1300 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



vessel employed iu the fishing business, and owned by Messrs. LeBou- 

 tillier Bros. Before entering into the employment of Messrs. LeBoutillier 

 Bros., I lived for 7 years in Boston, U. S., and during that time I was 

 engaged in fishing during the summer on board of American mackerel- 

 fishing vessels, while during the winter I went to sea on different voy- 

 ages sometimes to the West Indies, sometimes to Europe. Our 

 cruising grounds during those 7 summers, after mackerel, were for the 

 first voyage the Bay des Chaleur, off Bathurst, and Grand Anse, close 

 to the shore, and we made our second voyage on the north shore of Prince 

 Edward Island, off Kustico, close to the shore, not only within the 3- 

 mile limit, but as close as we could get. We took the fish with hook 

 and line, the mode called bobbing. I mean to say that during the 7 

 summers alluded to we made two trips each year, going always to the 

 places mentioned above. The American schooners on which I made 

 those voyages hailed from Bass Eiver, Cape Cod, and were about 60 tons 

 each, carrying 18 men. Our voyages took usually from 3 to 6 weeks. The 

 schooners were clipper vessels and carried 350 barrels. VVe never went 

 home without a full load of beautiful fat fish. All the fish we took 

 during those 7 summers were taken strictly within British waters. On 

 one occasion we made our voyage off Rustico iu 8 days; we took 140 

 barrels in one day, and I myself took with my two lines from sunrise 

 till about 8 o'clock a. m. eleven barrels. 



While fishing on the above-named grounds we used to see annually 

 about 40 American mackerel vessels in the Bay of Chaleur, and from 80 

 to 100 on the north coast of Prince Edward Island. These vessels were 

 all fishing on the same grounds as we were, but besides these there were 

 a great many other American mackerel schooners fishing in the bay and 

 off Prince Edward Island. 



2. During the Eeciprocity Treaty I have been, as before stated, in 

 command of a coasting schooner owned by LeBoutillier Bros., and in 

 that capacity made every year ten voyages from Paspebiac to the north 

 shore of the River Saint Lawrence, and one trip to Quebec in the fall. 

 Besides that, 1 used to go very often from Paspebiac to Bouaventure 

 Island. During those trips I always passed along and usually close to 

 the coast of Gespe County. 



3. During the Reciprocity Treaty and the period of licenses I saw 

 myself, every year during the mackerel season, a great number of 

 American vessels fishing for mackerel in the Bay of Chaleur, on 

 the coast of Gaspe, on the south shore of the River Saint Lawrence 

 as high as Magdalen River, and on the north shore as high as Point des 

 Monts to the west, and as far as Mingan to the east. I saw annually 

 on these shores above named, and nearly all within three miles of the 

 coast, in the act of fishing, fro m250 to 300 American mackerel schoon- 

 ers. This I consider a low estimate. Most of these vessels made two 

 trips every year. Some of these vessels were 120 tons and carried 25 

 hands, and took as much as 800 barrels a voyage. These vessels all 

 carried away on an average from 350 to 400 barrels each trip. 



Between the period of licenses and the commencement of the Treaty 

 of Washington I still saw a good many vessels fishing in British waters 

 along the above-mentioned coasts. They used to dodge the cutters. 

 Since the Treaty of Washington the number has been greater, and I es- 

 timate it at at least 80. They were of the same description as before, 

 and n'shed in British waters. Most of them made two voyages, and 

 carried away from 350 to 400 barrels each voyage. 



4. For the last ten or twelve years I have seen along the north shore 

 of the St. Lawrence from Point des Monts to Mingan about ten Aineri- 



