1272 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



very much cheaper for them to do so than to spend the time in catching 

 it themselves. 



7. The privilege of fishing in American waters is of no practical 

 advantage whatever to Canadians, and I never heard of Canadian 

 vessels fishing in American waters. 



8. The catch of our inshore boat fishermen is no doubt much lessened 

 by the Americans fishing within our waters, and I believe that our 

 shore fishermen could carry on their fishery much more successfully if 

 the Americans were excluded from our waters. I believe that ic would 

 be better for our fishermen to have the Americans excluded from the 

 three-mile limit even if the American Government should put a duty 

 on our fish. 



WILLIAM CRICHTOX. 



The said William Crichton was sworn to the truth of this affidavit at 



West Arichat, in the county of Richmond, this day of August, A. 



D. 1877, before me. 



E. P. FLYXN, 

 A Justice of the Peace. 



No. 148. 



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



of Washington. 



I, ISAAC LEVESCONTE, of Arichat, in the county of Richmond and 

 Province of Nova Scotia, merchant, make oath and say as follows : 



1. I have dealt more or less in fish for thirty-five years of my life, up 

 to about the year 1869. 



2. Our herring and mackerel fisheries are mostly carried on inshore, 

 and the inshore fishery of herring and mackerel on our coasts is of far 

 greater value than those fisheries outside the three miles from the shore. 

 The herring fishery is almost altogether inshore, and I believe that the 

 greater portion of the mackerel is caught inshore. 



3. The opportunity of transshipping cargoes enjoyed by American 

 fishermen, is of course a great advantage to them. It enables them to 

 make to least one extra trip each season, and by means of this privi- 

 lege they can of course make a greater number of trips and catch more 

 fish than they could otherwise do. 



4. The privilege of procuring bait on the shores of Canada and New- 

 foundland is very valuable to the American cod-fishermen, and I do not 

 know how they could profitably carry on the deep-sea cod-fishery with- 

 out this privilege. It is also a great advantage to their cod fishermen 

 to procure ice on our coasts for the purposes of keeping their bait 

 fresh. 



5. I do not believe that the privilege of fishing in American waters is 

 of any value whatever to Canadian fishermen, nor have 1 ever heard of 

 Canadian vessels fishing in United States waters. 



6. There is no doubt whatever that Canadian fishermen would be very 

 much more successful if the Americans were excluded effectually from 

 our inshore waters. I remember that shortly before the Reciprocity 

 Treaty our fishery was pretty effectually protected for one year by 

 British and Provincial Government vessels, and our inshore fishermen 

 did better that year than they had done for some time before, and better 

 than they have ever done since. 



ISAAC LEVESCONTE. 



