1282 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



most of these schooners were making two trips yearly of 400 barrels of 

 mackerel. These schooners were about 60 tons each on an average, 

 with a crew of 16 men. I have seen them fishing and catching mack- 

 erel. 1 have seen them also at Cape Kozier fishing mackerel inshore 

 and very near the rocks. I have seen them also seining many times in 

 the Bay of Gaspe, at Sandy Beach. The seines were drawn from the 

 shore; in fact all the mackerel that have been caught by the American 

 schooners that I have seen have been taken inshore. 



3. The cod fishery is about the same now as it was formerly. 



4. The mackerel are taken by means of hand-lines and seines by the 

 Americans. I have seen them fishing with hand-lines inshore, and I 

 have seen them seining with hauling-seines from the sbore, and with 

 purse seines in deep water, but inside three miles. 



5. The practice of throwing fish-offal overboard by the Americans is 

 a great injury to the fisheries, because it poisons the water, drives asvay 

 the large fish, and kills the eggs. 



6. The inshore fishery is of much greater value than the outside. All 

 the fish are caught inshore. 



7. It is the common practice of the Americans to come in among the 

 boats and by throwing bait entice the mackerel away with them, so that 

 we could not take mackerel without going alongside of their vessels, 

 which they did not like at all. 



8. Seining, as practiced by the Americans, is injurious to the fisheries, 

 because it takes large and small fish; all the small fish are thrown away 

 and left to perish on the strand. 



9. During the last years of the Reciprocity Treaty nearly all the 

 Americans were supplied with both the purse and hauling seines. 



10. The fisheries have increased greatly since 1871, that is the cod 

 fishery, and up to date the mackerel fishing is better than last year, and 

 the increase in the cod fishery is due, in my opinion, to the fact that the 

 Americans have retired. 



11. Mackerel feed inshore on lance, shrimp, and other small fish. 



12. It is a great advantage to the Americans to be able to transship 

 cargoes, because it enables them to keep on the fishing-grounds and to 

 double their fares. 



13. The Americans could not profitably carry on the cod and halibut 

 fisheries if they were not allowed to come in our inshores either to catch 

 or buy bait. 



14. The privilege of transshipping cargoes to the Americans is worth 

 a load, and the privilege of getting bait in our inshores for their cod and 

 halibut fishery is worth these fisheries. 



15. Fishing by Americans in our waters hinders the fishing operations 

 of our fishermen to a great extent, because we cannot compete with 

 them, and they take all our fish. 



DONALD WEST. 



Sworn to the best of his knowledge, information, and belief, at Grand 

 Greve, county of Gaspe, Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada, this 

 28th day of July, A. D. 1877, before me. 



K LAYOIE, 

 Justice of the Peace^ Province of Quebec. 





