishing ground and thus injure the ground. 



5. The Americans before and during the Reciprocity Treaty of eighteen 

 hundred and fifty-four, always fished inshore unless when a cutter was 

 in sight. When the cutter disappeared they returned to fish. This 

 plan they always adopted within my recollection. 



6. I would say that here at least three-fourths of all kinds of fish are 

 taken inshore all our mackerel, herring, large quantities of codfish 

 and halibut. The halibut are mostly taken in the spring of the year. 

 Considerable quantities of haddock are also taken here in the spring of 

 the year, and are all taken inshore. 



7. The Americans in this bay have often practiced throwing bait over- 

 board, and thus enticing the mackerel offshore. This they do because 

 the mackerel are found inshore, and this practice has been followed by 

 them except when they had the right of fishing inshore. 



8. American fishermen catch bait within three miles of the shore in 

 this bay, mostly herring and mackerel. The herring they take in nets, 



