1278 AWARD OF THE JISHERY COMMISSION. 



granted by the Washington Treaty, they could not get one-fourth of the 

 fish they now do. In fact 1 do not think they would fish at all in our 

 waters without these rights. 



his 



MICHAEL + McDOXALD. 



mark. 



Sworn to at Whitehaven, in the county of Guysborougb, this 24th 

 day of July, A. D.I 877, before me, first having been read and explained. 



JAMES A. TOKY, 

 J. P. for Hie County of GuysborougJi. 



Xo. 157. 



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



of Washington. 



I, GEORGE MURPHY, of Port Hood, in the county of Inverness, 

 fisherman, make oath and say as follows: 



1. I have been engaged in the occupation of fishing in these parts for 

 fifteen years past, and have taken some trips in American fishing-ves- 

 sels on this coast, and have fished in a fleet of American vessels num- 

 bering between 100 and 200 sail in the gulf and around the coast of 

 Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, Sydney, Louisburg, and the Magdalen 

 Islands, and have had large opportunities of judging of the general 

 character of the fishing business on this coast. 



2. I have seen as high as five hundred American vessels in this harbor 

 of Port Hood, and have known as many as seven hundred American 

 vessels fishing in the gulf in one season. These vessels average about 

 60 or 70 tons burden, and have a crew of about fifteen men ; but I have 

 known many American vessels of larger tonnage, and sometimes with a 

 crew of twenty men. The average cargo of mackerel was three hun- 

 dred barrels each vessel, and of codfish generally about five or six hun- 

 dred quintals. They average about three trips per season. Mackerel 

 brought about $15 per barrel, and codfish from $4 to $5 per quintal. 

 This was when I was working with the American fleet. I cannot speak 

 positively as to numbers for the last year or two. 



3. The cod fishery about here is about as good as usual now ; not 

 aware of any falling off in the quantity or catch. The mackerel fishery 

 has fallen off somewhat during the past two or three years, but this has 

 only been in bite, not in numbers. There are as many mackerel 

 in our waters now as ever there were. The only reason I know of for 

 the falling off in the catch of mackerel lately is the use of the seines by 

 the American fishermen, and the practice of throwing bait overboard, 

 which has made the mackerel less sharp to bite. If our grounds are 

 properly taken care of I know no reason why our mackerel grounds 

 should not be as productive during the next ten years as ever before. 



4. I have seen American fishermen within the last three years catch- 

 ing mackerel in these waters with purse seines, and they would some- 

 times take as many as one thousand barrels at one haul. They could 

 only save half of these, and had to let the rest go, some being killed iu 

 the operation. This kind of fishing is very destructive to our fishing 

 grounds. I never knew a Canadian fisherman to use purse seines, and- 

 most of the mackerel caught by them are taken in boats. 



5. I have seen American fishermen since the Washington Treaty 

 catching fish in this harbor withiu one mile of the shore, and less. 

 During the past two or three years the beet fishing has been within three 

 miles of the shore, and most fish are taken withiu that limit. When on 



